2022, Stage 3 Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff: Match 6

Hex code:#A0A9B8

Alec's lips split into a grin, the Gryffindor was buzzing with excited anticipation, Stage three. The last stage, the most important one, it meant everything. As far as duelling went, him and Rose were an excellent team. He thought they worked well together, and were on track with knowing what the other person was going to do. It was a carefully pieced together puzzle, a game of chess. One move could mean everything. They needed to make sure they had this duel. Alec wasn't allowed to fail now. Alec took a deep breath as he walked out. Stepping up and taking his place for the duel.

He knew his first duel was not long forgotten. Alec wouldn't call any of his actions mistakes. He hadn't been sorry then and he wasn't sorry now... Okay well he sort of was. But nobody tell Dealla, Alec had his own pride to protect. As much as he knew he was capable of doing it again. He held back. The amount of drama a few words had caused was uneeded. None of it was turning over a new leaf. Not that it would been it to begin with. He tightened his grip on his wand. Overlooking his opponents he assured himself that him and Rose would do great. Alec would turn his attention to Rose and look at her in a reflective manner.

“It's a shame... The hufflepuffs have had a terrible duelling season. And we're up against two second years. They have a chance but...” He whispered to her. Alec glanced back towards his opponents and his face soured. A look at Rose and his face said it all, 'the odds are not in the hufflepuffs favour.' Alec almost felt bad, they presumably had a lot of younger years on their team. It put them at a disadvantage. Strategy was key in duelling, Alec hoped the second years would know what they were doing.

Alec made a gesture with his free (right)hand towards the other team, “may the better duellists win.”

Action: Doing what was/will be owled~

@Alec Mason | @Julian Pritchard | @Atlas Rey

It was the home stretch. The last duel of the year. Rose had lost all three of her duels last year. But this year, she had actually done fairly well, which she was surprised about. Her and Alec just seemed to do so well at dueling, especially together. They didn't have any huge advantages over their opponents the first couple of times, but they were able to do really well. Her and Alec just seemed to balance each other out when it came to dueling.

It also helped that they knew each other fairly well. It made her feel comfortable with him, like whatever happened on the stage, at least he wouldn't judge her. The audience might and her opponents might, but at least her partner was on her side. Which she supposed that was how it was supposed to work.

Rose stepped near the stage and listened to their moderator go over the rules, fingering the braid her amber hair had been weaved into. She didn't need her hair getting everywhere while she was dueling. She nodded respectfully.

She had to make this one count.

Rose observed her opponents as Alec commented on their season. They were Hufflepuffs, of course, since that was the only house she hadn't duelled yet this season. They were both second years, which meant less spells and less knowledge. One would assume that the third years were to come out on top. But Rose knew that was no reason to underestimate the badgers. Just because they were younger didn't mean they didn't have an impressive strategy up their sleeve or... the power of friendship or something?

Either way. The odds were not in favor of the Hufflepuffs. "It is a shame," she murmured, nodding. Rose knew firsthand how much it sucked to loose all of your duels. She had done it last year and felt like an absolute failure. And for your whole team to not win a single duel in your first stage? That had to be disheartening.

But the Hufflepuffs hadn't lost yet.

Alec had never been one to be exactly friendly towards the team they were dueling, but he at least had a grasp on sportsmanship. (Unlike the Slytherins they had dueled last stage. They had been stone-cold silent towards the Gryffindors the whole time.) Rose offered a small smile and a more friendly, "Good luck!"

She took her stance, her wand aimed at the Hufflepuffs evenly. She nodded to Alec. "Last one. We can do this."

Action: As strategised.
@Alec Mason @Rose Moon @Atlas Rey

To say that the Hufflepuffs previous duel wasn't kind to her would be a major understatement. From barely being able to cast any spells, to getting knocked out in the fourth round, and spending the next several weeks beating herself up over it, studying every single thing she could to get better, Atlas would definitely not classify it as a success. In fact, she was extremely surprised that this morning she hadn't woken up accepting that she would, once again, fail. Instead, her mood was unusually cheery, especially for a day that entailed getting bombarded with spells until she was knocked out. The girl wasn't sure whether her mind simply hadn't caught up to it being Duelling Day or whether it just couldn't bring itself to worry anymore but, either way, she wasn't going to complain about her lack of stress.

Stepping onto the podium, Atlas glanced at her opponents. They were facing two Gryffindor third-years today, ones who clearly had more experience and knowledge when it came to duelling. Despite this, the girl refused to let her good mood die—reassuring herself with the thought that duelling was about much more than the ability to cast spells. Sending the Gryffindors a smile, Atlas turned her head toward her own partner.

"Yes," She smiled, answering his question as she readied her wand, aware the duel was about to begin. Atlas, along with, she was sure, every other person in the room, was aware this wasn't going to be an easy win for the Badgers but the girl was prepared to pour her soul into every single thing she did on this podium. "We got this."

Action: Owled

Round One

At once, the duelists' spells were flying. From the Gryffindors' side, the metallic tang of weather spells permeated the air. Alec let loose a barrage of air toward his opponents. Although it was a respectable incantation, the spell seemed to just miss its mark. Only a slight ruffling of the corner of Julian's robe was visible. Through the audience's commotion as expected from the exciting first round of the duels, an aggressive rumble would reverberate throughout the room, effectively silencing most—if not all—of the spectators. A raging stormcloud would appear over the heads of the Hufflepuffs, a powerful specimen of a Meteolojinx by Rose Moon.
Almost immediately, lightning struck where Julian stood, interrupting his incantation enough to render him off-balance. What could have been a spot-on Knockback Jinx only turned out to be a glancing blow against Rose. Atlas, for the most part, was able to avoid the random bursts of electrical bolts around her, though in her concentration, here own Dancing-Feet Spell swerved widely from its target.
As the dust cleared, both sets of duelists still looked ready and determined to finish what they started.

Alec Mason vs Julian Pritchard

Reducio

Alec Mason cast Wind Jinx at Julian Pritchard.
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 6] + 7 = 13, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 3] + 9 = 12
Evasion Check: [d20: 19] + 7 = 26
12 < 26 → Miss

Rose Moon vs Julian Pritchard and Atlas Rey

Reducio

Rose Moon cast Weather-modifying Charm at Julian Pritchard and Atlas Rey.
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 20] + 9 = 29, crit success
Effects:Julian Pritchard and Atlas Rey sustain a 20% lightning chance every round until nullified.

Julian Pritchard vs Rose Moon

Reducio

Julian Pritchard cast Knockback Jinx at Rose Moon.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 5] + 10 = 15, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 4] + 7 = 11
Evasion Check: [d20: 3] + 8 = 11
11 = 11 → Impaired Hit
Damage: (100 + 8 × 10) / 2 = 90
Effects: Rose Moon sustains 90 HP worth of damage.

Atlas Rey vs Rose Moon

Reducio

Atlas Rey cast Dancing-Feet Spell at Rose Moon.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 11] + 7 = 18, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 11] + 6 = 17
Evasion Check: [d20: 17] + 8 = 25
17 < 25 → Miss

Lightning Chances

Reducio

Julian Lightning Chance 20%
Lightning Check: [d10: 9] = Hit
Damage: (50 + 8 × 10) = 130
Effects: Julian sustains 130 HP worth of damage.
Atlas Lightning Chance 20%
Lightning Check: [d10: 5] = Miss

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your entrance posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Dmitri Jones) 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. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
5. If you haven't yet, please familiarise yourself with the system and our latest patch.
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
7. Good luck, and have fun!

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

Hex code:#A0A9B8

When Alec cast the wind jinx, he had thought his aim was fine, it may have been a little off. He was targeting Julian, and as it turned out, the second-year seemed to have unbridled energy and dodged it with ease. So... He may have underestimated Julian. Did he need to change that quick game plan he'd made? He squinted as he looked at Julian. But would soon find himself distracted by other things. The low rumbling sound in the room, and bam powerful stormy cloud above the other team's head. Alec's lips edged on a smile, “Rose, that was great. Did you-” And he noticed spells flying towards her. Right this was a duel. Not a social event. She was able to dodge one of the spells, and she had been able to almost dodge the other, then it didn't happen. It was a flipendo, but less of a shove than flipendos usually were. She seemed fine. Of course she was going to be. She was an experienced duellist by now. A full flipendo wouldn't bother her.

His opening spell could have gone better. Luckily, there was still time. He could and he would prove himself in this duel. Second time is the charm, hopefully.

Action: Doing what was/will be owled~

Action: As strategised.
@Atlas Rey

Atlas, not expecting a weather-modifying charm to be cast during the first round of the duel, had not mentally prepared herself for the lightning conjured by the Gryffindor with ginger hair. Barely hiding her scream, the girl jumped backward, her wand swinging to the side as the spell she cast was released. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself, looking toward Julian while making sure to avoid the lightning. "Are you okay?" She asked, slightly out of breath, her heart beating fast as a result of the unexpected adrenaline rush. "No, no don't be sorry. Me too, my mom used to tell me this story of one of her friends being hit by lightning—wait, sorry, now is not the time for this," Atlas stopped herself from going off on a tangent while they were probably supposed to be looking out for their lives.

She turned her gaze to their opponents in time to see Julian's jinx hit the same girl who cast the lighting. "That was great," she grinned, moving from foot to foot, attempting to shake off the jitters that went through her body as the lightning hit.

Action: Owled