2022, Stage 3 Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff: Match 1

Alan was excited, he had been looking forward to the third stage and it was even better now that he knew that he was up against Willow, who had been moderating both of his previous duels. He was happy to see her once more but he was also excited to team up with Adeline, who he barely knew aside from practice. But it had made sense to pair up and he was looking forward to see how compatible they would be in a real duel. Alan handed off Tiger at where Pericles stood, to make sure the Ravenclaw could keep the feline safe, before the fifth year made his way over to his side of the piste. Once Peri announced the start of the duel, Alan prepared and gave the badgers a look before turning to Adeline with a grin. "We've got this!"

Action
as owled

It felt weird walking up onto the piste with someone other than Katrina by her side. She hadn't been a duellist for very long, but in both of her other matches, she'd had the same partner, and there was a comfortable feeling that came with already vaguely knowing what to expect from her teammate.

But instead, she found herself paired with the Gryffindor Duelling Captain, Alan Vanes. It wasn't that she didn't trust him--he was just an unknown, and with this partnership was a slight pressure for Addie to be at the top of her game, to prove her worth to her captain.

At least she and Kat had won their last match. Addie held her chin a little higher just at the thought of it. She was fresh off of her first ever duelling win, and was eager to add another victory to her record. A slight smirk crossed her face as she looked her opponents up and down, analyzing them, and heard Alan's small word of encouragement.

"We've got this," she repeated back, a not-so-subtle hint of arrogance in her voice.

Action: Owled

Willow had only ever won one duel in her life. She almost felt like a fraud of a captain, unable to lead her team to any victory. While any of the other three houses could be contenders for first, Hufflepuff sat firmly at the bottom of the leaderboard. She tried not to let it get to her, especially on duelling days.

Her partner, Callista, had grown to be someone Willow appreciated having on the team and by her side on the piste. While they may not have made the most strategic sense, for Willow what mattered is that she trusted Callista to make the right decisions in the heat of the moment. Especially for a matchup like this. Willow didn't know much about Adeline, but she knew that Alan was a powerful wizard and hard to hit too. She had been his moderator in a duel that refused to end by his sheer willpower.

As they approached the piste Willow looked over to Callista with a smile. "We're both gonna be standing at the end of this. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you up." She refused to watch another partner fall and leave her standing alone against two. While it was mostly out of her control, if she said it out loud then surely it would happen, right?

The next stage had snuck up on Callista all too quickly, and unlike last time, she didn’t feel prepared at all. Nonetheless, in the past couple of months, she had matured a lot, and she almost felt a bit like a veteran. She had grown closer with her duelling captain and partner, too, and the usual pressure that came with duelling was lifted a bit by the reassuring presence at her side.

Perhaps it also helped that the people Callista was standing on the piste with were… well, less than intimidating. Pericles had a good-natured energy to him, and from her stalking careful observation, Callista got the impression that Alan was all-around a nice guy. The other Gryffindor was a bit of a mystery to her, and she didn’t miss the arrogant snark to her comment. Although, she couldn’t exactly hold it against her—no matter how hard she and Willow tried, they weren’t much of an opponent.

“At least it’s not Dmitri,” she muttered under her breath. The fifth year admittedly still crept into her dreams every now and then. It had been a humiliating defeat… speaking of, hadn’t Alan been their moderator that time? Oh gosh that’s so embarrassing… A bit of red flush dusted her cheeks despite herself.

As always, Willow pulled her out of her thoughts. Callista sent a shaky smile back—it was the least she could do, after dropping out last stage. “Good luck.” They probably wouldn’t come out with a victory, but hopefully, she could still make Willow proud.

stats in signature
abilities: perfectionist • beast master
previous action: n/a
action: as strategised

Round 1

Alan Vanes vs Callista Lovis

Reducio

Alan Vanes cast Wind Jinx at Callista Lovis.
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 Willow's LC = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 11] + 7 = 18, success
Auto-Split: [d20: 15], failure
Accuracy Check: [d20: 17] + 8 = 25
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 8 = 19
25 > 19 → Hit
Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 round
Damage: 50 + 11 × 10 = 160
Effects: Callista suffers -4 Evasion for 1 round.

Adeline Hughes vs Callista Lovis

Reducio

Adeline Hughes cast Fire-Making Spell II at Callista Lovis.
Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 Willow's LC = 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 14] + 6 = 20, success
Auto-Hit: [d20: 17], fail Alan's CP
Accuracy Check: [d20: 19] + 7 = 26
Evasion Check: [d20: 4] + 8 = 12
26 > 12 → Hit
Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 round
Damage: 60 + 5 × 10 = 110
Effects: Callista is aflame (60 HP) for 1 round.

Willow Anderson vs Adeline Hughes

Reducio

Willow Anderson cast Slowing Charm at Adeline Hughes.
Wisdom DC: 10 + 2 Alan's LC = 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 10 = 19, success
Auto-Dodge: [d20: ], fail Adeline's EM
Accuracy Check: [d20: 20] + 7 = 27
Evasion Check: [d20: 16] + 10 = 26
27 > 26 → Hit
Duration: [d6: 3] → 1 round
Effects: Adeline suffers -5 Evasion (-4 - 1 for Willow's AP) for 1 round.

Callista Lovis vs Adeline Hughes

Reducio

Callista Lovis cast Knockback Jinx at Adeline Hughes.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 Alan's LC = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 1] + 9 = 10, failure

After the starting signal, neither side hesitated, and they both seemed to have a similar strategy: Target the other opponent's younger student and make it harder for them to dodge at the same time.

Alan let loose a well-cast wind jinx, while Adeline conjured a jet of flames, both hitting Callista before the girl could dodge out of the way. Between wind and flames, she would have a hard time keeping her focus.

Which might explain why the knockback jinx she had meant for Adeline never made it out of her wand. For a moment, it even looked like it might rebound on her, but with remarkable control, Callista managed to keep the catastrophe from happening.

Willow made use of her opening spell to inhibit some of Adeline's reflexes: When her slowing charm hit the Gryffindor, the audience could see Adeline's movements reduced to slow-motion.

It was a promising start for the Lions, but would they be able to press their advantage?

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. Before that deadline, send Pericles Dralt your team's actions via owl. Don't hint at 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 recorded and locked for this duel.
5. If you haven't yet, please familiarize yourself with the system and our latest patch.
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me. Best of luck, 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!

A smile lit up Addie's face as both her and her teammate's spells made contact with the younger of their opponents--by far the strongest start she'd had in any of her duels thus far.

"Nice one!" she called over to Alan, twirling her wand around her fingers as she contemplated her next move. But as her fingers spun the wand, they suddenly felt sluggish and thick. Addie shifted her stance, looking down at her feet as they slid over the stage in slow motion. It was frustrating to not be at the top of her game, even more so because it seemed to be the doing of one of her opponents.

Maybe this match wouldn't be a walk in the park like she had initially thought, but she wasn't going to let this sluggishness get the best of her.

Action: Owled

Alan was quite pleased that both Adeline and he himself managed to successfully cast and land their spells, causing Callista to stagger. "Back to you!", he cheered back, with a grin. Though Adeline also was hit by the team of Hufflepuff which was ever so slightly concerning, but the fifth year was sure it would be alright in the end. The both of them would be victorious here, he had no doubts in that.

action
owled

The Gryffindors were quick to fire off the bat, sending streams of wind and fire crashing into the second year. Wind stokes fire, they say, and Callista would admit that it was a solid start. The scent of ash and flames tangled with the wind, creating a fiery tempest that nearly knocked the poor girl off her feet.

Beside her, she could hear Willow reciting a spell, grounding Callista back to her task. "Flipendo." Her incantation was flat, marked only with a slight dash of haste. Her wand movement was steady and natural─after all, she had practiced this spell countless times. It was the most basic of offensive spells, an essential spell in every duellist's toolbox.

So what happened? A strange tingling sensation started at the tips of her fingers─or no, perhaps it started in her wand, vibrating with a strange intensity. Akin to the breathless feeling right before a storm, the hairs on her skin picked up, and she could sense a palpable force trapped inside her wand.

If she could describe it, Callista would say that it was as if pressure had slowly accumulated inside her wand, building up block by block until the carved wood was practically bursting with tension. All at once, a headache formed behind her temple, and coupled with the turbulent force pulsing underneath her slim fingers, it was all she could do just to keep her head on straight.

Maybe years of honing her skills and preventing herself from making any mistakes with the rigour of a (metaphorical) wooden stick had saved her after all. Callista vaguely recalled clamping a mental hand on her wand, stifling the energy with the self-control of someone who had learned to do it upon herself all her life.

When she came to, Callista was struck by a sudden sense of guilt and despair. Never had she failed to cast a spell. Her wand, after all these months, had never once abandoned her this way. Despite her Muggle upbringing, she had thought that they─that is to say, she and the wand─had formed their own special connection. To be betrayed like this just felt... wrong.

At least Willow's spell seemed to hit. That meant everyone's spells had fired and hit... except hers. Callista had the sudden urge to run away again, for surely the audience was judging her for her uselessness, and surely Willow would be confused or disappointed in her lack of action... but she stayed, and collected what remained of her cracked pride, which had been oh so small in the first place.

stats in signature
abilities: perfectionist • beast master
previous action: cast flipendo towards adeline
action: as strategised

Oof, a rough start. But at least Adeline was slowed down now. The problem was that her younger partner was hit not once but twice. Her head whipped towards her, concern etched into her features. "Brush it off! We're ok!" It seemed like no spell erupted from her wand, something must have happened.

Strategy had really been thrown out the window as Willow's head spun in fear of losing another duelling partner on the piste.