Hexwizard Task 1: Beauxbatons v Durmstrang

¤ | Ω | ¤

Nec Temere, Nec Timide. Durmstrang Institute's

Romeo Giovanni Marchonné

"English." "Italiano. Italian." "Russian."

| Faint Scar on Left Eye & Mangled Right Ear | \ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand / | Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |

Valetin Schnell
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

Short sleeved and breathable white t-shirt, breathable pants... we were holding this event in the Ballroom, after all. Lots of bodies, lots of body heat, big room... heat was going to be everywhere. For the time being however, for the sake of the media and presentability therein, I also wore a very light black and white checker plaid button up shirt (which I had unbuttoned so that it was more breathable). Glancing around at the rest of the team, I knew that they would fight well today. I would, unfortunately, be consigned to the bench, but at least I would be able to support them when their fight was over. This was going to be a brutal fight, and they would need someone there to patch them up if they were hurt.

Ah yes, I was going to be playing nurse once again. Yet, what else was new? Truth be told, if I would not be able to fight alongside my allies, then I would be ready to assist them if they faltered or fell. I would make them strong, build them back better than before. Ensure that they could give their all no matter how many fights or trials of combat that they would have to face. I could almost feel the trembling in the air from the chanting and the cheering of the audience, the murmuring and the plotting of the various reporters and representatives of the worldwide wizarding press. Well, so much for trying to stay under the radar for any longer. I was part of the team now... I would have to face the consequences of being on the team, even if only as a reserve.

We entered the Ballroom alongside the other six teams, but it became obvious that we were to compete upon the board located in the center of the room. Truth be told... it was right where Durmstrang wanted to be; commanding the attention, becoming the center of the eye's focus. We would put on a show, that much was for certain. We had good strategy, excellent planning, and a method that would be sure to shut down these French students before they even knew what was happening to them. One of them was familiar to me; the one named Florian. He was on the active team unlike myself, but that wouldn't prevent me from still silently hoping that my team would give all of them the what for.

It would take two hits; Us hitting them, them hitting the ground.

Amina and Yefim's 'special person' (though admittedly I found her to be strangely off-putting despite her incredible allure) had already taken their places on the sidelines. I would join them as well, taking a seat on one of the edges of the benches and leaning back slightly with a mild slouch as I crossed my legs at the ankles and folded my arms, a focused look on my face that caused my brows to furrow as I began to observe the students taking their places. Thoughts formulating on the fly, I started to play classical chess in my head; highly useless when compounded with the specific rules of this game in particular... but it was more of the thought of playing chess that amused me as opposed to actually doing the playing in this situation.

Maybe I should have brought a wizard chess board for my own amusement during the match...

As soon as I noticed the flicker of white walking towards me, I straighten up unconsciously, standing up politely at Valetin's approach. "Valetin." I greet him lightly, trying to ignore the eyes of anyone that were likely on us. I was highly nervous being under scrutiny, just the mere action of being out in front of a crowd as opposed to in it. I gently cross my arms on my biceps, squeezing a bit and gently digging my fingertips into the shirt and my skin to release some pent up tension. "Finally the big day, huh? You'll do great."

Valetin's Italian catches me off guard, and I find myself entranced by how he managed to stitch the words together in an impressively coherent phrase. The grammar was good... the pronunciation was what could use a little work. Russian and Italian did not a good mix make. A tiny smile crosses my face, causing my eyes to lighten up a bit with amusement. "Hey! That's pretty good! There were a couple of wrong inflections (and I know I do them when I speak Russian too...), but that was... shockingly coherent!" I praise Valetin genuinely. "Ottimo lavoro! Good work!" I mean, we were learning Latin at Durmstrang, and Italian was very closely correlated with Latin, but there were certainly nuances that were difficult to pick up; bits and pieces of vocabulary that didn't quite line up, sounds that were different... all in all, Valetin had done a very very good job. "Now I want to see you use that dedication on the chess field, alright? Focus on the game. It's just like Quidditch except with a little bit of spellwork." I raise a brow. "And I know you are more than capable of casting spells."

A small punch at his shoulder, extremely light. "Rain Hell, Capitano Brina. Captain Frost/Hoarfrost. I'll be here, watching and cheering."

Val departed for the board and I leaned forward onto my knees wringing my hands lightly. People were going to get hurt soon. I would have to prepare to do my best to help them after the fact.

Once again, it would only take two hits; Us hitting Them, Them hitting the ground.

This was our game to take.

Action: Benched but Ready to Heal

Reducio

Stats:

Ω Stamina 9 | Evasion 7 | Strength 15 Ω
Ω Accuracy 15 | Wisdom 9 | ArcPower 0 Ω

Abilities:

Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω

Interacting with: - Cassie (@Lucia Fox) Mentioning: @Serena Towers

---------------------------- Speech ----------------------------

RPing as iNPC Milo Durand Date: 23/10/22

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Entering the ballroom, he could hear the cheers from all round, whether this was for Beauxbatons or the two schools that came in before them, he wasn't sure, but he didn't care. He gave a small bow as he walked, making sure not to get in the way of the folk walking behind him.

He was looking for one face in particular as he scanned the crowd, but as of this moment, he couldn't spot her, until he looked towards the team that had came in before them. Hogwarts. There she was, Serena. He grinned and gave a little 2 finger wave in her direction before turning back to his own team.

Taking his place, he looked over to Cassie. "Gagnons ça!" Let's win this!

Stamina - 13 Evasion - 12 Strength - 13 Wisdom - 6 ArcPower - 9 Accuracy - 13

Actions: As Planned

Fearless Charmer Comprehend Languages: Veela Lovely Creature Broken Broomshaft Rebound

interacting with Beauxbatons teammates mentioning everybody present

As Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x] English · #586d9d | French · #056b68

And so when Maxi stepped into the ballroom, he had to admit that he was a little scared by people’s hyped cheers and all those applause. So many were presenting - students, professors, officials... and they were all, like, fevered. A massive event, of course, and Maxi knew that he had to do his best.

Though he wasn’t really afraid of the Durmstrang folks, who were defeated prior in the broom racing match against them back in summer. Mademoiselle Angélique was still representing Beauxbatons as a champion back in that time, and they crushed Rumyanstev and his team with a fantastic win. Though their champion was now Mademoiselle Cassanora (who was another capable and charming young lady), Maxi knew it would be all the same - Beauxbatons would win the game, with a powerful leader and every team member’s efforts and cooperation.

He lowered his eyes to the chessboard and put his right hand to his heart rather devoutly. His voice was low, as if chanting - “For Beauxbatons.”

STATS. stamina 7 · evasion 11 · wisdom 13 · strength 3 · arcane power 7 · accuracy 11
ABILITIES. Lovely Creature, Perfectionist I+II, Spell Spread
ACTION. as strategised

Hexcode= #967bb6

Interacting with: Felix, Greta, Yefim, Erin, Cassanora and Amaury

As others gathered onto the set, Roberta gave a wink at Felix, a nod to Greta and she even blew a kiss to Yefim hoping to distract him, after which she raised her eyebrows in a flirty attempt to rouse Erin Ryan's reaction.

Having aided her in obtaining a victorious match once before, even if it hadn't resulted in their crowning as champions, was a significant enough experience to bring out her best personal effort.
They were all of them worthy opponents and allies, but right here and right now they were her enemies and she felt that this would be their mutual understanding. Mercy was not expected. Such was the art of duelling. It was both an honor and a crying shame that they would be losing to her and the other Beauxbaton duellists today, but such was their fate. Sealed when they committed to the decision to set foot on the board.

Looking to her own side, it was good to be with her friends and schoolmates and as she felt assured that their fearless nature would see them through the match victorious, a twinging of her nerves gave her reason to vocalize her concerns. [In French] "Nervous, King?" Though she hoped by now that Cassanora could tell when she was being serious and when she was being playful with her words, she elaborated herself. [In French] "They are going to give us a good match, and we are going to teach them the meaning of glorious triumph, but let's not underestimate them." Her words might've been inspirational in another context, but she was hardly a motivational speaker, instead her words were a cold and fearless calculation of their position.

[In French] "And you, my Queen. No fraternizing with the enemies." A joke of course. Amaury could date whoever he wanted, after the match, as always.

Action: Doing as strategized

STATS | sta: 10 | eva: 15 | str: 1 | wis: 10 | ap: 7 | acc: 10

ABILITIES |
-Evasive Maneuvers I & II- Harder to hit on average, 10% on auto-dodge chance that anything that targets this wizard automatically misses. This is rolled separate from the attack roll.

This ability can be acquired up to 2 times. When acquired twice, this stacks so when acquired a second time this becomes a 20% chance.

-Lovely Creature- You are very distracting to look at. This increases the Control DC of spells in duels and adventures by +2 as well as the DC for finding things in adventures or the DC for finding the snitch in a game of Quidditch. This ability does not stack.

-Fearless- Fear effects such as a dhampir's aura, the ability terrible presence, a lycanthrope's intimidation or certain charms, potions and jinxes that would normally cause a fear effect do not work on you as you are immune to them.

@Winnie Harper, @Evelynn Decipio, @Flash Holmwood, @Erin Ryan, @Hugh Lowe, @Cecily Quinn

Beautiful banner by syl | -stats have been updated since, if you're looking for them, check Dré's trunk
Roleplaying as André Alarie from Beauxbatons - peek at his ency here!
Language | French | English in italics | Russian is Underlined

André has been learning phrases from the languages of participating schools in the hexwizard tournament done for the specific intent of talking smack(trash talk). Even poor Maxi wasn't let in on his plan because André was aware he wouldn't get away with it otherwise

Only hours earlier André was striding through the halls of the massive castle. Hair neatly in place, school uniform wrinkle-less he had taken care to be positive he looked his best no matter the circumstance. Each small detail handled with precision, each of the smallest details cared for an attended to as much as the last. Today the Beaubaxtons team would be great, the world would see the incredibly skilled and talented students their team was made of. Striding through the corridor he would count his steps as he went. Hearing the sound of his right foot hit the ground, 29, followed by his left, 30, a skill he used daily, and days where it became hourly, a skill so practice and ingrained in him did it immediately without thought. He didn't have to think about it to do it, often it was furthest from his mind when he did, well-organized thoughts at the foremost of his brain and hidden in the back would be the counting of his steps, the daily rituals weren't often as simplistic as counting his steps, yet, he had found it was the easiest way to quiet his mind and the impulse when at a place such as Hogwarts. Divided cleanly into groups of eleven he was satisfied and his mind quieted, now it could be a good day, they would do great.

He had arrived at the Ballroom long before needed, long before he could watch the hustle and bustle of people as they entered in, excited for the event. Dré was off to the side with the rest of his team, though even in a group he founded himself slightly secluded and alone. Pacing in his own space. Dré had been acting off for a while coming, even days before the tournament he couldn't get his head together in order to act his usual self(ironic because his "usual self" was mirroring the personalities of others.) Dré would have been more ingrained, however, he was unable to make an effort when the game was so soon and the game would be all he had on his mind. Strategy had been discussed ages ago, Beauxbatons had a reputation to uphold, he knew they were going to do well their strategy was full proof they couldn't not do well. They had gone over it time and time again, Dré had gone over it time and time and time again and would continue to go over it again and again now.

Beauxbatons were up against Durmstrang, if André admitted to his honest assessment, they were well-equipped, skilled and they seemed to know it too. Though André couldn't quite figure out what the deal with the Durmstrang champion was, when met with boos he seemed to relish the fact he was disliked. He reveled in it. As well equipped as they were, Beauxbatons was better, they could do better, with all the strategy, all the backup plans Dré had in place, he knew it.

Glancing towards the stands his found his eyes glued to the shouting vendors. What did a French man have to do to get a butterbeer around here, why not sell him one? He'd been picking up the nervous energy of everyone in the great hall just earlier and hadn't been able to eat. What rule was there against food and drink during tournament tasks anyway? André let out a breath folding his arms across his chest.

André turned his attention to Maxi(@Lindsey Springhall) before they were made to take their places on the board. “Hey you,” André spoke with a smirk, stopping his friend just before. It was no secret Dré was rather fond of Maxi, the two were close after all their time spent together. Of course he was going to stop the other to say a few words, “It's now or never,” Dré wasn't fond on the belief of luck and chance, but what else was there to say. He rolled his eyes, and let out a sigh of accepting the fact he was actually about to say this, “good luck.” Dré reached to comfortingly and encouragingly squeeze Maxi's shoulder and went to find his place.

Regular Text - English | Bolded Text - French | Bolded Black Text - Japanese
Roleplaying as iNPC Madeleine Nakamura
Interacting: Cassanora Browne (@Hugh Lowe), Beauxbatons team and @Serena Towers
Mentioning: Angélique de Clairmont (@Santario Martin) and @Marcus Iwasaki

Madeleine is benched. Her stats and abilities have no impact on this game.

Cassanora had entered the ballroom just before Maddie.

This was supposed to be Angelique's moment. Leave it to her to make a grand entrance and revel in the welcoming applause. Cass knew she was out of her element for now. She never craved the attention, it only made you more of a target. And having entered the room now as a champion, rather than a team member, she felt as if several curious eyes were already gunning her down.

Still, it now had become a duty. And as a student of Beauxbatons she would serve. Going against her father's wishes by joining the Hexwizard team had already turned things sour back at home. Now that she had placed herself at the centre of all danger... He was livid. Cass felt her eyes ceaselessly jumping across the room. Instinctually searching for the one person she knew to be a comforting link between her and her father. He was not here, but Cass secretly hoped Nora had come for support. A thing she desperately desired at this very moment. She smiled and nodded to Maddie's well wishes before going her own way.

She was dressed in the classic sky-blue uniform of the French school, sticking to tradition and performing her duty as a representative of her school. Then she took her position on the board. In the blink of an eye, Cassanora was clad in robes lined with black fur and felt a large crown resting upon her brow. Instead of a young witch, they would find her to be a king. Seeking to diligently serve and unite, her team against a common 'enemy'.

Her head turned to face in Roberta's direction, and she smiled with new purpose.

"Hors de doute, hors de l'obscurité, jusqu'au jour qui se lève
Nous viendrons chanter au soleil, épées dégainées.
À la fin de l'espoir, nous chevaucherons, et au cœur brisé:
Maintenant place à la colère, place à la ruine et à la chute du chevalier rouge!"

"Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day’s rising
We'll come singing in the sun, swords unsheathing.
To hope’s end we'll ride, and to heart’s breaking:
Now for wrath, now for ruin and the red knight's fall!"

She wasn't about to explain where exactly she got those words from. But she decided they would have to do for the time being. Now it was time for her and her team to stand their ground and face the heat of the game head on. Would Durmstrang's pride prelude their doom? Or was Beauxbatons in over their heads? She could not foresee, she could only do her duty.

threading as johannes cyprian sauer
interactions [--]
mentions Horntail Horde, all
speaking in russian, unless specified otherwise

All those months of preparation and (occasionally forced) team bonding culminate in the first chapter of the Hexwizard Tournament. The first task would set the precedent for the rest of the tournament... or at least that's how it seemed in Johannes' head.

Considering Durmstrang was his One True School, it was a little weird how many times they had frequented Hogtart's ballroom, or how often the Scottish school hosted international events... Did they have the time or the resources to ask about that yet? No? (Don't even think about remembering these questions later, Johann, when not even the author has an IC explanation.) Normally, all the school filled him with was a sense of surreal strangeness at the thought of kids just like Durmstrang's little second-years living their whole school life there instead of skirting around Headmistress Shtriga's all-knowing attentions. This time, however, just a few feet away from his designated starting position and with both Hexwizard teams filtering in between the raucous crowds, the weight of difference had never felt more apparent.

A frantic, barely contained feeling of fluttery anticipation crawled beneath his skin, but Johannes couldn't tell if it was nerves, excitement or his ever-restless magic messing with him. Perhaps it was a combination of all three scrabbling at the space between his throat and behind his teeth, unsuccessfully wrestling with his confident facade like a caged animal restless for its imminent freedom. Trying to nail down the unfathomable feeling was like raking water uphill, or nailing Jell-O to a tree. Sure, you could try all you like, but all you're going to get out of it is a temporary mantra of "almost" and an unhealthy dose of disappointment.

Yet there was a certain comfort in their champion's rousing, very-obviously-overdramatic speech - reminiscent of the same pep talks Johannes had been subjected to, both by (and for) his Hounds and then in Quidditch. For this, it was almost unfortunate that a majority of people (Koldolv, no matter how much understandable booing they could offer, obviously didn't count) couldn't understand it for all of its glorious confidence. On the chessboard today, Russian was their language. Those French folk could have their silent vowels and nasality, but a majority of Durmstrang students had to work hard as hell to even understand their first few classes and that work ethic had not faltered in the years since.

They were going to put Beauxbatons in their place (no doubt about that), if not in strategy than by sheer hype alone, and they were going to do it as a united force. Whatever chaos between the first round and their magnificent victory would be would be talked about for ages to come - disorder deified in legend. They say men make themselves poor gods, but Johannes couldn't have asked for anything less.

Action: As Strategised

Mod Information
==
Abilities: Foulplay, Charmer, Evasive Maneuvers, Rapid Reviver, Blindvision
Stats: Sta 10 | Eva 11 | Str 10 | Wis 8 | Arc 8 | Acc 12

Allies: Horntail Horde (Durmstrang Hexwizard Team), Orpheus (Astrea's cat)
Opponents: Beauxbatons Hexwizard Team, non-Durmstrang Chasers (Quidditch)

rping as cielle johansen.
mentions horntail horde.

At last, the day of the first task was here. The Durmstrang hex team had been building up to this day for so long that it felt strange that it was here already. The bundle of nerves and excitement that came with any big event hadn't really hit Cielle until a few days ago, but it was safe to say that she was currently switching between being overcome with nerves and flitting about with excitement every five minutes. The others were probably getting really irritated at the weird fluctuations between being annoyingly hyperactive and giggly to anxiously biting her nails and wringing her hands, but Cielle couldn't help it. She'd always gotten last minute jitters when she performed at the circus in her childhood - she'd be fine once she was actually THERE, but right now, she was going a bit cuckoo.

Cielle frowned at Yefim's blonde... girlfriend... thing as she arrived looking all grouchy and pissed off. Girlfriend? Sister? (For someone who was friends with these people, Cielle was shockingly oblivious to most of the tea.) Well, whoever she was, she looked like she did NOT want to be here. Cielle watched the encounter with a bemused look on her face. [IN NORWEGIAN] "Whatever is going on over there, it's weird," she said aloud, to no one in particular.

She was about to ask how much longer they would be waiting, when the doors opened. Cielle followed the rest of the team out, scanning the crowds with a hopeful look on her face. The whole thing just felt so surreal... she couldn't believe she was here. It felt like a dream - she had to pinch herself to make sure she was actually awake during Yefim's pep talk. It was kind of cringe, but in a motivating way, and Cielle found herself walking onto the chess board with a smile on her face. She started waving at some random people in the crowd, but quickly stopped to check if the others were waving and smiling too. Well, Yefim was. He was wooping and poncing about like an idiot to boos from the crowd. Cielle snorted loudly with amusement and looked around behind her at the teammates on the bench, as if to say Can you believe him?

The Norwegian girl would turn her attention to Beauxbatons, the team they were playing against. Ew, French people. Cielle had no doubt that together, the Durm team would crush them into the dirt.

Action: as strategized
Paragon of health allies: Yefim and Mikael
Lovely creature opponents: Beauxbatons team

sta 11 | str 15 | eva 9 | wis 3 | arc 3 | acc 12
lovely creature, statistically relevant (eva), fearless, paragon of health

edit1: added banner 3.11.22
edit2: added lovely creature opponents

interacting: @Sylvain Wyllt as Roberta Martin

He'd prefer to destroy Durmstrang on his own home turf, but for now, the Scottish highlands would have to do. It wasn't that the location of Beauxbatons' victory mattered much (and it was an assured victory, of course), Amaury just vastly preferred his own school to the dark and dreary halls of Hogwarts.

While not to be underestimated-- although cocky, Amaury still had a generous dose of rationality on occassion-- it was clear that, à la fin, Durmstrang would be no match for the French team. He met Roberta's gaze with raised eyebrows. "J'oserais pas," he replied with a slight smile.

à la fin | in the end
j'oserais pas | i wouldn't dare

action | as strategized
stats | sta: 7 | eva: 14 | str: 1 | wis: 12 | arc: 14 | acc: 16
abilities | lovely creature, charmer, perfectionist, evasive maneuvers, fearless, spell spread