Hufflepuff v Gryffindor Broom Race Summer Games 2022

Interacting with @Hugh Lowe, @Nicholas McCowan and @Jack Warren

A large grin crossed her face as she approached the teams out on the field. Broom racing was always an intense sport, full of twists and surprises. It was almost impossible to figure out who would be the one to cross the finish line from the get-go as anything could change that. She was happy for different reasons today. One, because she did love flying and the sport itself. But two, because she was against a team that she actually had a lot of respect for. It was weird. In the past, she had stood in the stands and supported them. Today, she was somewhat conflicted. Of course, she wanted to help her house win - who didn't? But she would have been happy with their win too.

Oh, how much had changed in the past four years... She disliked several Gryffindor boys in her own year after the things they did to her. The betrayal of their actions hurt her and haunted her, following her around for many years. However, several of the younger years had swayed her mind and heart on the matter. One of them was the tallest on the field. The other was the captain of their team.

"So, how far do you think you'll get before you fly straight into a tree?" She teased, grinning towards Nicholas and Jack when either of them joined - fully expecting both of them to make a competition out of it. Craning her head to look up towards Hugh when he arrived, "I swear to Bodrig, if you throw a tree at me today-" She complained before falling into a fake grumble sound that was her way of saying she was would do something undefined. Her tone was lighthearted and she was most definitely joking.

Donning her broom racing uniform, complete with a new pair of goggles that sat on her head. They helped her see a little better when she felt like she was going a million miles per second. The wind rapidly hitting her eyes was not something she enjoyed. Behind her, she hurled a giant tree. Specifically a pine tree. It was slender, admittedly, but it was still bigger than her but she loved it. Now that she thought about it... she needed to give the pine chopper a name. Serena adjusted the strap of her wand holder, making sure it was secure in case she needed to put her wand away during the race and tugged on her boots to make sure they were not going to fall off.

Her eyes would scan their outfits, making sure they were all wearing protective gear too. The Hufflepuff team would definitely need to. Having been on the receiving end of Hugh throwing things during training at her... she could tell them that it was not pleasant by any standards. A helmet would probably come in handy!

"I suppose we should go line up..." She said as she looked over towards the Headmaster and then the starting line. She supposed she ought to get her broom and, probably start flying.

ACTION: Arriving on the scene

Sta: 10 13 | Eva: 14 17 | Str: 2 5 | Wis: 15 18 | AP: 5 8 | Acc: 15 20
Broom: Pine Chopper +3 to all stats [added above for ease] | Top Speed: 6
Relevant Abilities: Goblin Armour, Evasive Maneuvers, Paragon of Health
Goblin Armour: Slot 1 & 2: +2 Accuracy [added above for ease]
[Allies for Paragon of Health: Jack Warren and Simon Kincaid]

Full Moderation Details Below:

Reducio

STATISTICS:

Stamina: 10 (+3) = 13
Evasion: 14 + (3) = 17
Strength: 2 + (3) = 5
Wisdom: 15 + (3) = 18
Arcane Power: 5 + (3) = 8
Accuracy: 15 + 2* + (3) =20

* From Goblin Armour [Fifth Year]

BROOM:

Pine Chopper
This slender Scots Pine would make a fine Christmas Tree but this tree was modified with purpose. A metallic framed seat complete with windshield and stirrups has been added at the back, serving as the tree's counterweight. This sturdy, reliable tree that will definitely get the job done.
Stats: +3 to every stat [Added above for ease]
Speed: Top Speed is 6, however when you reach a speed of 6 this increases to a 10% chance that you will auto miss (with anything requiring an accuracy roll) and you will be auto-hit (with anything requiring a dodge roll).
Ability: Immune to broken broomshaft.
This broom is intended to carry multiple people. When someone uses the catch option to rescue a falling teammate, they can catch one additional teammate in a given round. This broom can carry up to four users. If the user has the ability Catch then a user can catch an indefinite number of teammates in a round, but for each person they catch after the first there is a stacking 20% auto-failure chance. Returning users to their broom is a free action for the owner of the blue bottle, but those being returned to their broom need to use their action getting to their broom. Only one person can be returned to their broom as a free action (for the owner) per round, they can use their action to return a second user however.
May attach a compass

ABILITIES

Part-Goblin
1. Gobbledegook: N/A
2. Evasive Maneuvers: 10% Auto-Dodge
3. Wandless Magic
4. Beastmaster: N/A
5. Goblin Armour: +2 Accuracy
6. Paragon of Health: +10% temporary health points from your stamina (Allies: Jack Warren and Simon Kincaid)

Outfit of the Day

Interactions with @Hugh Lowe, @Serena Towers, @Xailah Alptraum

George's intestines were tying themselves in bows as he walked up to the starting line, looking around at his teammates and opponents as they joined Serena on the field. Why did he have to sign up now? Worst-case scenarios seemed to materialize around him everywhere he went. Humiliating yourself in front of your school was one thing, but this was the London Stadium! If he crashed into an obstacle forty feet off of the starting line, literally every school in Europe would know about it. He could hear it now - students sniggering and murmuring in Japanese or something, and all he would have to hear would be "George" to know they were laughing at him. Ah, well. At least nobody could say he didn't put on a show.

He gave a nod to Serena as he walked up beside the shorter girl, clutching his new Nimbus in his hand. It felt strange to be holding in his hand the most expensive thing he had ever owned. Even stranger still - it was a broom. But no ordinary broom. He tucked the broomstick between his legs and lifted his feet off the ground, hovering in little figure-eights as he watched the competition.

Of course, George hardly had to worry about being recognized by the foreign students, given that he had on not only a helmet, but goggles, gloves, and an array of other safety gear recommended to him by the more anxious member(s) of his team. His mother had attached knee pads with her last letter, demanding he wear them for the race. As if they could stop a whomping willow!

"Fair weather for a race!" George said. Not really. He was sweating like a pig. Who decided so much racing gear should be leather? Smears on the lenses of his goggles made it near impossible to see properly, so he lifted them off of his eyes, blinking as he realized he could actually recognize some of the people on the opposing team. He frantically waved at the largest member of the Gryffindors. "Hugh? I didn't know you were a racer!"

He gave Xailah sort of a friendly smile, not sure if they were close enough to be considered friends. She was a nice girl, but also a total creep. And her fat cat was a menace. Looking over the track, George shook his head in disbelief. If his mom was hear, she would have him removed from Hogwarts. "Winner is whoever spends the least time in the hospital at the end," he muttered. Ah, well. The race must go on. George swished his legs in the air as he floated idly behind the starting line, patiently waiting for the starting gun.

Action: Good sportsmanship.

Sta 10 | Eva 10 11 | Str 3 4 | Wis 10 11 | Arc 7 | Acc 10 12
Broom: Nimbus 1700
No relevant abilities as of the 14th of July.

Nicholas's grip was white-knuckled, the nimbus tightly held. It was a new broom, well at least to him it was. The silver arrow he'd been racing had proven too slow, at least as far as the Gryffindor captain was concerned. The loss to Ravenclaw had been unacceptable, and he wasn't about to allow the same thing to happen again to the house of badgers. So he'd brought his father's old broom with him from Belfast. It was a rickety old thing, a bit outdated, at least by quidditch standards. But it was lightweight, and that meant that it was quick. Quickness was exactly what he needed. Yet, he could not shake his nervousness. A new broom and coming off of a loss was a recipe for nerves in the best of times, and being before an international audience was absolutely not the best of times.

The captain took a deep breath, centering himself, before forcing a cocky grin. Fake it until you make it, right?

"We ready, lad, ladies?" He asked his team, giving a mock salute with a single finger, before turning his attention to the opponents.

They had a new captain, a scrawny soon-to-be-fourth-year that Nicholas didn't recognise, but excepting that there roster seemed unchanged. Nicholas supposed that when you won, there was no need to make too many changes.

In any case, Serena being present on the other side was at least somewhat of a calming presence, even if he had every intention of defeating the part-goblin. Not to mention his pride all but demanded that he defeat Warren.

"Further than you," He responded to Serena, his smirk growing only more arrogant and wider all the while.

With friendly trash-talking out of the way, he made his way to the starting line, and prepared for lift-off. There was only the entire world watching. No pressure.

Stats: STA: 12 | EVA: 7 (6) | STR: 15 (14) | WIS: 7 (6) | ARC: 4 | ACC: 8 (6) Abilities: Foulplay | Statistically Relevant | Fearless Broom: Nimbus 1700 (+2 ACC +1 EVA +1 WIS +1 STR, Top Speed 6) Action: Strategised

Credit to Xailah Alptraum

Stats: Str: 12 (10) - Eva: 5 - Wis: 12 (10) - Sta: 17 (15) - Arc: 3 (1) - Acc: 9 (7) Abilities: Part-Giant Broom: Autumn Cruise (+2 All Stats aside from Evasion, Top Speed 5) Action: As strategized

Credit to Xailah Alptraum

⬩Cat's Grace |☆| Blindvision⬩

It would be a lie to say Xailah wasn't disappointed when she found out her racing team was not going up against the visiting schools. Wasn't that the whole point of summer games? To assert dominance over the visitors? To get a feel for their skillets, so that you may better your own? It was a bit of a bummer, but Xailah wouldn't complain with what she got. So long as she got to race, she was content. In the meantime, Hufflepuff would make for a fine substitute for the foreigners. After all, this would be the lions and badgers first game together, which was always an exciting thing. Judging by what little of the track could be seen from where both racing teams congregated, this race was going to be a good one.

However, as much as she would have liked to say otherwise, the badgers presence would not dissuade Xailahs mounting disappointment. Through the thick leathers that covered every inch of her milk glass skin, she still felt the suns scorching breath. Oh, how nice an overcast would have been today, she thought as she touched a hand to her forehead, blocking the sunlight from entering her eyes. Her mouth sloped down, at the absence of interesting weather. Unless one were to consider the horrid dry heat of summer interesting. Anyone who claimed such had to be insane- or lived in a place that only received blistering snowstorms. So, crazy either way.

It would seem almost everyone had new brooms this race. Nicholas had what looked to be a Nimbus with him; which was a broom that had proven to be faster than most, in races prior. With the pride gathered nearby, Nicholas called for their attention with a short salute. The gesture was curious, and Xailah found herself absentmindedly mimicking it in response. "Always. Let's see what that new broom of yours can do." A crooked smirk was sent the captains way, before eyeing the newest member of the team, Marina. This would be the little cubs first official race, and it was undoubtedly going to be a memorable one. Hopefully in a good way.

Xailah was among the few with new brooms. She did not carry beloved DeSoto today. Odd, considering it was her first, and favorite broom, which very much showed. The Moontrimmer had instead been swapped for another broom- a Silver Arrow she called D'Artagnan. D'Artagnan was her newest broom, and had been purchased shortly after obtaining her Firebolt, Dante. The arrow was still a work in progress, as far as its redesign went, but that did not show. Xailah turned into a middle-aged man when it came to brooms- the sort that was always scoping out old barns in hopes to find some rusted vehicle in need of restoration, and had a garage lined up with vintage automobiles that were always being worked on.

It was horribly wonderful fixation. Usually girls at her age were interested in boys, and dates, and some other nonsensical activities. But not Xailah. Such things weren't even a passing thought when there were so many other interesting things to focus on. Like brooms.

Hughs err.... broom, quickly captured her attention. Was it a broom? It felt weird to call it one. Whatever it was to be called, it was incredibly interesting. Xailah moved close to the large lion to get a better look at his leafy ride. Tree. Tree, tree, tree. A cacophony of voices jived in her head. Hughs new mount was exciting. Her attention then spun to a girl who had approached the giant- a Hufflepuff racer in fact. She had a tree too. Considering the badgers incredibly small size, she looked rather ridiculous next to her own ride, and not to mention the lumbering part-giant. The scene itself looked like it was being played out in some sort of funny dollhouse. "I like your..." Xailah palmed at the back of her head, trying to decide if she should call them brooms or trees. "Aerodynamic foliage." She decided, nodding in approval at both of the tree-riders.

The trees- were they new? Were they the hottest thing on the broom market? Xailah was going to have to do some research and obtain one for herself. Too many questions. Too many possibilities. Were they customizable? Could they be sanded? Painted? Lacquered? She needed one.

The approaching footsteps of another racer distracted Xailah from her broom dilemma. She looked to meet a face she knew. Barely. What was his name again? George, right? Brunette badger, looks like he sniffs paste, friends with that strange boy Jake, and a bit of a smartass? Yes, that George. He was an incredibly bright young man overall, and he was familiar. Xailah admittedly liked him. Liked him enough to find him amusing, that is. Were they friends? No. That wasn't a title she threw around all willy-nilly. Friendships had to be earned, which wasn't at all an easy thing to do. Friendly acquaintances on the other hand? Sure. You could call them that. She and George were friendly enough, and they were acquainted. They seemed perfectly fine with coexisting within the vicinity of the other.

The Hufflepuff had noticed her, offering the prefect a smile as greeting. She returned his grin with a tight quirk of the mouth. His comment to follow, only made the small smile pull itself into a flat line. It wasn't the grim nature of said comment that warranted the reaction; more so who had said it. George was someone who you didn't want around anything broken. Because... because he was way too good at fixing them. Don't know? Ask the entirety of Hufflepuff about their common room floors. Xailah sincerely hoped he wasn't aiming for healer as a future career choice. She hummed pensively.

There was an interesting observation to make about the Hufflepuff racers: they were far more friendlier than the snakes and birds, and much more willing to engage with the Gryffindors. It was nice actually. Maybe it had something to do with house prejudice. Or perhaps their friendliness stemmed from familiarity. Everyone on Hufflepuff was familiar- well, except for one student. Briefly. There was a bald fellow (or stubbly, whatever), who Xailah did not recognize at first, but later realized was Jack Warren. But other than that one exception everyone was easily recognizable, and seemed to be quite comfortable with each other. It was a nice change of pace for once. This was going to be a nice race. Unless it wasn't- maybe the badger pleasantries were a trap. Who knew.

D'Artagnan

Model: Silver Arrow Effects: +3 to all stats. Speed: 5 ────────────────────────────────────────── Stam- 15 Eva- 16 Str- 5 Wis- 19 Arc- 7 Acc- 13

Athena hung back near the back of the other racers and nervously fidgeted with her nimbus 1700. It was her first race and she was very nervous that she would mess up or embarrass herself. She watched the other racers joke with each other and started running spells through her mind. She knew the strategy, but she still felt nervous and fidgety.

She had been to many races in her first year and felt the fast pace of it all, the adrenaline of cheering for her house, and she was thrilled to be one of the many that was being cheered for.

She took her hair out of the neat bun she had put it in earlier and quickly brushed it with the brush she kept in her bag. When she felt all the invisible knots were gone she retied it and scraped her foot in the grass. Soon there was a crevice in the dirt and she moved her foot to cover it up.

When she heard the announcement to line up she moved towards the other racers and tightened her hold on her broom. She had practiced, and she was ready, but she couldn’t help feeling a little sick to the stomach.

ACTION(S): Arriving on scene.

Stamina: 6
Evasion: 6 +1 = 7
Strength: 6 +1 = 7
Wisdom: 10 +1 = 11
Arcane Power: 6
Accuracy: 6 +2 =8
Broom: Nimbus 1700
Stats: +2 accuracy, +1 evasion, +1 wisdom, +1 strength
Speed: Top Speed is 6, however when you reach a speed of 6 this increases to a 10% chance that you will auto miss (with anything requiring an accuracy roll) and you will be auto-hit (with anything requiring a dodge roll).

Full Mod Details:

Reducio

Statistics:

Stamina: 6
Evasion: 6 +1 = 7
Strength: 6 +1 = 7
Wisdom: 10 +1 = 11
Arcane Power: 6
Accuracy: 6 +2 =8

Broom:

Nimbus 1700
Stats: +2 accuracy, +1 evasion, +1 wisdom, +1 strength
Speed: Top Speed is 6, however when you reach a speed of 6 this increases to a 10% chance that you will auto miss (with anything requiring an accuracy roll) and you will be auto-hit (with anything requiring a dodge roll).

Abilities:

None

Interacting with @Hugh Lowe, @Nicholas McCowan, @Xailah Alptraum, @George Henry and @Athena McClenin

Serena grinned towards Nicholas, "Oh? Is that a challenge?" She joked, tugging on the ends of her fingerless gloves to make sure they are on properly so she did not lose her grip on her wand or her broom in the coming race. She checked her shoes too, whilst she was at it, "Game on, McCowan. You won't get lucky twice," She continued, noting that their first training session together where he had somehow won.

"N-no. Rig, not ric- Bodrig is uh- nevermind. Hm. For the love of Godric Gryffindor, then?" She continued, giving him a frame of reference that he might understand. Bodrig was the name of a goblin that she had read about in reference to the Brotherhood of Goblins but bringing that up now would probably out her as a goblin, which was still kind of something she kept hidden - even though Hugh had fully accepted her in all of her goblin ways.

Looking over her shoulder as she heard the familiar voice of her new captain, she lifted her hand raising two fingers to her forehead before saluting into the air towards the newest arrival. Her salute turned into a peace sign, "Cap'n!" She greeted towards him, "Looks like captains favour the same broom" Serena mused as she noticed that both George and Nicholas, captains of their respective teams, had the Nimbus 1700 in their hands.

On the Gryffindor side, another member appeared. One that Serena had seen around over the years but never really spoken to or gotten to know properly, "Oh! Thanks! It looked kind of cool! Though, maybe I was just used to having trees thrown at me that this seemed to make a nice change..." She replied, in regards to her aerodynamic foliage, with a pointed look towards the part-giant, even if she had to tilt her head up high to give him that look. The description 'aerodynamic foliage' was a term that she quite liked. She would definitely have to use that going forward if she was asked what the broom was like. Now that she thought about it, she needed a new name for the broom.

With a large grin on her face, she noticed the newest member of the Hufflepuff team, "Don't worry, you'll be fine," Serena said towards the second year, trying to encourage her, "If anything comes flying at you, dodge. And uh avoid vines, they suck and uh. Have fun!" She continued, pressing her finger to her chin in thought.

Serena checked her gear once more, "Good luck, yall. See you on the other side," She wished the group, including her opponents, as she lifted her rather large tree. What in Bodrig's name was this choice of hers? She blamed both Hugh and George. George had provided her with some means to buy new brooms, by asking her to go broom shopping for his own one. Whilst Hugh had inspired her to pick a tree for one of those. Trying to navigate through the course with a literal tree, however, was not something she had really had the chance to practice. Well, no time like the present, right?

ACTION: Being nice!

Sta: 10 13 | Eva: 14 17 | Str: 2 5 | Wis: 15 18 | AP: 5 8 | Acc: 15 20
Broom: Pine Chopper +3 to all stats [added above for ease] | Top Speed: 6
Relevant Abilities: Goblin Armour, Evasive Maneuvers, Paragon of Health
Goblin Armour: Slot 1 & 2: +2 Accuracy [added above for ease]
[Allies for Paragon of Health: Jack Warren and Simon Kincaid]

Full Moderation Details Below:

Reducio

STATISTICS:

Stamina: 10 (+3) = 13
Evasion: 14 + (3) = 17
Strength: 2 + (3) = 5
Wisdom: 15 + (3) = 18
Arcane Power: 5 + (3) = 8
Accuracy: 15 + 2* + (3) =20

* From Goblin Armour [Fifth Year]

BROOM:

Pine Chopper
This slender Scots Pine would make a fine Christmas Tree but this tree was modified with purpose. A metallic framed seat complete with windshield and stirrups has been added at the back, serving as the tree's counterweight. This sturdy, reliable tree that will definitely get the job done.
Stats: +3 to every stat [Added above for ease]
Speed: Top Speed is 6, however when you reach a speed of 6 this increases to a 10% chance that you will auto miss (with anything requiring an accuracy roll) and you will be auto-hit (with anything requiring a dodge roll).
Ability: Immune to broken broomshaft.
This broom is intended to carry multiple people. When someone uses the catch option to rescue a falling teammate, they can catch one additional teammate in a given round. This broom can carry up to four users. If the user has the ability Catch then a user can catch an indefinite number of teammates in a round, but for each person they catch after the first there is a stacking 20% auto-failure chance. Returning users to their broom is a free action for the owner of the blue bottle, but those being returned to their broom need to use their action getting to their broom. Only one person can be returned to their broom as a free action (for the owner) per round, they can use their action to return a second user however.
May attach a compass

ABILITIES

Part-Goblin
1. Gobbledegook: N/A
2. Evasive Maneuvers: 10% Auto-Dodge
3. Wandless Magic
4. Beastmaster: N/A
5. Goblin Armour: +2 Accuracy
6. Paragon of Health: +10% temporary health points from your stamina (Allies: Jack Warren and Simon Kincaid)

Outfit of the Day

@Serena Towers @Athena McClenin @Hugh Lowe @Nicholas McCowan

Spotting the other Nimbus 1700 as Serena pointed it out, George grinned and hefted up the front of his broom in the equivalent of a wizarding wheelie. Proudly displayed over where 'Nimbus' was carved onto the broom, a rainbow sticker was slapped on. Hopefully that was within the limits of the rules. He didn't say anything to Nicholas, but gave him a thumbs up to accompany his goofy grin of same-broom solidarity.

He hopped off to get into proper starting position, mimicking the other racers who had lined up properly. He was just too excited to get himself off the ground. George rolled his eyes at Hugh's comment, smirking over to the other boy. The other boy near twice his size. And with a broom far larger than twice the size of his. "Just wait until you see it, Hugh - I can do both at the same time," he said with a wink and a click of his tongue, pulling his goggles down over his eyes again. Through the blurry lenses, he could just make out Hugh failing to find his pockets and instead grabbing onto his belt. "...Keep those trousers up."

An encouraging thumbs up was given to the half-giant as well. George was doing his best to radiate Hufflepuff positivity - if he was going to represent his house in sports, he felt a responsibility to bring some of their good qualities to the table. Plus, it helped shake off some of the iciness in his veins from the strange quirk of a smile that Xailah had given him. He half expected her to pull out some scheme to assassinate him mid-race. She just had that sort of quality. "You've got this," he said, helping Serena hype up the newest addition to the badger roster. "Just remember what you practiced."

Sta 10 | Eva 10 11 | Str 3 4 | Wis 10 11 | Arc 7 | Acc 10 12
Broom: Nimbus 1700

Dear god, Jack rushed towards the starting point of the race. "I'm here! I'm here!" was all he managed to spit out as he skidded to a stop next to George and Serena. "Right on time, as always." He could feel his smug smile crawl across his face as if he wasn't just dead spriting to reach the race on time. It was almost as if Jack had forgotten that his main trademark was the fact that he couldn't tell time to save his life.

Sta 710| Eva 1316|Str 1013| Wis 58| Arc 710| Acc 1013

Broom: Silver Arrow (+3 to all stats)