2021, Stage 1 Hufflepuff vs Slytherin: Match 3

Credit to Dmitri Jones

Henry leaned aginest the corridor, rubbing the pendant with his left forefinger as his blue eyes gazed at the ceiling. The first stage of the dueling championships has arrived and the third year was no doubt nerves.

The Vipers won the championship last year but all the teen remembers contributing was absolutely nothing, flashes of being knocked unconscious and spells backfiring curled his mind. Fueling his anxiety that already working on overdrive.

Remembering past duels, the teen let go of the pendant and held his hands behind his head knowing that day he wouldn't be against just anyone. He would be aginest his girlfriend. The third year was hoping he wouldn't have to duel anyone he cared about and apparently that wish didn't come true.

A part of him didn't want to hurt Alexa but another part of him wanted to win that day. Henry was torn, he wanted to run and avoid the duel. Avoid hurting someone he cared about very deeply but he also didn't want to let down the other Vipers. A decision that the third year didn't want to make but would have to.

Taking a breath, Henry got off the floor and wanted over to the room. Walking inside, his blue eyes looked around and saw members of the hufflepuff along with his own team mates on the Viridian Vipers.

Henry took a breath, he tried to remind himself that he was a third year now. That he practiced and prepared for the duels the weeks before and nothing would change between Alexa and him... would they?

I'm a third year... I'm a third year... I'm a third year

This year will better... it will... right? It will... will..

I'm taller now and stronger well maybe...

I'm smarter and I know more spells to this time hopefully I learned useful fourth year ones...

I'm calmer and control my anxiety better... and also braver....

I got this... right? I can do this... just breath and stay focus...

Ah! Is that Dmitri!

Turing his head to look at one of the duels starting up as well, the teen stumbled back a little when he saw his captain.

@Dmitri Jones

Was Henry afraid of the fifth year? A little bit well that was because the older boy intimidated Henry and he also had the unfortunate of losing a duel last year.... the older boy also could do a cool split spell technique that only made Henry a bit more fearful of him.

Henry took a breath. He started to walk over to the platform where his duel would take place. Going quickly over to @Alexa Mackenzie and offering the girl a quick hug and small kiss on the cheek as he whispered to her, "Good luck, Alex." Henry smiled toward her then stepped onto the dueling platform and walked over to his side as he listened to the gryffindor who would watch the duel.

Henry looked over at his new partner. @Bridget Collins who is a captain of the Viridian Vipers and Henry's third partner.

Third one's the charm right?

Henry offered a small, soft smile as he whispered toward her before turning to their opponents. The teen only felt worse that his partner was a captain, the only thing he could focus on was now his captains could see his failure up close. The teen took a shaky breath and pulled out his mayhaw wand as he did he put on a mask, blocking out his emotions as he looked over at the hufflepuff opponents.

"Best of luck to you both!"

Smiling for a minute at Alexa before it faded and the teen held his wand at the ready. He knew he had to say something to his partner but was nerves and could feel his anxiety looming over him.

Bridget is a foruth year and the captain of the team. The teen saw then as reasons why he can't mess up that day or act like his usual failure self but still he didn't want to hurt Alexa and dreaded that part...

Glancing over, Henry offered her a soft, small smile only lasting a fee seconds and a small nod as he whispered"good luck." Turning back to the two hufflepuff girls, the teen took his position and held his wand at the ready. A parr of him still wanting to run out of that room and far from that duel but he stayed there, he didn't leave. Maybe because he was afraid of what his captains would do or maybe because of something else...

Credit to Dmitri Jones

"Ready?" The question was directed at Henry Knight, the teammate by her side as Galton Lansdale called them to the stage. It felt weird without Santario; she'd gotten used to being paired with her. While she would have liked the assurance of somehow she'd developed chemistry with, Henry wasn't unfamiliar and she was well-aware of the strategy behind it.

Still, she definitely felt like she was missing something. With their duels at the same time, she wouldn't even get to cheer her on, which she was especially disappointed about. Hopefully next stage. As she passed @Santario Martin's platform to reach her own, they locked eyes. The nod from her partner brought a sense of steadiness, and she shot back two thumbs up. Just a short exchange before it was time to move on, the time until start ticking away fast.

Her first duel last year had been a rough start, to say the least--she'd landed a singular spell and kicked things off with a backfire--so she hoped this one wasn't so rocky. The opponent was Hufflepuff, she and Henry facing off against Alexa Mackenzie and Lea Hirsch. Consistent faces in the duelling club, and she'd moderated Lea's final game last year. She recalled the girl's impressive aim and dodging, especially for a first year, though it hadn't taken too many hits to bring her down. A visit to her notebook, her own scouting of matches and the tracked-down accounts of others, was taken for Alexa; she'd had the misfortune of being one of the teams without a win. That just meant she was hungry for one, though.

And, apparently, Henry was close to Alexa. Friend matchups did happen, and she'd reminded him earlier that this was a game. He should still play his hardest, they would still be friends afterward, and, really, the best way to respect his friend's skill was to duel the way he would against any other competent opponent. She understood any conflicted feeling, but she was counting on him to put that aside and duel his best.

She stepped up to the platform, shoulders back, wand in hand. Co-Captain, fourth year, undefeated. All sources of confidence, though right now they felt more like pressure. There was a certain expectation for her to win, from what she could tell, and even if other people weren't thinking it, she was. Henry presumably looked up to her, and especially with the added nerves of duelling a friend, she had to show calm readiness, no jitters or uncertainty. Slytherin had pulled off chess combat--easily their scrappiest duel to date--and spent the weeks leading up to this hard at work practicing and strategizing, hadn't they? They were ready. They had to be.

As was her routine, she dipped her head to the Hufflepuffs. In a moment they would be slinging spells at each other, causing all sorts of discomfort, but it was meant to be organized and competitive, so it seemed only right to start with a note of respect. She caught Henry's eye one last time and offered her best reassuring smile as he gave a 'good luck'. That was what she'd said this time last year, and Santario had told her they didn't need luck, just their skill. "Just do what we've practiced." Then, it was all duelling stances and breathing of varying steadiness as they waited for the signal to start, or, in this case, to spell.

Action: Doing as strategized

credit to lucia fox for the banner

Why did they have to start out with Slytherin?

The reigning champs of duelling did not seem a good way to begin the season, especially when they were both older than Alexa and herself. It would be wrong to say she wasn't scared, but curiosity took over as she wondered how well her new spells would perform on the block. Lots of new variables were added to this season- a new partner, a year older, an experience of being knocked out before. She hoped to not replicate that last one too quickly.

Lea didn't feel nearly as calm as last year when entering the stage, but the hufflepuff felt a little more prepared. Brown eyes would glance towards Alexa to offer a quick thumbs up with her free hand, the other rolling her wand back and forth with her thumb. "Good luck to you, too!" The second year would call back, unsure whether it was even loud enough to hear. But there wouldn't be any time to ponder as the duel started, focus restricted to only the four on the stage.

Action | As strategized

Round 1

IC Day: 17th October, 2021

Alexa Mackenzie vs Henry Knight

Reducio

Alexa Mackenzie casts expelliarmus at Henry Knight
Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 10 = 18 > 10 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 14] + 9 = 23
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 6 = 17
23 > 17 → Hit
Duration: [d3: 1] → 1 rounds (1-2: 1 round; 3: 2 rounds)
Effects:
- Henry is disarmed until he regains his wand by Searching once or help of a spell

Lea Hirschcasts vs Bridget Collins

Reducio

Lea Hirschcasts casts mimblewimble at Bridget Collins
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 9 = 27 > 9 → Success
Auto-dodge Check [d10: 5] = 5 < 10 → No auto-dodge (Bridget's Evasive Maneuvers, dodge on 10)
Accuracy Check: [d20: 18] +10 = 28
Evasion Check: [d20: 3] + 10 = 13
28 > 13 → Hit
Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 rounds (1-2: 1 round; 3: 2 rounds)
Effects:
- Bridget is mute for one round

Bridget Collins vs Alexa Mackenzie

Reducio

Bridget Collins casts ventus at Alexa Mackenzie
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 11 = 14 > 11 → Success
Auto-dodge Check [d10: 4] = 4 < 10 → No auto-dodge (Alexa's Evasive Maneuvers, dodge on 10)
Accuracy Check: [d20: 1] +10 = 11 → critical miss
New Target: [d2: 1] → Lea (1: Lea Hirschcasts; 2:Henry Knightcasts)
New Raw Accuracy Check: [d20: 13]
Evasion Check: [d20: 12] + 10 = 22
13 < 22 → Miss

Henry Knight

Reducio

Henry Knight casts Metelojinx
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 10] + 11 = 21 > 12 → Success
Alexa Lightning Check [d10: 4] = 4 < 10 → No lightning (10% chance of lightning every round; hit on 10)
Lea Lightning Check: [d10: 5] = 5 < 10→ No lightning (10% chance of lightning every round; hit on 10)
Effects:
- A rain cloud is sitting above the Hufflepuffs. 10% chance of lightning strike per teammember per round

The air lit up in an impressive razzle dazzle of magical light. The duelists had been ready, one could see that casting came easy to this lot. Every single combatant cast their spells with seeming ease. They were at home on this stage, it was their canvas to paint.

Alexa opened with a classic, a time tested spell, and one of Galton's favorites - expelliarmus. A glow shot out from her wand with force, aimed strait at one Henry Knight. It was close, for a second it almost seemed that Henry would make it out of the way, but a momentary pause in his pivot out of the way caused the spell to connect. Through the boy was now wandless, he had managed an impressive feat. That pause that cost him his wand had also allowed him to finish his masterpiece.

A rain cloud raged overhead the Hufflepuffs. Henry had cast a formidable metelojinx on the stage and positioned it right overhead of the opposing team. Thunder roared out from the hanging clouds, with arcs of lightning forming at random and dissipating. Galton could feel some of his hair start to stand-up on his head from the static. An electrifying move.

While her teammate was summoning a storm, Bridget tried throwing some more weather their way. A gust of wind from a haphazardly casted ventus shot out from Collin's wand. The wind whipped every which way, ultimately twisting from the original target, Alexa, to her teammate, Lea. Was it a genius fake-out, or a terrible blunder? Galton pondered the thought as he watched the wind whip by Lea, who managed to roll out of the way.

In return, Lea Hirschcasts sniped a mimblewimble at Bridget Collins. It was a beautiful cast, the annunciation and form near perfect. Her aim was something similar as her cast. Maybe Bridget was still reeling from the powerful ventus she'd just produced, or had not seen the cast, but the spell found it's mark on her tongue. She would experience an knotting feeling take hold of her tongue, almost like a cramp. If someone in the crowd wanted a comment from her after the first casts, they would need to wait a bit.

Tides seemed to have favored the Badgers, but would the Snakes' storm turn the tides back onto their Badger friends?

Information

• You have 96 hours from now to write your posts. A minimum word count of 50 is needed per post.
• In the same time period, send me (Galton Lansdale) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
• If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
• Your Stats, Abilities, and Spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
• Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
• Here you can find the rules to the Duelling System.
• Best of luck, let's have some fun!

Spectator thread!

Credit to Dmiti Jones

Credit to Dmitri Jones

As soon as they were free to start, she leveled her wand at Alexa. No hesitation; this was the strategy they'd spent considerable time on, piecing together as solidly as they could for both the opening moments and what to do when things broke down. "Ventus." It was a spell she rather liked, in fact admitted to Illowy last year as her favorite duelling spell. The Wind Jinx had served her and Santario well, and if she had been looking, she would have seen her former partner open with the same spell.

The first indication something was wrong was the way the energy built up. It was a weak cast--she wasn't quite centered--and her lips would curl downward as she fought to project the magic properly. It was enough, for the cast. But it had cost her accuracy. Terribly so. No one who wasn't already privy to the strategy ever needed to know, but she had definitely not been aiming for Lea. The misdirected spell found no contact with either Hufflepuff.

She didn't have the time to dwell on how atrocious her opening was, not yet in the clear, but that was already where her brain had gone. Far too slow in avoiding the beam of blue, she was met with the familiar and uncomfortable feeling of her tongue curling up against her will. Her eyes cast skyward. Did they really need to repeat the opening of last year? She hadn't backfired, at least, but wouldn't say she was doing much better.

A quiet voice came from her side, Henry asking if she was okay. Truthfully, frustration at herself was already creeping in. Still, if she took a breath and assessed the field, she concluded they were fine. Indeed, there was time left--lots of it, the duel only just having started--and no doubt in her mind they could recover lost ground. He was missing his wand, yes, leaving both of them incapacitated, but had been much more successful with his conjuring of a storm cloud on the opposite end of the piste. They had not taken any damage. So, she returned his question with a nod, short and firm, unable to answer any other way. If she could just stay out of her own head, she was fine.

Action: Doing as strategized

Action: Doing as strategized

credit to lucia fox for the banner

"You, too." She would whisper back to her partner, just as 'spell!' was shouted.

Everyone seemed to act as quickly as they could, but Lea took just a bit more time- to truly focus on what she wanted the spell to do. Out of the corner of her eye, the second year could see the glow shoot out from Alexa's wand, lined perfectly to hit the louder Slytherin. So far so good, it seemed- it was just her turn to cast, still holding onto the thoughts of what she wanted to happen. The girl would bounce on her feet, prepared to swiftly move out of the way.

She almost jumped when the first sounds of thunder erupted, the dark clouds shadowing their area as lightning bolts brought their bright flickering light, thankfully not hitting either of them. Still, it was too close for comfort, put further on edge as she hadn't let go of her spell yet. Was she too late? Yet it seemed luck was on her side if only for the moment.

Her attention on Bridget had given Lea enough warning when the spell suddenly arced in her direction. The wind would try and pull her in, but she managed to dodge its grasp, forcing herself down and away into an awkward roll. It didn't feel great, but it worked. Now! The moment of surprise would do well, finally letting the spell escape. "Mimblewimble." The last-minute plan seemed to work perfectly, watching as the spell hit its target. And while Lea couldn't see any changes, the hufflepuff was pretty proud. Still, this duel was far from over-

but it was nice to start it off with success.

Action | As strategized