2023/24 Stage 2 Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw: Match 3

Reflex has sent the crackers towards the Eagles, but Evelynn wouldn't be able to take stock of their result. Moving forwards as she had to attempt to pull Pierre back, she had walked right into a gale of wind sent their way. Her robes snapped and buffeted around her, her steps unsteady. The chill bit at her skin and threatened to force her off balance, but she managed to stay sure-footed. Her vision was soon impaired, however. It was the lion's turn to be engulfed in fog, it seemed, as their opponents gradually faded from view behind a hazy veil. And Evelynn's sudden surge would falter. Devoid of sight, she narrowed in on the conversation between Pierre and the rest. Hesitation to continue permeated her movements, and she would have sent a look of query towards the judge had it not been swallowed by the fog.

Action: As strategized

Round 5

Evelynn vs. Damion

Reducio

Evelynn casts Nec Divinos Crepitus at Damion

Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:13] + 15 = 28 > 11 → Success!

Backfire: [d20:3] → No backfire

Auto-hit: [d20:10] → No auto-hit
Accuracy: [d20:12] + 12 - 1 (Dealla's Charmer) - 4 (Nebulus) = 19
Evasion: [d20:18] + 9 = 27
19 < 27 → Miss

vs. Dealla (radius damage)
Accuracy: 19
Evasion: [d20:20] + 15 = 35
19 < 35 → Miss

vs. Pericles (radius damage)
Auto-hit: [d20:3] → No auto-hit
Accuracy: 19
Evasion: [d20:4] + 12 = 16
19 > 16 → Hit!

Duration: [d3:2] → 1 round
Damage: 20 + 8 * 10 (ARC) = 100
Effect: Pericles will suffer -3 wisdom for one round

Pierre

Reducio

Pierre casts Protego

Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 (Damion's Lovely Creature) = 14
Wisdom: [d20:15] + 12 = 27 > 14 → Success!

Effect: Attacks on Pierre this turn have a chance to ricochet, rebound or dissipate.

Damion

Reducio

Damion casts Ventus at the Metelojinx cloud

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:17] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:17] + 10 - 3 (Nec Divinos Crepitos) = 24 > 11 → Success!

Effect: The Gryffindor team now has 10% chance per round to get hit by lightning. The Ravenclaw team is no longer under the Metelojinx effect.

Dealla vs. Pierre

Reducio

Dealla casts Ventus at Pierre

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:11] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:7] + 14 - 3 (Nec Divinos Crepitos) = 18 > 11 → Success!

Auto-split: [d20:9] → No auto-split
Protego: [d10:6] → The spell richochets.
New target: Pericles

Accuracy: [d20:16] + 16 - - 1 (Dealla'as Charmer) - 4 (Nebulus) = 27
Evasion: [d20:19] + 12 = 31
27 < 31 → Miss

Pericles vs. Pierre

Reducio

Pericles casts Flipendo at Pierre.

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:11] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom: [d20:20] + 11 = 31 > 9 → Critical Success!

Protego: [d10:5] → The spell dissipates

Lightning

Reducio

vs. Evelynn: [d20:13] → Miss
vs. Pierre: [d20:12] → Miss

Julian wasn't sure how, but it hadn't just been the duel itself that had escalated, but the exchange between the participands and suddenly tensions felt quite high. Eyes wide, his glance shifted between eagles and lions.

"Uh... it's just a duel, guys. No one is going to die," he offered in an effort to defuse the situation. Of course, that was exactly Pierre's point, but it seemed incongruous with the manic despair that seemed to have befallen him. Sure, losing sucked, especially in duelling, when it literally meant being rendered unconscious, but surely it didn't merit such dramatics. Especially when it wasn't your first duel.

Julian had no idea how to make the boy feel better or calm down, though, and didn't think his words would help, so he was relieved when Pierre materialised a shield, which sent off Dealla's Wind Jinx careening in Pericles' direction and absorbed Pericles' Knockback Jinx. Evelynn, meanwhile, had hit Pericles with yet another conjured firecracker's sparks--not quite as succesful as her last cast of the Cracker Jinx, no doubt thanks to the fog, but still a respectable effort.

Maybe the fact that they'd just had the more favourable round would help Pierre's mood. All the Ravenclaws had managed had been to reposition the storm cloud over the other team once more, courtesy of a well-cast Wind Jinx from Damion.

Information

1. You have 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this post to post at least 50 words and owl me (Julian Pritchard) your moves.

2. Please don't hint at your move inside of your RP, as it gives the other team an advantage.

3. If you don't post before the deadline, your move will be void.

4. If you have any questions, or notice anything wrong in the mod post, please don't hesitate to send me an owl!

5. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for this duel. Any new abilities added to your trunk after this duel started cannot be used.

6. For your convenience, here are the duelling rules, the duelling spells, and the latest patch.

Good luck!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.

Come cheer for your House and friends!

There was evidently no pulling Pierre back from the brink: he doubled down on his self-made fantasy, in which he was a pitiable martyr against self-righteous, sharp-toothed serpents. Pericles nearly fell for the trap of wondering why. What was the source of this projection? What insecurity had festered long enough to inspire these theatrical displays of self-sabotage? He stopped himself before he could wonder too far, refusing to fall prey to the snare set for his attention. He recoiled. As the fog closed in around the manic boy, demanding Pericles intercede in his fate, the Ravenclaw regarded him with neither contempt nor compassion. There was a wall where emotion ought to be. "You aren't a child. I won't clean your mess for you."

The rant was directionless, refuting all reason, madness for the sake of madness. Pericles felt a pang of sympathy for Julius, internally agreeing that a duel didn't deserve this level of dramaticism, and it showed in the disdain on his freckled face. An irritated scowl was replaced by a pained grimace as Eve's sparks stung his skin. He heard his own spell sizzle out unsatisfyingly against a shield, then spun out of the way when Dee's disappeared into the fog only to bounce back in his direction. Her barbs were like a scorpion's stings, shallow and short, but sure to set the Gryffindor off all the same. Peri cast her a meaningful look as he tersely observed, "He's barking to hear his head roar." His family used the line in reference to their dogs when they sounded off without obvious cause: no intruders, no threats, noise simply for the sake of keeping themselves occupied.

The line might have come across as a great deal more somber if not for the halo of static-y hair wafting around his head. Still, the look and tone said a great deal more- not holding her accountable for the results of that Protego, simultaneously pleading for her help in putting and end to this match. He wasn't especially enjoying it anymore, wasn't interested in sharing the stage with someone acting so irrationally, but also wasn't inclined to give him what he wanted. Not another excuse to victimize himself while criticizing Dealla, or Eun-Ji, or himself. Time to adjust strategy.

Action: As Strategized.

Damion was glad that he was not hit by many spells. He was still doing well. He looked around. He cast the spell that he had intended to cast. Saying the spell out clearly he said "Ventus." He smiled as his spell was cast properly. He was hoping the Ravenclaw Team would win.

Stats: Stamina: 14
Evasion: 9
Strength: 9
Wisdom: 8+2 (10)
Arcane Power: 9
Accuracy: 10
Abilities: Lovely Creature | Statiscally Relevant | Broken Broomshaft | Catch | Advance Casting
Action: As strategized.

With no call for an early conclusion, Evelynn would find herself propelled to continue. Given Piérre's seeming instability and the odds ever stacked against them, however, that little motivation she had found in the reflex of protecting Piérre was once more beginning to wane. Fog continued to obscure her vision of the opposing team, and surroundings darkened all the more with the return of the storm cloud above. She spared it a fleeting glance, lips pressed to a thin line as a phantom pain stretched down her right arm. It's strike was not one that she relished, but neither were the offensive efforts of the Eagles.

In her hesitation, she defaulted to repeating herself, sending the same spell in the same general direction as she recently had. The crackle and snap of the cracker jinx sounded somewhere in the mist beyond where the streak of light had disappeared, but whether to any effect, she wasn't sure. At the very least, she was glad to see Piérre temporarily abandoning his evident flirtation with injury. The shield he had summoned afforded him exactly the protection that was needed as at least two of the three Ravenclaw students sought to take him up on his invitation to strike him down. One of the spells even rebounded back into the fog from whence it had come.

Her gaze lingered on Piérre, thoughts kept quietly to herself. If her estimates were close, less than half the clock remained. At this point, she may as well see it through to the end, though she expected to be the last lion standing when that time came.

Action: As strategized

@Evelynn Decipio & Pericles Dralt

House Colours: Hufflepuff
"Thus the skillful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand."

~ Sun Tzu

He knew what was coming before it even came. "Protego!"

Two spells, a wind jinx that spiralled backwards through the fog and a knockback jinx that thrummed against the shield before causing the bubble to warble slightly and then grow still as the resonance resolved itself. It was a singular note, a beautiful sound that had a note that he could hear and understand. It was an E in a low octave... a brassy yet somehow twangy sound that dissipated into nothing. Crackers echoed from Evelynn, the second time. Thunder loomed once more overhead.

Pericles, beloved Pericles whom it would be a lie to say that Piérre didn't envy in skill and in person, was still talking to him. Why? He didn't know... even if it was to simply call off his words and actions as childish and obtuse... at least... at least he was talking to him...

These were the things he could cherish now, that somehow he did exist; even to be a distasteful topic, a disgraceful human in the eyes of those who observed him. At least, yes... at least it was his mess. At least he had that.

"No Pericles, you are right. We aren't children." He finally said morosely as the shield fell from his concentration in a shimmering of soft silver sparkles. "But perhaps I would have been better off staying as one." Tears began to prick in his eyes, muddying the fog even more. "And you'll be a better man than I'll ever be because of it; because you did grow up. That's why I request it, Pericles. Maybe you can kill this childish urge for me. I can't let it go."

His cheeks flushed a violent red and his throat sealed up.

'Diavolo, diavolo! Diavolo, diavolo! Lauro, Lauro! Diavolo, Lauro!' [Cried those voices from somewhere, from somewhere splitting through space and time just to jeer at him now...]

It hurt. Somewhere, deep inside, it hurt... His heart... hurt... Just like when he had splintered last time, all those years ago, and it hurt no less then than it did now. It hurt more... it hurt more now. "It's screaming, and I can't make it go away...!" He choked.

The yew in his fingertips flashed as it spun into the next movement. The next spell. It was simply all that he could do now. Just cast one more spell. Just one more and it would finally all be over. He could disappear again, could fade away. Could stay away. Should stay away.

Doing as Strategized
Calming Presence Allies: Evelynn Decipio & Jay Victoria

The words Piérre was spewing were getting more absurd by the minute, and Dee registered them with a quizzical look. This look was then transferred to Peri, who was - apparently - the most familiar with Piérre... or at least the person that Piérre turned to with his raving. She shrugged at her friend, a silent I don't know what the fuck is happening here.

But that was really all that was, apparently - words and ravings, because when Pericles and Dee unanimously decided that maybe knocking him out was the best thing for Piérre in this moment (if only to get him out of harm's way, oddly) he cast a shield spell. Dee snorted. "Make up your mind, will you?" she called over to him softly, then rolled her shoulders. "In or out? Alive or... well, not dead dead, but if you're willing to settle for unconscious, I'm open to helping you out."

Humour was her automatic response to the situation, mostly masking her endless confusion, a reflex. Peri seemed to be responding with significantly less humour, but the corner of Dee's lips quirked up anyway, partially at his dry observation, but almost as much at his cartoon-y cloud of hair. "I like that," she replied blithely, leaving ambiguous whether she meant the words or the hairstyle.

Round 6

Evelynn vs. Pericles

Reducio

Evelynn casts Flipendo at Pericles

Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom: [d20:6] + 15 = 21 > 9 → Success!

Auto-hit: [d20:18] → No auto-hit
Accuracy: [d20:4] + 12 - 1 (Dealla's Charmer) - 4 (Nebulus) = 11
Evasion: [d20:11] + 12 = 23
11 < 23 → Miss

Pierre vs. Pericles

Reducio

Pierre casts Flipendo at Pericles

Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 (Damion's Lovely Creature) = 11
Wisdom: [d20:17] + 12 = 29 > 11 → Success!

Accuracy: [d20:20] + 16 - 1 (Dealla's Charmer) - 4 (Nebulus) = 31
Evasion: [d20:14] + 12 = 26
31 < 26 → Hit!

Damage: 100 + 15 * 5 (ARC) = 175

Damion at Pericles

Reducio

Damion casts Reparifors at Pericles

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:17] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:3] + 10 = 13 > 11 → Success!

Healing: 50 + 8 * 9 (ARC) = 122

Dealla at Pericles

Reducio

Dealla casts Reparifors at Pericles

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:10] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:14] + 14 = 28 > 11 → Success!

Healing: 50 + 8 * 8 (ARC) = 114

Pericles

Reducio

Pericles casts Reparifors on himself

Auto-Fail (5% from Evelynn's Wandmaker): [d20:10] → No auto-fail
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom: [d20:14] + 11 - 3 (Nec Divinos Crepitus) = 22 > 11 → Success

Healing: 50 + 8 * 10 (ARC) = 130

Lightning

Reducio

vs. Evelynn: [d20:12] → Miss
vs. Pierre: [d20:16] → Miss

Pierre's rambling had progressed to a place that didn't seem to be be related to the duel, and Julian started feeling genuinely concerned. Something seemed to be going on with the older boy distinctly beyond simple insecurities about captainship or negative feelings related to the possibility of losing. For Julian, who feared few things more than loss of public composure, it was more than a little disconcerting. Maybe he should stop the duel? He cast an increasingly panicked gaze around, hoping that some figure of authority might emerge to help diffuse the situation. None did.

"Are you feeling alright, Pierre? If you need to step away, you can." His tone was softer this time, earnest, punctuated only by a reproachful look at Dealla at the blithe comment. "Taunts are hardly going to help." Thankfully, the pace of the duel seemed to have slowed again. With the Ravenclaws opting to bolster Pericles with a set of healing spells, only the Gryffindors cast offensive spells in the next few seconds; twin Flipendos at Pericles. Evelynn's missed, but Julian was quite surprised when Pierre's managed to push the Ravenclaw boy back a few paces. He didn't think he would've managed to aim properly if he'd been in the same anguished state Pierre appeared to be.

Information

1. You have 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this post to post at least 50 words and owl me (Julian Pritchard) your moves.

2. Please don't hint at your move inside of your RP, as it gives the other team an advantage.

3. If you don't post before the deadline, your move will be void.

4. If you have any questions, or notice anything wrong in the mod post, please don't hesitate to send me an owl!

5. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for this duel. Any new abilities added to your trunk after this duel started cannot be used.

6. For your convenience, here are the duelling rules, the duelling spells, and the latest patch.

Good luck!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.

Come cheer for your House and friends!

Pericles could only grimace uneasily as more mad, self-depreciating babble sounded from the fog. But Dee's way with words was as centering as it was entertaining. Her saucy remark for their opponent, her unbothered response to Peri, and he was feeling more at ease. That miserable expression lessened, managing to quirk a half smirk as he shook his head- either at the comment, or perhaps to make his hair waft around like a fluffy cloud for her amusement. He always felt better when he took a page from her book. As she and Dami healed him, combined with a self-aimed Reparifors to boot, Pericles breathed a deep sigh. He felt the burns and bruises fade, some patience restored as the pain went away. Nothing like a triple heal and a bit of cheek to cheer him up again. "Thank you both," he muttered, returning a lidded look to the opposite side of the stage. His frown was tinged with disdain: no, they weren't going to pummel the frothing Gryffindor as he begged to be. This duel was already won, the look said, whether or not the shameless spectacle dragged out.

Action: As Strategized.

A Knockback Jinx had spewed from her wand, it's light disappearing through the fog, but truth be told, Evelynn wouldn't have been able to say why. Call it reflex, she supposed; or some distant competitive drive that had briefly sparked when Pierre's call to for the Eagles to kill him had awakened the dormant protectiveness within her. Whatever energy for the duel she had managed to recover, however, was quickly fading.

All the more-so as no immediate threat to life came into existence and the boy continued to spew nonsensical vitriol. Whether or not her spell had impacted, she didn't care. They were outclassed, outnumbered, and outmaneuvered, and it had already been made abundantly clear what her captain thought of her contribution--or lack there-of--to the team. She didn't have the desire to try to prove the fates wrong or the heart to battle the odds.

Once more, her wand fell limp to her side, the trio of casts from across the hazy expanse barely audible. Even the Eagles knew it. This match was over. It had concluded the moment their third member had hit the boards. No.. it had likely been decided before they'd even made their entrance. Pierre was unstable. She, little better. But at least she had enough self-awareness to recognize that; and just enough grace to see the match for what it was.

"What a farce.." Her muttering accompanied a drawn-out exhalation. A lidded gaze rested upon the back of Pierre. Concern battled with apathy, but in the end, the latter won out. Stepping back, she turned, wanting nothing more to do with any of this. An intangible force had swayed her from the retreat she had wanted to take previously, but its power had dissipated. Pierre was right. She didn't amount to anything. She had neither the energy nor the desire to prove him wrong. If he still wanted to take a stand and attempt to do, he could do it by himself.

Action: Evelynn exits from the fog and takes her leave, wordlessly resigning

Reducio

Congratulations, Ravenclaw, on a match very well fought on your parts! Honestly kind of a sweet justice and nice turntable parallel to last match. And thank you very much for the RP! This has been one of the more interesting sports events for me as far as character development and interaction. I really enjoyed it.