The Ballroom

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville, @Dylan Astor, and @Valentin DeAngelo Mentioning: N/A Date: 08/10/25

Word Count: 593

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Avery watched in horror as a boy Avery recognized from seeing him around the Gryffindor Common Room walked mechanically towards Thaddeus Athanatos. He wasn't doing this himself. Avery could see it in his eyes. He was under a spell. The Imperious Curse or was it something else? Something possibly more dangerous? Avery didn't know, but she didn't want to stick around to find out. Too much had already happened, and Avery was afraid to see what the man would do to the older boy. Mikey had let go of her hand. His wand outstretched towards the older boy who had just muttered Flipendo. Avery was shocked as Mikey cast Expelliarmus towards the older boy. Whether it worked or not, Avery didn't know. All she could see was the dangerous glint in the Athanatos man's eyes. She had to get Mikey out of there. A feeling of dread was creeping up her insides, and she knew something bad was about to happen. Something none of them would survive if they didn't move quickly. Avery grabbed Mikey's arm. Pulling him into the shattered ballroom. Her breathing still uneven after the explosion. She coughed as dust flowed silently in the air. Now was not the time to stand and wait. They had to find Dylan. Before it was too late. The ground was ripped out right where Avery and Mikey had been standing moments before. Avery couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. In all her life she had never seen or heard of a spell this powerful before. With just a few words the room had gone from a quiet yet tense environment to a destructive mess that would be dangerous for anyone. Even her own father who had gotten himself into some bad situations in the past. There was no time. Avery noticed something behind a table. The black hair of a boy on the ground. A girl crouching over him. Dylan. A scream nearly escaped her lips, but she stopped it. A hand planted over her mouth. Dylan. Lying on the ground. Was he okay? No. Avery could see the blood seeping through his clothes. His blood. Avery had no words. There was nothing she could do but stand and stare as her cousin was possibly dying before her eyes. She ran towards their hiding spot. Taking special care to be unnoticed by a large man standing in the doorway. Avery didn't like him. He looked dangerous. Like someone that could kill in the blink of an eye. She didn't even know if Mikey had followed. Her mind focused on one thing and one thing alone. Dylan. She blamed herself. She shouldn't have left him alone. She should have stayed with him and tried to protect him instead of going off to watch a duel that hadn't even happened. Avery collapsed onto the ground. Glass and debris digging into her legs, but she didn't even notice. All she could do was gently stroke the hair away from Dylan's closed eyes. His brows were furrowed tightly together. He was in pain. Avery winced. Her guilt flooding through her as she saw how badly the glass had damaged him. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she sat there. She needed to find him help, but she didn't know who to ask. Her mind whirling too quickly for her to form anything coherent. "No. Stay with me. I can't lose you." Avery quietly choked out. Her pain for Dylan evident on her face as she tried to figure out what her next move would be.

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Stats:

stamina ◦ 7 | evasion ◦ 6 | strength ◦ 7 | wisdom ◦ 7 | arcane power ◦ 6 | accuracy ◦ 7

Abilities:

’s Grace, Fearless

Mundane Action: Dragging Mikey out of harm's way and searching for her cousin, @Dylan Astor.

Magical Action: None

The following post includes descriptions of blood.

Ava observed as people began to join the ranks of the guests, although a grim expression lingered on the faces of those who emerged from the fireplace, and Ava could only assume they had come from the ceremony. As the crowd filled the ballroom, she finally lost sight of her grandparents.

Her shoulders loosened from their stiff positioning with a huff as she glared out toward their vicinity, unhappy in having been forced to attend this. Chattering filled the large space, words without meaning, each a burning coal heaped into her brain and fueling her growing headache. She raised a hand to her face, gently pinching the bridge of her nose as if that would do anything.

The sound of shattering glass interrupted her thoughts as she turned her head to see the window implode into the ballroom, the shards of glass shimmering as they whipped through the air to find new targets. For a moment, the room seemed to fall silent as her head spun, feeling a tingling running along her side and across part of her back. She never saw what caused the break, all she saw was the aftermath.

Without realizing it, she moved to touch one of the pieces sticking out of her skin, feeling it for a moment before her brain caught up. It was glass. She had been, for lack of better words, stabbed. As her eyes finally landed on the crimson running from the wounds, her mind connected the wounds with the real pain associated with them.

Pain drifted in like a cursed red ocean, the waves of pain ebbing and flowing like water lapping at a quiet shore. She stood frozen, shocked, then let out a strangled sob, pressing her lips together to keep the sound from escaping. She had no idea what she was meant to do. That cursed voice in her head giggled in the distance, whispering the thought Ava had prevented herself from thinking. How ironic. Being stabbed, although it was from glass rather than a dagger. How ironic.

Ava snapped to her senses, trying to rack her brain, wring some information out of it that would help her. Beyond her, a clearheaded older year (Evelynn) was instructing a younger slytherin (Nabi) to apply pressure to her wounds. Ava snapped to, pressing her hands against the cuts running along her body. She resisted the urge to release another sob, although tears escaped from her eyes.

She never should’ve agreed to come.

INVENTORY - calming draught - dizziness draught - swelling solution - wizard cracker - wand

ACTIONS Magical: N/A Mundane: N/A Free: Bleeding Movement: None

STATS & ABILITIES STA • 7 | EVA • 10 | STR • 6 | WIS • 6 | ARC • 5 | ACC • 13 METAMORPHMAGUS | SKILLED TRANSFIGURER | THE MUGGLE CONDITION | MIMIC APPEARANCE | FOULPLAY

As things continued to escalate, they knew that they were on the losing side, and Jacob and Mira decided to go to the Ministry of Magic, and just as both families decided to leave via apparition while the younger members of the families were brought out of there via the same method.

As the family continued to leave, Jacob and Mira knew if they were to have any chance to get out of there they would need the support of the Ministry of Magic, "We need to contact the Ministry." Jacob finally said to his mother, "But I will get you to St. Mungos first." As things escalated even more. Jacob was preparing to disappearate out of the ballroom and into St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Malidies and Injuries, thankfully he knew exactly where he was going, he had been to St. Mungos before when he needed to get a magical checkup when he was nine years old, and thanfully he knew if they were to have a chance of getting out of there, he needed to get help as a soon as possible. And so there was a loud clap and he was gone. Not to be seen at this location ever again.

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville, @Dylan Astor, and @Valentin DeAngelo Mentioning: N/A Date: 08/10/25

Word Count: 291

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The pain. A blinding searing pain racked her body as the world fell apart around her. Her body collapsed to the ground. Unable to sustain itself. She wanted to cry out. To beg the pain to go away, but no words were able to escape her lips. She tried to move her head and see if Mikey was safe from the chasm that now lay inches away from where she lay. The dust too thick for her to see much more. Where was he? Had he fallen into the chasm? Avery tried to stand, but the pain wracked her body again and she collapsed in a heap. Whimpering quietly as she wished the pain would go away. It was then that she realized who had done this. Who had caused not only her pain, but the pain of others around her. The leader of what she thought the most dangerous and mysterious pureblood family. The Athanatos clan leader. He had done this all because one boy had attempted to attack him. All Avery wanted was to grab her close friends and escape. Escape the dangers of the night and the fear that death lingered close. She couldn’t die. Not yet. She had too much she still had left to say or do. Tears welled in her eyes, but they didn’t fall. She couldn’t let them fall. Not when she had to be strong. Had to keep up her family name. Even though all she wanted was to be a little girl again being comforted by her mother in a storm. But that wasn’t reality. She was almost a teenager. It was time to grow up and face what would be her hardest trial yet. Only one thing screaming within her. Survive.

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Stats:

stamina ◦ 7 | evasion ◦ 6 | strength ◦ 7 | wisdom ◦ 7 | arcane power ◦ 6 | accuracy ◦ 7

Abilities:

’s Grace, Fearless

Mundane Action: Crawling out of pit and lying on ground and looking for Mikey.

Magical Action: None

There are also 3 KO'd house elves - failed 2 of 3 death saving throws. 5 house elves are KO's and failed 1 saving throw. 1 house elf is KO. Taylor & Dylan are KO.

This was bad... real bad. This was not the sort of situation that required brash resistance or curiosity. There were a lot of young guests at this ball, of course a teenage wedding would be filled with young guests. An already distressing event turned disastrous. Evelynn Decipio cast Episkey, the experienced duellist could have used an offensive spell but what good was fighting if everyone was already dead?

Episkey was a spell that could heal minor injuries.

Evelynn Decipio casts Episkey
DC 2 + 12 + 9 = 23
Roll: 16 (+18) 34
Healed: 59 x 15 = 885

She did more than soothe a singing pain, she returned them both to a state of perfect health. This might not last for long, but they had a chance.

The part-giant did not cower. True power, unlike the authority these wizards carried, needed no ceremony. The pressure in the room grew suffocating. Shadows clung to the walls like claws, and Thaddeus Athanatos’s voice rang out with the weight of ancient curses and older blood. Still, the giant stood firm.

Brock was used to being outmatched. In a world built for wizards, those born with the right name, the right wand, the right blood, Brock had clawed his way forward without any of it. The truth was simple: if you weren’t born fortunate, life had no obligation to be fair.

Brock bared his teeth in something that might’ve passed for a grin if not for the fury behind his eyes. His teeth were too large, but so was everything about the man. A broad chest. Limbs like trunks of trees. Even men appeared as children before him.

“You call this sacrilege, old man?” Brock slammed his fist to his chest with a crack that echoed through the shelves, rattling loose bottles in their dusty nests. “I see no gods here. Only tyrants in silk.”

Brock turned slowly, deliberately facing the ballroom and all those stunned guests. A room packed with wizards drunk on their own self-importance. They had spent the day preening for an evening where they celebrated themselves. There were so many of them, like roaches infesting this world.

But this was also Brock's first mistake. He should never have turned his back on his actual opponent.

Thaddeus, ever pragmatic, did not hesitate when he saw the opening. No warning. No words. He lifted his wand, and the very earth responded. A [Fissure] ripped through the ballroom floor like a judgment. Stone screamed. Wood snapped. Tables, guests, and would-be rebels vanished into the yawning dark.

Thaddeus casts Fissure
The ballroom shatters. A rip through tile and wood. Most fall. Few escape.
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 14 (+25) 39 Hit
20% auto-hit 19 Success
Brock (Evasion) 15 (+15) 30
20% auto-dodge: 86 No Effect
Damage: 187
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 1 (+25) 26 Hit
20% auto-hit 48 No Effect
Harlan (Evasion) 14 (+7) 21
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 6 (+25) 31 Miss
20% auto-hit 17 Success
Dealla (Evasion) 19 (+16+2 Felix felicis) 37
10% (becomes 15% from Felix) auto-dodge 17 No Effect
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 10 (+25) 35 Hit
20% auto-hit 25 No Effect
Nabi (Evasion) 9 (+6) 15
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 18 (+25) 43 Hit
20% auto-hit 97 No Effect
Winnie (Evasion) 16 (+14) 30
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 2 (+25) 27 Hit
20% auto-hit 58 No Effect
Taylor (Evasion) 5 (+10) 15
Damage: 233
10% auto-dodge 15 No Effect
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 9 (+25) 34 Hit
20% auto-hit 62 No Effect
Ava (Evasion) 13 (+10) 23
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 18 (+25) 43 Hit
20% auto-hit 65 No Effect
Dylan (Evasion) 6 (+6) 12
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 13 (+25) 43 Hit
20% auto-hit 68 No Effect
Damage: 233
Evelynn (Evasion) 13 (+17) 30
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 7 (+25) 32 Hit
20% auto-hit 38 No Effect
Sayaka (Evasion) 9 (+8) 17
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 7 (+25) 32 Hit
20% auto-hit 84 No Effect
Mathias (Evasion) 2 (+16) 18
Auto-dodge: 98 No Effect
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 8 (+25) 33 Hit
20% auto-hit 73
Erin (Evasion) 2 (+16) 18
10% auto-dodge 77 No Effect
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 9 (+25) 34 Hit
20% auto-hit 64 No Effect
Stinky (Evasion) 14 (+5) 19
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 6 (+25) 31 Hit
20% auto-hit 28 No Effect
Nubby (Evasion) 20 (+5) 25 Critical Success
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 14 (+25) 39 Hit
20% auto-hit 77 No Effect
Gopher (Evasion) 9 (+5) 14
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 14 (+25) 39 Hit
20% auto-hit 6 Success
Lally (Evasion) 18 (+5) 23
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 9 (+25) 34 Hit
20% auto-hit 26 No Effect
Frumpy (Evasion) 1 (+5) 6
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 12 (+25) 37 Hit
20% auto-hit 69 No Effect
Kilbert (Evasion) 14 (+5) 19
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 15 (+25) 40 Hit
20% auto-hit 8 Success
Aly (Evasion) 20 (+14) 34 critical success
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 3 (+25) 28 Hit
20% auto-hit 39 No Effect
Valentin (Evasion) 5 (+5) 10
Damage: 233
Accuracy (Thaddeus) 20 (+25) 45 Critical Success Hit
20% auto-hit 80 No effect
Avery (Evasion) 4 (+6) 10
Damage: 466

This was not a duel, this was Brock's execution.

Thaddeus had decided the price of disobedience. And with magic? Consequences were flexible. Injuries could be reversed. Bones could be mended. But this moment would be remembered. You don't stand up, you sit down and listen. No, you bow.

Dealla Prince and Aly Salinger barely made it out, her dramatic slide tearing the hem of her pink, frilly gown that she probably hated anyway, but saving her life. Nubby, the house elf and the only other to avoid the fall, stood beside her in a rumpled pink suit, quiet and forgotten... until now.

Years of servitude had made him invisible. Years of being less to thankless children that could barely contain impulse. They were made of filth, oddly he could swear that he could smell shit in that moment. But not today. Not any more. The house elf drew his blade and Aly seemed to mirror this motion, drawing her wand/knife from her calf sheath. A fashion don't, but a practical do. The little elf raised a kitchen knife, glinting in candlelight. Not conjured. Not magical. Just steel, a bit of poison if one noted the strange sheen, and rage.

Nubby murmured, “you don’t see us. But we see everything.”

The knife came down, fast and ragged. Not elegant. Not practiced. A servant’s blow. A reckoning in miniature.

Nubby attempts to stab Aly
Attack 13 (+5) 18 Miss
Evasion 8 (+14) 23

The blade missed by inches. The other guests were not so lucky, having fallen into the yawning darkness, the hard, jagged ground meeting them without mercy. They would have to climb to free themselves (Mundane Action or Magical Action can be used with or without a spell to interface with anyone in the Augury.)

Aly was more focused on the part giant than the traitorous house elf. She would find herself at the crumbling edge of the scar that cut through the ballroom. Brock was hardly deterred by the groom's father's devastating spell, he was climbing the sheer wall with his bare hands. With a flick of her wand and a single word of power, she would cast the Conjunctivitis Curse on Brock.

Aly cast the Conjunctivitis Curse on Brock
WDC 14
Roll: 8 (+19) 27
Attack 10 (+16) 26 Hit
Evasion 5 (+15) 20
20% auto-dodge: 86
Duration: 1 round
Damage Done: 237

The curse struck him mid-climb, a hot shimmer of magic smacking into his face like grit in a sandstorm. For a heartbeat, the half-giant’s ascent faltered. His hulking frame rocked back, and the mountain of muscle and rage that had seemed so unstoppable began to wince.

His bloodshot eyes ballooned red, watering uncontrollably. The sclera turned the color of raw meat, and his vision was reduced to fog and pain. He bellowed, not a roar of anger, but the startled, frustrated sound of a beast momentarily blinded.

One meaty hand slipped. Stone cracked beneath the weight of his stumble as his knuckles dragged across the ruined floor, gouging a trough where he tried to catch himself. Brock slid, not far, just a few feet, but enough. Enough to give them time.

One round. That was all.

The conjunctivitis curse was never meant to last. It wasn’t designed for giants. It was a stinging delay, not a decisive blow. But against Brock, a few seconds of blindness was a godsend. It meant spells could fly without him batting them away like insects. It meant no one was in his grip. It meant, for one heartbeat, he wasn’t the mountain crashing toward them. But that mercy was brief. The curse would fade. The eyes would clear. And Brock would remember who had blinded him. And he would not be merciful.

Harlan’s heel hit the edge of the fissure. The ballroom light twisted, flames dimming, shadows dancing around the tear in the world. His wand glinted once in the candlelight, then vanished behind his back as he spun, not toward the threat, not toward the part giant, but away from Mikey’s disarm.

Mikey Forville had to put a stop to it, he cast Expelliarmus at Harlan.
WDC (+9) [would always pass]
Attack 11 (+8) 19
Evasion 20 (+7) Critical Success

Mikey’s [Expelliarmus] blazed across the space like a flare. Harlan's response? A one-handed cartwheel (critical success, the boy gets drama). The kind only an absolute lunatic, or a duelist possessed, would attempt. His dress shoes kicked up shards of tile as he rolled along the edge of the crack in the floor, his wand clenched in his grip as he prepared to cast his attack on the wrong (or maybe right) opponent.

Harlan landed in a crouch. Just not on the ballroom, as there was no ballroom beneath him anymore. Harlan's hand reached for footing. It found nothing. Only air. Only... down. Yes, the pit. The environment betrayed Harlan, the boy disappeared into the abyss that Thaddeus had carved into the earth. His jacket followed like a funeral banner, fluttering after him.

Dealla Prince, a warrior princess in pink, drew her wand and faced off against the part giant. Giants are powerful, dangerous creatures. Resistant to magic. He was going to be hard to put down, even harder to restrain. So she came up with a clever alternative, casting Levicorpus at the Part-Giant. This was a spell that would lift the part giant aloft, even a man as large as he, by his ankle.

Dealla Prince casts Levicorpus at Brock
WDC 14
Roll: 4 (+18 + 2 felix) 24
Attack 7 (+ 22) 29 Hit!
Evasion 19 (+15/2 = 7.5 which becomes 27

Her spell landed, she incapacitated the part giant until her fellow bridesmaids could take him down. Aly Salinger had temporarily blinded him, despite the man's sense for danger or perhaps angry, beautiful women, he was not able to avoid her wrath. In his experience, there was little difference. Dee was more than a pretty face, she was an experienced duellist, like her fellow bridesmaids, the giant should be concerned, she could pack a whollop.

Elizabeth Stonewall, still in the small bar, so outside the perimeter of the fissure, was not a brave girl, nor a clever one, but perhaps like other wizards in this very wedding, she would have a talent for surviving situations far above her magical grade level. It was not tact. It was not foresight. It was sheer, luck-laced panic.

When the ballroom cracked open like an egg and shadows screamed in a language older than fear, Elizabeth chose the worst possible option. She moved toward it. She didn't look at the angry part giant, the murderous elf, or the fissure. She whispered, “Fumos” to evade being seen by her own allies.

Elizabeth cast Fumos
Wisdom 2 (+7) 9 (WDC met)
3 random victims: Orion, House Elf, and Mikey
Attack (Elizabeth) 9 (-3 +9) 15 Miss
Evasion (Orion) 20 (+15) critical Success 35
20% auto-dodge (not needed)
Attack (Elizabeth) 3 (-3+9) 9 Miss
Evasion (House Elf) 8 (+5) 13
Attack (Elizabeth) 16 (-3+9) 22 Hit
Evasion (Mikey) 13 (+7) 20
10% auto-dodge 8 Success

The spell hissed from her wand like a startled cat. A cloud of thick grey smoke billowed forward, curling like a living thing. It rolled toward a random handful of the crowd: Orion, her Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the house elf bartender, and her soon-to-be-former friend Mikey. It wasn't meant to hurt, just disable them during a catastrophe, just to give her cover as she ran into danger.

Orion's instincts were sharper than any twelve-year-old's spell. The former Hit Wizard spun into a handstand and flipped backward out of the fog like some cursed gymnast, not even singed by Elizabeth’s attempt. Somewhere in the smoke, someone muttered “show-off.” This is why Orion had landed himself a head of house fiance...

The house elf, affronted and ancient in his own right, clapped his hands. The smoke vanished in front of him. Just gone.

But Mikey? Mikey Forville nearly tripped into it. The smoke caught the boy. But his reflexes, those evasive maneuvers were going to save him today. A sharp slide, a tuck, and he was clear of it.

As for Elizabeth, she ran into the ballroom, to the edge of the fissure, where shadows bloomed like ink stains. And there the little blonde girl stood in plain view with no cover, even less dignity and probably no clue what came next.

She wasn’t alone.

Taylor had stumbled from one catastrophe to another. Her steps were unsteady, her skin pale and slick with sweat. The nausea from Gideon's spell hadn't passed. Still hunched from the effort of holding it in, she failed. With a violent heave and no warning, Taylor vomited. It wasn’t bile. It wasn’t food. It was a slug. A thick, black, wet monstrosity—shiny and pulsing. It hit the ballroom floor with a sound that could only be described as a plop.

Taylor vomits on Dylan
Attack 3 (+10) 13 Hit
Evasion 5 (+6) 11

It splattered against Dylan before he could dodge, catching his leg mid-sprint. It clung there, writhing against the fabric of his trousers, leaving a smear of slime and shame. His friend grabbed him, tried to drag him to safety. But safety was a lie. He did not know it but in a few moments time he would be crushed beneath a falling roof.

Brock was climbing back up to the ballroom. The part giant pulled himself over the crumbling lip of the fissure, he was barely harmed.

Strength Check: Brock punches the pillar
Strength: 9 (+25+15%+30%=36.25) 45.25

“I will not bow to the House Athanatos!” Brock declared. his voice thick and angry. Brock hefted his massive arms. And drove a clenched fist into the ballroom’s pillar with a growl that rattled the bones of the building. The pillar bowed, a crack formed across the center of the pillar and ran across the marble.

He was not about to flee, he was fearless in the face of mutually assured destruction. Brock's eyes burning like a forge, voice rising above the chaos before the ceiling came crashing down. Over the roar of falling detritus, “you want your heir’s wedding quiet and clean? Then maybe you shouldn’t have buried your rot under rose petals.”

Ceiling Crumbles DC 25
Brock (Evasion) 3 (+15/2=7.5) 11 Hit
Harlan (Evasion) 2 (+7) 9 Hit
Dealla (Evasion) 11 (+16+2 Felix Felicis) 29 Miss
10% auto-dodge: Not needed
Nabi (Evasion) 20 (+6) Critical Success Miss and protecting another user (Nabi chose Giddy, as Giddy is not in the thread shenanigans dictate that she protects him somehow so the falling roof will be redirected at Clark next round as an attack.)
Winnie (Evasion) 2 (+14) 16 Hit
Taylor (Evasion) 13 (+10) 23 Hit KO
10% auto dodge 20 No Effect
Ava (Evasion) 17 (+10) 27 Miss
Dylan (Evasion) 16 (+6) 24 Hit KO
Evelynn (Evasion) 15 (+17) 32 Miss
Sayaka (Evasion) 7 (+8) 15 Hit
Mathias (Evasion) 18 (+16) 34 Miss
Auto-dodge 23 No Effect
Erin (Evasion) 13 (+16) 29 Miss
10% auto-dodge 78 No Effect
Stinky (Evasion) 19 (+5) 24 Hit
Nubby (Evasion) 15 (+5) 20 Hit
Gopher (Evasion) 16 (+5) 21 Hit
Lally (Evasion) 4 (+5) 9 Hit
Frumpy (Evasion) 8 (+5) 13 Hit
Kilbert (Evasion) 18 (+5) 23 Hit
Aly (Evasion) 5 (+14) 19 Hit
Valentin (Evasion) 9 (+5) 14 Hit
Elizabeth (Evasion) 18 (+7) 25 Miss
Avery (Evasion) 3 (+6) 9 Hit
All take 300 damage if hit

As the ballroom gave its final groan and the ceiling began to collapse like the top tier of a cursed wedding cake, chaos reached operatic levels. Most of the guests were trapped in a pit and about to be buried alive.

The support pillar gave way with a crack like a lightning strike, and the entire room bowed. Plaster rained from above in sheets. Screams mingled with the shattering of glass. Wooden beams moaned, splintered, and began their descent into the pit where guests were already struggling to breathe under debris and ruin.

And rising from the rubble like a man reborn, or a demon dragged back for round two, Harlan clawed his way up the edge of the pit, wild-eyed and dirty, his wand clenched (ideally in his teeth) like some sort of overdressed pirate. Harlan was no longer just a boy. He was the villain in Act Two.

Meanwhile, Nabi, the most fearless mediocre-strength student in the history of accidental heroism (with a strength of 5), saw a massive chunk of molding crashing down and punched it.

Not blocked. Not dodged. Not magicked. Punched.

Nabi's fist met the beam with an almost comedic ka-thunk, karate-chopping the wood in such a way that a singular, sharp slab of it was launched skyward, not down or sideways, but skyward, defying both logic and architecture. The chunk arced dramatically out of the collapsing ceiling and, like a guided missile, shot directly at Clark Baird, who had just emerged from the bathroom and was utterly unaware of what had happened in his absence. Taking on a kinship to pepe le'pu, he was in pursuit of a gilded Prince who had fled into a warzone over kissing the teen.

Nabi Punches roof at Clark
Attack (Nabi) 19 (+6) 25 Miss
Evasion (Clark) 16 (+15) 31

And with the unthinking grace of a man who had not avoided death or digestive disaster in a single afternoon, Clark stepped aside. The wood whooshed past him, grazing nothing but air and pride, visibly wilting midair like it, too, had lost the will to fight once it got a whiff of the teen. It landed harmlessly, impaling the wall behind him.

Brock charged Thaddeus attempting to jump over the widening fissure, shouting to the others:“Fall back if you’re scared! Fight if you remember what you came for!”

There was something wrong with Harlan. It was not just the bloodied face or the way his eyes no longer blinked in sync, but something deeper. Something hollow in his gaze, wrong in his expression. The kind of wrong that had marrow-deep consequences. He climbed like a revenant, all purpose and no soul, fingers clawing at the edge of the pit with the determination of someone who didn’t care if the world collapsed as long as he got one last spell off.

Winnie Harper raised her wand with trembling resolve. Her wedding robes were torn, dust streaked across her cheeks, but her eyes were aflame with defiance. The bride didn’t know about the vision. She hadn’t seen what the Seers saw. She didn’t know Mathias was fated to die.

“Protego Maxima!”

The incantation cracked like thunder. A pulse of magic erupted from her wand: brilliant, radiant, furious like her true spirit animal, the pterodactyl, not a floofy dog. This was not a simple shield, but among the most potent variations of shield a wizard can cast. She had cast a ward out of desperation and love. It expanded outward like a dome of pale light, shimmering as it caught falling debris and redirected wayward hexes. Spells fizzled against it. The crystals from a broken chandelier rebounded off its surface. The sound was glass meeting glass and losing echoed around them.

Mathias was at her side, dazed but alive. Nabi stood between them, held in the embrace of the same shimmering protection. The world was collapsing, the floor had already crumbled into a wide fissure, and the roof groaned under the weight of itself, but inside this dome, they had one breath of safety. It would not save them from what had already happened. The shield had come too late for that. The ground had already opened. The ceiling had already fallen. They had already been thrown, crushed, buried in a roar of smoke and splintered wood.

But they were not dead. The dome was holding for now. For a moment. Long enough for the living to groan, to cough, to move. Long enough to regroup. To remember who they were. To fight back.

In the room adjacent, Orion stood tall in the small bar, his wand already raised. He had seen this before. Maybe not here, not with this boy, but he knew that look. The madness that comes when a mind bends too far and breaks beautifully. He aimed. The spell left his wand like a thrown blade. “Impedimenta!”

Orion cast the Impediment Jinx on Harlan
Attack 7 (+20) 27
Evasion 19 (+7) 26

The jinx connected, cleanly, perfectly, decisively. Harlan jerked mid-motion, limbs freezing in violent stillness. But Orion had picked the worst possible moment to stop him. Because Harlan wasn’t on solid ground. He was on the edge. And the edge… was breaking.

The very foundation cracked beneath Harlan’s boots, slowed to a statuesque halt by the spell as the floor threatened to give out. The boy became the centerpiece of a catastrophic architectural tantrum. Around him, the ceiling cried out, another insult it would not bear. Beams splintered like ribs being bludgeons by a crudgel. Dust and ash erupted in clouds. Debris rained with such fury it was no longer clear where stone ended and bodies began.

And Harlan stood there, suspended, frozen mid-stalk. A statue sculpted from fury, magic, and someone else’s tragedy.

Erin had drawn her wand, her plan was not terribly far from Dealla's but she was not nearly experienced in combat. Possibly inspired by the duellist, she shouted a word of power choosing arcane power of brawn for once.

WDC:
Roll: 12 (+3) 15
Attack 5 (+15) 20
Evasion 12 (+7.5 due to conjunctivitis, rounded to 20 equal, so not taking effect
20% auto-dodge: 54

She barely missed. She was never known to be a powerful caster and the pattern remained true.

Note: Yes, this could be considered lethal to faceless NPCs and dNPC family if you so choose.

Note 2: If you fell into the pit, you will need to climb out to interface with those that had not fallen in (either a magical or a Mundane Action can be used).

Order of Operations

0.8 seconds | Evelynn Decipio casts Episkey with spell spread targeting Nabi Park & Ava Winchet.
Both return to full health.
1 second | Thaddeus casts Fissure
Only Nubby, Dealla and Aly avoided falling into the fissure.
1.2 seconds | Aly Salinger Grabs her wand/knife from calf sheath.
2 seconds | Nubby attempts to stab Aly and misses.
2.7 seconds | Aly Casts the Conjunctivitis Curse on Brock. Hit!
3 seconds | Mikey casts Expelliarmus at Harlan and misses.
3.7 seconds | Dealla Prince Casting Levicorpus at the Part-Giant, she hit Brock.
4 seconds | Elizabeth casts Fumos in the room adjacent but nobody is caught in the cloud.
4.9 seconds | Taylor pukes on Dylan.
5 seconds | Brock punches a pillar, causing the roof the cave in.
Only Dealla, Ava, Eve, Erin, Mathias and Elizabeth avoid the collapsing roof.
Nabi Punches the falling roof and launches it at Clark.
Dylan and Taylor are knocked unconscious by the falling roof.
5.01 seconds| Nabi Punches door at Clark but Clark avoids the hunk of molding.
5.3 seconds | Winnie cast Protego Maxima over her, Mathias and Nabi.
6 seconds | Orion casts Impediment Jinx on Harlan and it seizes him in place.
7.1 seconds| Erin casts Ascension Spell (Alarte Ascendare) on the part giant but missed.

The ballroom floor had cracked open wide as if something had clawed its way up from the earth's belly. Marble chunks, dust and splintered beams. He never saw anything like it. Never felt anything like it either. The air still felt charged, like the magic hadn't quite settled. He almost slipped attempting to stop. Mikey’s shoes scraped against dust slick tile as he came skidding around the broken column, lungs burning, arms scraped raw from ducking debris. His eyes scanned the ruins of the ballroom and then he saw her.

Lying just beyond the edge of a wide, jagged fissure that split the ballroom clean through. Her back was on the cold stone, one knee bent slightly like she’d half-tried to get up and couldn’t. Her hair was streaked with soot and blood. Her chest rose and fell too quickly, but she was breathing. Mikey fell to his knees next to her, heart racing so fast he thought it would knock him down. He breathed shakily, chest constricted as he crouched next to her. He saw Averys cuts, bruises, dirt smudged across the cheekbone and she looked as if she'd been dragged through a hurricane. But she was alive.

"Do you hear me? I'm here now, it's okay. You did it, you’re out of the pit. Don't close your eyes, okay?" He shifted, looking over her shoulder and then he saw it. The pit. And inside it, Dylan. Mikey crawled forward on his hands and knees, lying flat on the tile and looking down into the darkness. I looked like there was someone with him but he couldn't quite tell who it was. He pushed himself up, running a hand through his hair, fingers shaking.

He looked back to Avery, still on the floor. “You’re going to be alright, yeah? You’re out. You’re safe now. I just, just need to get him out too. He turned back toward the fissure, jaw clenched. Another groan rippled through the building above, shaking a small cloud of dust loose from the rafters. As Mikey climbed down with hands shaking from fear and adrenaline to see what he could to help Dylan.




Mundane Action: Finding Avery and climbing down to Dylan.

Clark was only leaving the bathroom in his shitty, and smelly pants when he caught a glimpse of something flying towards him. Almost as if instinct, he jumped out of the way instantly and turned towards the direction it came from. He was not sure exactly who would dare try to hurt such a sweet, innocent little boy like him, but they would pay.

No, there was no forgiveness. If this truly was intentional, Clark had no pity for the soul attacking him.

"Giddy Boy! I'll catch you soon! I have something to deal with." He called out, his tone happy and full of pep, but instantly afterwards, he snarled. "If I catch you, you are not surviving the encounter." He ran in the direction where the ceiling came from and put his head down, his hands to his side as he muttered some words. He would attempt a double assault, a headbutt with whoever he came in contact with. If he did in fact slam into someone, specifically Nabi, then he would combine it with an instant cast of the Knockback Jinx, Flipendo.

Mundane Action: Headbutt @Nabi Park
IF SUCCESS, then Magical Action: Flipendo @Nabi Park
The idea was going to include bombarda but I don't have that spell, so.. Flipendo it is.

If you wish to write it in your mod post or claim success, the way I pictured it was Clark headbutting Nabi and while on top of her, or rather near her, he casts Knockback Jinx to fling her.

He needed to exact revenge, but honestly, if Clark failed to even knock her to the ground, he would probably be a little bit embarrassed.

Mentions @Gideon Athanatos

Octavius, even with all the noise and distractions, was not paying attention to the surrounding. He was, instead, talking to his sons along a small portion of the walls. "Tonto, get your fingers out of your nose." He said abruptly, grabbing Baldrick's wrist as he was about to slap Tonto. "No slapping."

Simon and Ben were not keeping their eyes on Octavius, and he knew it, Tonto and Baldrick also looked away during his conversations with them. However, when he turned around, his mouth gaped open. What the actual fuck happened here? Was Clark responsible for this? He couldn't afford to pay for damages!

Octavius sighed and turned to meet Ronnie's eyes as if to apologize. He looked to see something fly towards his son and saw his son begin running, his head low like a bull running towards the Matador, and Octavius saw who he was running towards. Baldrick took advantage of Octavius's distraction and ran off, running towards one of the downed House Elves. Octavius turned towards Baldrick, worried that he might get hurt and ran, whipping out his Thestral Tail Hair Core wand, turning to face Clark as he ran past him to get Baldrick, "Capio Picturam!"

Magical Action: Casts Portrait Curse on Clark Baird as an attempt to stop him

Mundane Action: Tackles his six-year-old son Baldrick for running off as an attempt to shield him from any possible harm, yes ik dnpcs are highly unlikely to be hurt, but this is a Father trying to protect his son.

"BALDRICK! Please!" Octavius yelled, a tone of urgency and pleading heavy in his voice.

Elizabeth pressed against the wall in shock as she processed what had just happened. She didn’t bother paying any attention to the strange women or the part-giant. No, her attention was diverted to the strange smell coming from the boy who’d recently emerged from the bathroom.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust and called out to him. ”Maybe wash up next time or I won’t do this.” With that, she pointed her wand straight at him and said, ”Scourgify.” She figured that he ought to thank her for taking the stink off him if she succeeded. If he didn’t, no matter if it did or didn’t succeed, she’d just seek him out when school started and teach him some manners.

Pocketing her wand in her sock, she realized how bad shorts were for something as chaotic as this. With a grumble, she looked around to see the state of everything else. Resisting the urge to bite down on a piece of the ceiling, she kept as close as possible to the wall and started inching over to where those who hadn’t fallen in were gathered.

She didn’t know how true it was that it was always safer to be in a group than alone, but she didn’t care at the moment. If she stuck with someone, anyone, she figured that something could be done to get others somewhere more safe than this. Other than that, she had no idea what to do, no plan, nothing.

Mundane Action: Carefully maneuvering around the pit to be with those who didn’t fall in

Magic Action: Casting Scourgify at Clark

A fissure ripped straight through the heart of the ballroom, the sound like the earth itself snapping in half. Wizards and Muggles alike screamed as the floor split beneath them, chairs and tables sliding into the sudden void. Erin went with them, the muggles and the wizards, the tables and the chairs, to the darkness below. Her uncle’s magic striking with such force it felt as though the very teeth of the Cloister had been jarred loose.

Erin fell. Air rushed past the part-Veela's ears in a deafening roar. She hit the ground hard, with jarring force that caused her bones to rattle and her body to ache. Her limbs abraded by the fall, her long, blonde tresses knotted and bloodied.

The ceiling above groaned under the strain before breaking, rubble raining down like jagged meteors. Erin curled tight, arms over her head, making herself small, so small, as stone and plaster slammed into the ground around her. Dust coated her tongue her she tried to suck in a breath of air through her mouth. The taste was bitter and ancient, as if she’d just swallowed a grave.

When the dust thinned enough to see, she could see numerous people injured. She did not know most of them, she lacked a memory for faces and names and she did not trust the memories she did have. Nearest to her, a broken thing. @Dylan Astor, not that she knew the name or the boy. He was unconscious, pinned beneath a section of fractured roofing. His breathing was shallow, wet. One eye was swollen shut. She was not capable of feeling the pang of sympathy she knew she should experience. She was not capable of feeling the fear the others had. These powerful emotions intended to empower people, to keep them safe, lacked. But she understood that something should fill that gap. A sentiment that she didn’t have the luxury to name.

Erin Ryan had two options:

One. Climb the sheer, broken sides of the fissure. Erin could do it, of course she could. Her muscles knew how to move, her body how to balance. She could be topside in moments, and then what? Storm across the shattered ballroom and slap her mentor August VanCleaf across the face for letting this happen? No. They were on the same side. As long as he wasn’t standing over her again, he’d be safe. She wouldn’t see him fall.

Two. Save the boy. Nothing fancy about this one and she was a heck of a lot less confident about this one.

The part Veela swallowed hard. Erin had no healing potion. Her spellwork for mending flesh or any other kind of casting was… rudimentary at best despite her high scores ultimately earning her a sport in the prestigious Auror program. It wasn't about skill, it was about testing well. Casting was never her strength, even at Hogwarts. But the boy was hurt badly. Breathing, sure. Alive, for now. But that could change in the snap of a finger or, more likely, the stomp of a foot.

Her fingers closed around her wand, and she knelt beside him, dust swirling in the air like phantom snow.

She made her choice.

Magical Action: Erin cast Episkey, DC 13 on Dylan Astor in an attempt to revive him.