2022, Stage 2 Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw: Match 6

Lucia wasn't quite sure how she was going to deal with this. This was her first match, her first proper duel, without Alexa. Without her best friend here to cheer her on, to support her, to come and visit her in the hospital wing after the duel if it didn't go well and cheer her up. Of course, Briar was there, Lucia's sweet, dependable little sister, sitting on the sidelines with Lucia (and Lindsey, if she had chosen to sit with Lucia) as they waited for the Hufflepuffs to get called up. And called up they were - and by... was that... Lucia couldn't actually remember her name, but it was that duellist she'd gone up against in her second ever match, the first official duel that she'd ever lost. Lucia stood up a little shakily, received a hug from her sister, and stepped onto the stage.

Stage. Never before had Lucia really noticed how perfect a word that was for the duelling ground. It was a stage - a stage upon which Lucia could be gawked at and watched and criticised. She hated it, so much. Before, the crowd had been a sort of comfort, with Alexa and Briar there to cheer her on (and, in Briar's case, occasionally boo, although not unkindly). Now, it seemed hostile, angry. Which was stupid - nothing had changed except Alexa's absence. Which, obviously, meant that everything had changed. It hurt how the world just- just carried on, even though she was gone.

Lucia tore her eyes away from the audience, and instead settled them on her new partner. Lindsey Springhall. Lindsey, a Lucia's friend. Lindsey, clever and smart and brave. Lindsey, not Alexa. When Earl, Lucia's first partner this year, had left the duelling team at the end of last term, she and Alexa had shared a hope that they might be partnered for the next round. Lucia would never know whether that could have been, because the pairs had been announced after the holidays, but she still sometimes found herself wondering, during duelling practise, how it would have been. Lindsey was a brilliant partner, and a great duellist, and Lucia was incredibly grateful to have been partnered with her rather than someone she barely knew, but... but sometimes Lucia would cast a spell amazingly, and grin, and look around in excitement to share her joy with her best friend, and she wouldn't be there. She just wouldn't be there.

After suddenly realising that Bridget (that was her name) was speaking, Lucia gave Lindsey a little smile and pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Good luck," she murmured to her friend, trying, as much as it pained her, to push thoughts of Alexa from her mind, at least for now. It was time to focus, to focus on winning this duel. Lucia raised her eyes to her opponents, and readied herself.

And there she was, sparkling eyes gazing at the duelling stage. It was hard to say if the light beamed in the chocolate brown colour was caused by delight, excitement or confusion. Maybe it was a mixture of all, or maybe it was none of the listed. Sitting with her friend and partner Lucia and Lucia’s little sister Briar, the girl carefully braided her long golden brown hair. She wouldn’t want them to block her view later, at the very least.

This was her first duel. When Lindsey signed up, she mostly hoped to improve her magical skills as well as connecting with her housemates. A switch from Quidditch to duelling couldn’t be that bad, could it? With this thought, she put her name down on the sheet. Her big brother Edmund was undoubtedly a supporter, not to mention that he kept emphasising that his dear little Lin “should practice more on her spell-casting ability”. He had promised to show up at the duel, and Lindsey sincerely hoped that he could be on time and cheer for her.

Being paired up with Lucia was a lucky thing for a duelling newbie like her. Lindsey had always confided in the girl, who was excellent from all aspects and was an old friend since her first year. And above all, Lucia was an experienced duellist, who had already fought three or four matches for their house. At least she had someone to rely upon during the match. Even if they got crushed by the eagles - though that’s unlikely to happen, for they were undoubtedly one of the pairs - she’d have someone with her whom she knew would fight to the very end. Nodding to the raven haired girl, she stepped onto the platform alongside Lucia. The referee - Bridget Collins was her name - announced the start of the duel. Returning her partner a smile, she whispered back. “Same here. Best of luck.”

Eyeing Stavrou and Salwis, Lindsey drew her wand out firmly. Her beech wood wand was starting to become a reliable companion these days, possibly due to the fact that its owner was slowly becoming much more open-minded. She gave Lucia another a determined look before spotting her brother Edmund in the crowd. He mouthed a “good luck” to her and gave her a thumbs up. Lindsey replied all these in a small cheery smile - hopefully, the goddess of luck could favour them today.

Hufflepuff really needed a win after the last stage. That was to say, they must, and would win. Lindsey took her place, readied her wand, and concentrated on her opponents.

as strategized · trunk

Determined to win this duel, Samantha waited for her name to be called. She had lost her last duel and didn't want that to happen again. She did have more experience now, so she hoped that would help her to victory. She had a clear goal in mind and she would try her hardest to reach that goal.

Her blue eyes twinkled when her name was called. She looked up at Phaedra and smiled at the older girl. "Let's do this!" With the age gap of three years and the height difference of almost 3o centimeters, Samantha felt tiny. She wasn't only the youngest, but also the smallest duellist, just like last time. But as soon as she stepped on the platform all her worries about age and length disappeared. Those things didn't matter, all that was important now were her dueling skills.

The brunette took a look at the opponents, from which she knew only one. Lucia Fox had moderated an unofficial duel from Samantha and Samantha had also seen the other girl in some errands. Lindsey, who had already drawn out her wand, was watching the Ravenclaw and seemed to be ready to win.

The second year hoped that this duel would be friendlier than her last one. The only thing she wanted to fly around the room were spells, no insults this time. She knew she hadn't been the nicest in her last duel and couldn't blame everything that had happened in her last duel on the others. This time she would start the duel in a good way. She gave the Badgers a sincere smile as she told them: "Good luck."

Reminder: You have about 20 hours to post and send in actions. Failing to post means your action is void and failing to give actions means your team does nothing but passively dodge.

@Phaedra Stavrou

Contrary to the protests of flyers everywhere, Phaedra wholeheartedly believed that duelling was the better sport. Her two years of investment made that quite obvious. Although the others were admittedly a bigger hit for spectators, they represented little of the daily lives of common magical folk. Spellcasting defined wizardkind. Spellcasting with both feet planted firmly on solid ground, no death wishes or free falls in sight, just like the honest, ground-dwelling creatures they were meant to be. Only a good, old-fashioned duel could mimic that reality.

It was just practical that way.

And so even when faced with the hard decision to drop duelling for other duties, including the approaching O.W.L. exams which cemented her future, Phaedra carried on with the sport. The learning experiences and real-life application were simply too numerous to abandon. That, and one less fifth-year in their roster was the last thing Team Ravenclaw needed; a conclusion that somehow tottered between a true act of selflessness and her own notions of personal grandiose.

Today was the second stage of the championship, day two. The day prior was spent as spectator, scoping newly emerged strategies. With renewed confidence, Phaedra joined the piste last, ears attentive to Bridget. She spoke of rules, sportsmanship, yadda-yadda, but most importantly, a change in the system itself. Because of certain upperclassmen—partly, herself, as usual—there was now a round limit. Phaedra clasped her hands innocently. That wouldn't be a problem.

Bridget's opener wrapping up, Phaedra allowed her eyes to scan their opponents, holding longest on none other than Lucia Fox solely for the fact that she was recognizable. The fifth-year hummed. Well, well. A rematch so soon? Last time had been a close call to victory for Ravenclaw, but close just wasn't good enough. Phaedra unholstered her wand, eyes narrowed, running through her favourite mental list of spells to personally bestow them before the duel's end.

At least one was friendly. On Ravenclaw's side, Samantha was grinning enough for the both of them. Phaedra gave a subtle raise of the brow to her young partner's enthusiasm. “Yes. Let's.” Right now she held few words, gearing up to save the mental energy for where it most mattered. Facing Hufflepuff, she bowed and then straightened again, her preferred act of courtesy.

An adjustment of her brooch and it was game time.

Doing as strategized (x)

Round 1

Lindsey Springhall vs Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Lindsey casts Blindfolding Spell at Phaedra.
Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: [d20: 2] + 9 = 11, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 12 = 28
Evasion Check: [d20: 2] + 10 = 12
28 > 12 → Hit
Effects:
- Phaedra is blindfolded with 0 accuracy and evasion until removed.

Lucia Fox vs Phaedra Stavrou

Reducio

Lucia casts Fire-Making Spell II at Phaedra.
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 9 = 24, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 14] + 7 = 21
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 10 = 21
21 = 21 → Impaired Hit
Damage: 60 + (6 x 10) = 120 / 2 impaired hit = 60
Duration: [d3: 1] → 1 round (1d3, 1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds)
Effects:
- Phaedra is on fire for 1 round and will take -30 HP impaired hit per round unless extinguished

Phaedra Stavrou vs Lindsey Springhall & Lucia Fox

Reducio

Phaedra spell spreads Blindfolding Spell at Lindsey and Lucia.
Wisdom DC: 10 + 2 Spell Spread = 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 7] + 15 = 22, success
Accuracy Check vs Lindsey: [d20: 12] + 12 - 2 Spell Spread = 22
Evasion Check (Lindsey): [d20: 6] + 6 = 12
22 > 12 → Hit
Accuracy Check vs Lucia: [d20: 12] + 12 - 2 Spell Spread = 22
Evasion Check (Lucia): [d20: 2] + 8 = 10
22 > 10 → Hit
Effects:
- Lindsey and Lucia are blindfolded with 0 accuracy and evasion until removed.

Samantha Salwis vs Lindsey Springhall

Reducio

Samantha casts Knockback Jinx at Lindsey.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 Lovely Creature = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 13] + 8 = 21, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 12] + 7 = 19
Evasion Check: [d20: 2] + 6 = 8
19 > 8 → Hit
Damage: 100 + (7 x 10) = 170

They all knew what they were doing, waiting only for the call to start once they'd passed around wishes of luck. As soon as they were free to go, they wasted no time executing. For Hufflepuff, that meant a double attack on Phaedra. As the seniormost duellist, she was a clear threat, and perhaps together they could minimize that. From Lucia's wand sprung fire that would promise the unpleasant sensation of burning. It was a glancing blow, unfortunately for Phaedra still enough to catch on her clothes. As for Lindsey, she went with a direct attempt to interrupt the Ravenclaw's casting; even the fifth year couldn't aim while blindfolded. Dodging two spells at once was difficult, and she'd half-managed to avoid one, but this would strike true, wrapping tightly over her eyes.

But not before Phaedra executed her own far more impressive version of the same spell. From her wand came not one but two swaths of black fabric, splitting course for each Hufflepuff. Though she had failed to dodge two spells, maybe it was because her focus went into her aim. It would pay off, and soon three of four would be unable to see.

The last, Samantha, had done similarly well. They were certainly all on their A-games, not missing a beat when the duel started; hopefully the pause to untie blindfolds wouldn't throw them off that. Samantha hit Lucia squarely with a Knockback Jinx, and stumbling back as her vision disappeared was likely a disorienting experience for the Hufflepuff. An exciting first round, no doubt, though it had been forced into a bit of a lull for the moment.

OOC Info

1. You have 96 hours from my timestamp to write your entrance posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, owl me (Bridget Collins) your team's actions. Do not hint at your next actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void. There are no extensions.
4. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked in as of posting this thread. You can still update your trunks but they will not count for this duel.
5. Please familiarize yourself with the latest patch and the full rules if you haven't already.
6. If at any point you have questions and concerns, my owls and DMs (Bridget Collins#5102) are open.
7. Good luck and have fun!

Edit Note: It was pointed out to me Lindsey’s arcane power value was incorrect; this has been fixed.

@Lindsey Springhall | @Lucia Fox | @Phaedra Stavrou | @Samantha Salwis

Spectator Thread

Lucia growled in frustration as black fabric twisted over her eyes, and heard, a moment later, the thump of a blindfold attaching itself to Lindsey's face as well. Meanwhile, Phaedra was on fire and blindfolded, but a shout from Samantha and an answering sound from Lindsey told her that Lindsey had also been hit twice. It now seemed pretty even, apart from the fact that Samantha was still unscathed. Hufflepuff appeared to have come off worse. Ah Merlin.

Wand raised at Phaedra, she skilfully sent a blindfolding spell at the senior. The comforting sound told Lindsey that her spell had hit, and a barely visible smile formed on her lips. But no. It didn’t lasted for long, even if the smile was small - thick fabric wrapped her own eyes in return, making everything - oh yeah, everything - fall into a pure black background. But still, that’s not the ending. Not yet. Samantha’s knockback jinx struck her right in the face, forcing her to stumble backward. Meanwhile, Lucia hadn’t been any better, being blindfolded as well - Lindsey growled slightly. This was a tough start for the badgers, indeed.

as strategized · trunk

Right after Bridget had told the duellist that they could begin Samantha aimed for Lindsey. She was very proud when her knockback jinx hit the older girl and the big grin on her face showed it. The brunette would have been very embarrassed if her first spell of the duel hadn't hit.

The Hufflepuffs had both aimed at Phaedra, leaving the older student blindfolded and on fire. However, Lindsey hadn't been the only one to cast obscuro. Samantha was surprised to see that every duellist, except for her, had a blindfold wrapped around their head. None of the other duelists could see her gloat, but that didn't stop her from being very proud of her spell casting.

Her one little flipendo was nothing compared to her partner's spell. Samantha was in awe of Phaedra's ability to target two people at once. The second year quickly turned to her blinded teammate. "That's awesome!" she said in amazement.