2023, Stage 2 Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor: Match 11

Round 4

Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Phaedra casts Shield Charm.
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 15 = 33 > 12 → Success
Extra Spell Chance (Wandmaker): [d20: 13], no extra spell

Dealla Prince at Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Dealla removes Phaedra's blindfold.
Effects:
- Phaedra is no longer blindfolded.

Meenauh Silmataurea vs Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Meenauh casts Fulgari at Phaedra.
Wisdom DC: 16
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 20 = 28 > 16 → Success
Phaedra's Protego: [d10: 6] → the spell ricochets to a random target
New Target: Dealla Prince
Accuracy Check (Meenauh): [d20: 10] + 11 - 1 Charmer = 20
Auto-Dodge Chance (19-20): [d20: 7] → no auto-dodge (Dealla's Evasive)
Evasion Check (Dealla): [d20: 13] + 0 Blindfolded = 13
20 > 13 → Hit
Effects:
- Dealla is bound and cannot cast until freed. 50 damage with a stacking +10 will be taken every round bound. The strength DC to break out is 16, and will lower by 2 with every unsuccessful check.

Galton Lansdale at Meenauh Silmataurea

Reducio

Galton casts Water-Making Spell at Meenauh.
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 11 = 19 > 11 → Success
Duration: [d12: 9] → 4 rounds (1d12, 1-5: 3 rounds, 6-9: 4 rounds, 10-12: 5 rounds)
Effects:
- Meenauh is doused in water, extinguishing her aflame effect. She cannot catch aflame for 4 rounds and will take 20% less damage by fire spells during that time.

When you were a young duellist, you extinguished fire with Extinguo. When you were old and cool you just dumped water on your partner. That was what Galton did, and Meenauh had to at least appreciate the fire going out, even if she was now drenched. But hey, that meant fire would have a hard time catching on her, that had to be reassuring.

Phaedra and Dee were stumbling around in the dark. Well, probably not stumbling, they were experienced duellists who'd been blindfolded before. It left them vulnerable, though. Dealla prioritized getting Phaedra back in the action, and Phaedra anticipated an attack, throwing up a shield.

She was right: an attack was coming, Meenauh skillfully wielding more advanced magic. But when the spell hit the shield, it bounced off erratically, redirecting straight to Dee. She never stood a chance, unable to see it coming as she was, and the cords of Meenauh's spell wrapped tightly around her. Blindfolded and bound, it was not the best day to be Dee.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Bridget Collins) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
5. Good luck, and have fun!

@Phaedra Stavrou | @Dealla Prince | @Meenauh Silmataurea | @Galton Lansdale

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

Spectator thread!

Phae's response did not only give Dee a sense of her position, but also indicated that her partner was currently blindfolded as well. That was... a slight setback. More than slight, maybe. Still, and as much as she hated the disorientation that came with the cloth wrapped over her eyes, Dee had no illusions about who of the two of them was a bigger threat to the Gryffindors, and who should be the priority to get back into the game. Removing someone else's blindfold while blindfolded herself was a challenge she hadn't yet faced. Hm. "Phaedra," she requested cheerfully while moving closer to where she thought her partner would stand, faster than was maybe prudent while being unable to see. There was no time to waste, no careful inching. If she accidentally tackled her partner, maybe at least it would push both of them out of the way of incoming attacks. "Could you, uh, talk more? Or make some noise. Preferably with your mouth. Casting a spell would be a good use for your breath." Another step. "I don't want to accidentally punch you or something." Not that her strength would do much, Dee was a decent representative of the typical noodle-armed duellist.

Then she'd reached her partner, and prioritised speed over subtlety. That meant that most likely a bit of Phaedra's hair went with the blindfold, but at least she should be able to see again, and hopefully not get hit with what the Gryffindors were concocting for them. Dee, however, remained blind.

Meanwhile, Meenauh had more disappointing news to deliver. No one was on fire, did that mean Dee's spell had missed? That put them in a worse position than she'd hoped. "No fire?" she replied, more for distraction - keep them talking - than because her heart was in it. "Unfortunate, I'll have to fix that."

She was just about to reach for her own blindfold, when, adding insult to injury, she was hit by another spell, from an unexpected direction. Likely Phaedra's infamous shield spell was the culprit. Something that felt like ropes wrapped around her, tying her arms tightly to her sides, and Dee yelped, almost tripping over her own feet this time. "Oh, you can't be serious!" she burst out, the almost obnoxious mirthfulness she'd been carrying around since the start of the duel finally yielding to annoyance. "Phae, you better kick their butt, and then you owe me ice cream or something." She'd be busy trying to get out of these ropes for a while.

Galton held a particularly high opinion of himself, but no matter how high that was, he knew that his magical knowledge was a few leagues behind that of his Mighty partner. And letting her be consumed by the fire was probably the worst thing he could do for her. The brutality of fire was something he had not forgotten from the start of his dueling career.

And as he did his best to quell the flames he would see Meenauh remember the plan. A plan that worked! Well, it kinda worked. Someone had their hands now bound - someone that was not on this side of the piste - so it was a win in his book. With the state they were in, it was all Galton had hoped for.

Action: quenching the flames

Her own hand dropped with a notable lack of blindfold. Dealla had her back. “Yes?” Phaedra answered her junior's call, catching on quickly to the not-so-subtle request for her location. Talk more? Under these circumstances, it was a dreadful time for mindless chatter. Incoming spells were all but half-muted this side of the piste, but with desperation came Ravenclaw ingenuity. “Would a long sigh suffi—Merlin!” Phaedra hissed. Dealla had met her mark with a mighty tug of both fabric and hair. She could see.

And just in time too. From across came an incantation Phaedra herself had yet to master. Fulgari. Brawn was not a strong suit among most duellists let alone herself, and the mere utterance of a spell to exploit that fact—seemingly more oppressive than the typical Petrificus Totalus—drew forth a solemn expression. Awfully cheeky, that. If these opponents had any brain to them, who else besides the oldest witch onstage was that spell best reserved for? Anticipating as much, Phaedra flicked her wand to shield both self and partner. If positioned correctly, surely the shield could too span and protect Dealla's frame.

Well, it sounded reasonable in theory. Problem was, Dealla was just off to her side when she'd graciously removed her blindfold, and still as blind as a bat herself. Meenauh's Fulgari bounced erratically away and chipped the ex-Captain in a manner too rapid to follow. Oops. Where were those successful reflects when she needed? “Whatever you fancy. You just get out of those.” She kneaded her wand, calculating.

Doing as strategized (x)

Round 5

Phaedra Stavrou at Dealla Prince

Reducio

Phaedra removes Dealla's blindfold.
Effects:
- Dealla is no longer blindfolded.

Dealla Prince

Reducio

Dealla breaks out of Fulgari.
Strength DC: 16
Strength Check: [d20: 20] + 3 = 23 > 16 → Success
Effects:
- Dealla is no longer bound.

Meenauh Silmataurea

Reducio

Meenauh casts Shield Charm.
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 20 = 29 > 12 → Success

Galton Lansdale vs Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Galton casts Tongue-Tying Spell at Phaedra.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 11] + 11 = 22 > 9 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 9] + 13 - 1 Charmer = 21
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 12 = 23
21 < 23 → Miss

Now on the surface this didn't look like the most interesting round. Not a lot happened: Galton was the only one on the offensive, and he missed (if narrowly), Meenauh threw up a shield out of an understandable abundance of caution, but it wasn't necessary because Phaedra returned the favor of took care of Dee's blindfold instead of casting anything.

It looked fairly boring, but Dee was in fact having what could perhaps be called a main character moment. The thing about duellists, is that they were almost never strong. Bridget was aware she was the exception, lifting a wand just did not give you muscles. And Dee didn't look strong. But ensnared by painfully tight cords, secured by the strength of Meenuah's magic (because they were strong magically, at least), something kicked in and she forced her way out of them. It was a feat, maybe one missed by the untrained eye, but a feat nonetheless, and Dee had lost almost no time getting back in the game.

Gryffindor had perhaps better watch out, if Dee had indeed manifested main character energy and that was her powerup right there.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Bridget Collins) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
5. Good luck, and have fun!

@Phaedra Stavrou | @Dealla Prince | @Meenauh Silmataurea | @Galton Lansdale

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

Spectator thread!

There was no fog. No one was blindfolded. No one was restrained. Galton would have thought the duel had just started if it was not for the fact that Meenauh looked close to dead. And his muscles ached a bit, but that wasn’t really important in comparison.

It all left him at a bit of a loss. He’d tried his usual tricks, they had even gone okay - but here they all were. A soft reset. Did that mean they should restart the plan? Or that the plan hadn’t worked?

Action: Feeling intense déjà vu

This was probably the most helpless Dee had ever felt during a duel. Even when blindfolded, at least she could move; even when wandless, at least she could look for it. Blind and bound, there was not much she could do except strain against the tight ropes that uncomfortably bound her arms against her sides. She hated being helpless, more than anything; not being in control. It was why she was a duellist in the first place, because all she needed was herself, her reflexes and her magic. Now both were rendered useless.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed against the ropes, but she could hardly move. Frustration rose; she'd been next to useless so far in this duel. Apart from dispelling the fog, the most useful thing she'd done was probably removing Phaedra's blindfold. She refused to let that be the extent of her impact today, she refused.

There was no visible power-up, no epic music playing in the background, this was not an anime. Although honestly... there might as well have been. When Dee tried to free herself from the ropes again, powered by stubbornness and frustration more than physical strength, something gave way, and the ropes loosened. At almost the same time, someone pulled the blindfold off her head, and Dee blinked into the unexpected light, surprised despite herself.

"Oh." She shifted, back into stance on instinct, still trying to grasp the situation. "Thanks, Phaedra."

Somehow, miraculously, she was once again ready to duel, and no damage done. A small grin snuck unto her face, half relief, half smugness, which only widened after a sideways glance at Phaedra. Somehow, through two blindfolds and a magical rope, they'd come out unharmed (not counting the loss of a bit of hair), while Meenauh looked a little singed and, for some reason, half-drowned. "Wow," Dee said, eyeing her friend-slash-adversary. "You really don't like fire, huh?"

As tempting as it was to go on the offensive, Phaedra couldn’t just leave her partner writhing on the floor helplessly. She ducked Galton’s Tongue-Tying jinx, and in one swift movement, kneeled to rip off Dealla’s culprit blindfold—no hair-pulling this time. Phaedra too shifted back into a stance, a subtle lift of the corner of her lips towards Meenauh resorting to yet another shield. By all means, if Gryffindor wanted to continue playing so timidly, that was fine with her. Time was ticking.

Doing as strategized (x)