An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 14, 2022 22:13:32 GMT 10
Victoria sighed as she turned a corner, shifting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. There was a song she was humming under her lips, something she'd heard before but nothing well known. She was in search of her friends, wherever they were, knowing they would be at the staircase. But when she arrived, they were nowhere to be seen. Not a single sound, just the faintest little rustling of wind outside the castle walls. This was where they were supposed to meet, right?
After a moment of thought, Victoria simply shrugged. They could've already been busy in one the rooms, as there were tons of doors leading all the way up to the top of the tower. Maybe they wanted to get a head start? Hooking the strap of her bag with her finger, Vargas dug through it for a key, pushing aside the ingredient scroll from Snape and a few other things she'd had.
Eyes narrowed, she searched until she found it. Her bronze key. It had a weight to it but it wasn't too heavy. It looked like a lot of her other ones, a little worn from being outside in the sand, but a similar metallic bronze color. Closing her hand around it, she walked past some of the doors on offer before stopping in front of one. Victoria didn't know why this particular door spoke to her, but it did, and she fumbled the key into its lock and pressed inward to open it.
The average-sized room was deceptively ordinary -- with stone walls, stone floor, and an ornate table in the middle. Atop the table were nine wooden boxes, filled with different types of small yet strange stones. Hovering above each box was a blank card, turning gently in the air as if by a unfelt breeze.
There was an uneasiness about the room and its boxes that couldn't quite be described.
A plaque reads:
"Poisons -- cursed objects -- deadly spells... one may never truly know or anticipate dangers hidden in ordinary places. If you choose well, we may spare you. If you choose wrong, may mercy grant you favor."
How to Play
Pick a card, indicated by its letter. The letter is for your reference only; it doesn't appear to your character.
Submerge the chosen card into its allocated box, keeping hold of it the entire time (due to the levitation charm).
A mod will roll a die to determine which of the three painful outcomes occur for your character:
Burning -- Spell Card
Icy sting -- Poison Card
Bite -- Book Card
The pain is brief and doesn't leave any marks. Lift the card out and release it to hover again.
You can pick one card per post -- up to a max of six cards. If you've matched 3 of the same card, you win.
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Winning earns 200 exp to their Curses skill, and 20 exp to every other skill.
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. We strongly encourage immersing your character in this experience and challenge, as these threads are also designed for character development.
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 15, 2022 3:40:25 GMT 10
Victoria mumbled under her breath when the lock clicked left. Her reaction was a token of protest, but she reluctantly stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. The key was magically gone from her grasp and left nothing but her, the stone walls and floors, and an ornate table in the middle of the quiet room. She wasn't wanting to whine about having to endure this activity, but there also wasn't quite as much effort in her demeanor as there could've been.
It was becoming a normal thing for Amara and Nyx to drag her around on all their little tasks and quests, but Vicky supposed she shouldn't complain. If gossip was to be believed, this room was supposed to help her. Supposedly. There wasn't a lot known about the rooms or what you got from completing them but she'd overhead a few students talking about feeling stronger, smarter or quicker when they finished them — depending on what room they unlocked.
'What are a bunch of strange pebbles going to do for me?' She frowned her confusion, looking over the nine wooden boxes. 'Poisons, cursed objects, deadly spells — one may never truly know or anticipate dangers hidden in ordinary places.' She couldn't hold back the pout from forming on her lips as she read the plaque, her voice low, laced with grievances.
It was going to hurt, wasn't it? There was probably something hiding under the pebbles that would grab her hand when she pushed the card into it. There was no point in worrying or trying to leave the room, because she had no choice either way. Sighing, she pushed her card (D) into the box of pebbles directly beneath it, her eyes tightening shut in fear of something painful.
When burning subsided, Victoria was able to pull her hand back out. The card had changed colour and now showcased a symbol, indicating she'd earned the potion card. That was one of six picked...
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 16, 2022 10:27:39 GMT 10
Victoria held the card until it burned her hand. With an exclamatory yelp, she released it and held her hand to her chest. The pain tingled and throbbed, stinging so terribly that she had to apply pressure with a hard squeeze. But as quickly as she felt the burn, it was gone just as fast. She shook her fingers as if she were shaking water off of them, knowing the pain was no longer there, hoping to find some evidence of a burn. But there was nothing. She was unharmed.
No matter how much she tried to understand what happened, she couldn't. Her face scrunched up around her nose, her brain having trouble comprehending what was going on. Was Victoria supposed to go again? The floating cards had reset the same way they'd been before, with the exception of the card she picked. That one had a symbol now, one that represented a flame. Maybe whatever the card revealed would be the pain she felt? This was a perverse game.
She outstretched her hand again, connecting and pressing her palm against her next card (E). Lowering it into its allocated box of pebbles, she slowly submerged it beneath the rocks. They felt strange, cool. They rattled and tumbled and were stupidly noisy, constantly shifting the further she sunk her hand and her selected card. The pain was imminent and Victoria did her best to prepare for whatever that would be, as she squeezed her eyes and swallowed hard.
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 17, 2022 3:58:37 GMT 10
Victoria gasped, her chocolate hues shooting wide. She yanked her hand from the bin of pebbles and her unwillingness to blink caused her eyes to water. Her heart sank into her stomach, head slowly shaking in minuscule motions as she stared at her open hand, panic in her breathing, and checked her fingers and palm for any signs of blood. She would've sworn the card had bitten her, or something under the rocks had but she didn't know what. It was quick, small, yet painful.
She swallowed thick saliva, her other palm clasped firmly over where felt the pain. It stung, where Victoria imagined there would be indentations of teeth and an open sore with infected bruising. But every time she unclasped her hands, there was nothing there. It was strange and unusual. Was the wound festering under the skin of her palm? She wiggled her hand with the thought of it, trying to shake her hand clean, but the pain was gone with no discomfort.
Before she continued, Victoria paused. Her throat was tightening at the thought of another soreness. That was the game, at least that's what looked like from where she was standing. Maybe every card she chose had a pain she'd be forced to endure. Stomping her feet on the ground like a child that just wanted to go home, she pushed her hand against another card (G) and submerged it under the pebbles. Hopefully this next card one wouldn't hurt her as bad.
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 18, 2022 12:32:58 GMT 10
It bit her again, something bit her again, but not hard enough to break the skin. A shiver traveled from Victoria's hands to her shoulders. She gasped, and slowly everything returned to normal. It was less surprising to see nothing happened to her hand again. That was the game, wasn't it? She picked a card and experienced a pain. The only difference was this pain was the same as the last and her card's symbol matched the one before. Was it a matching game?
'Am I supposed to find matching symbols? But it doesn't say how many.' She frowned a little and groaned, almost a breath. 'I bet Amara and Nyx aren't doing anything nearly this complicated or painful. Probably a straight-forward game of gobstones or chess.'
She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head. The cards were hovering in place, only the three she'd picked revealing a symbol. There had to be a strategy. It couldn't be all luck, could it? Her best odds for a linear match and ending the game sooner rather than later would be the first or third card at the top. That meant Victoria needed a match of three symbols.
'I swear my prize better be something good. Picking these cards and feeling all this pain can't be good can it? I swear I'm going to leave here with nothing but trauma.' Victoria exhaled, reached for a card (C) and slowly submerged it under the colored pebbles. 'I can't believe I'm saying this but.. please bite me, please bite me. Please just do it.'
After pain subsided, the cards caught fire and turned to ash. It spiraled around Victoria in an almost threatening manner, then faded to nothing. There was no pain, no consequence, and no sign whatsoever that anything happened. She'd won, yet it didn't feel like a rewarding victory -- rather as if she'd just survived something that could have been a whole lot worse.
Post by Victoria Vargas on Jun 18, 2022 23:16:29 GMT 10
Victoria swallowed as conflicting emotions rushed her after feeling the bite again. She winced at the discomfort, but instead of puling back in pain, she threw her hands in victory. Victoria did it — she had won? It felt good to get the three matching cards, but she stood and waited, heavy breathing from the happiness of achieving what she wanted. Nothing happened until a burst of flames engulfed her, spiraling in a blaze of glory before leaving nothing behind but falling ash.
'Hey, where's my prize?' Vicky was peeved, her cheeks puffing. 'I didn't do all that just to be bitten three times! Do I have to go somewhere to claim my reward? You ought to make your rules a little more clearer!' She yelled at the room, but there was no answer.
Crossing her arms, she turned towards the way she came in. The door was there, open and waiting for her to leave. She mumbled something to herself, obscenities far too crass for ones delicate sensibilities, as her shoes clicked against the stone floor. At least she didn't get gravely hurt, right? There were far worse things that could've happened than just a few measly bites. Regardless, she was done with the room and was on her way to meet up with Amara and Nyx.
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2022 23:17:27 GMT 10 by Victoria Vargas: Exit.
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