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Term 46: May - August 2017 Term Forty-Six: Guests from Ilvermorny (Sept 2092 - June 2093)

 
 
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Old 06-27-2017, 01:55 AM
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Default IMPS Challenge #3 :: Aurora Chae


In spite of the warmer spring weather that was becoming more present with each day at Hogwarts, your body immediately reacts to the sudden change in climate. Not even the vanishing Scottish winter could have prepared you for the frozen tundra that you are now standing in. Snow stands up to your knees, which extends to the mountains surrounding you. Perhaps the view is not a priority, however. Your body begins to shiver from the intense cold that is engulfing you, and it feels like something is biting at every exposed part of your body.

What does this challenge have in store for you? Hopefully you act fast, or you'll freeze before you even find out.

OOC: Post in this thread for your challenge to begin. You will have until July 10th @ 11:59 PM GMT to complete this challenge. Good luck!
Old 07-01-2017, 03:12 AM   #2 (permalink)

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As Aurora entered the third challenge, the brisk cold hit her so hard, it almost knocked the air out of her lungs. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself, and her bottom jaw began to quiver as her teeth chattered loudly in her head. Seriously - they were so loud it was hard to think. What WAS this place?! Had they been transported back to the Ice Age?? She half expected a woolly mammoth to walk right past her at any moment. Aurora cursed the fact that they were not able to bring anything with them besides their wand into this challenge, otherwise she would immediately have created a fire out of something - ANYTHING - to keep her warm. At least three different ideas popped in to her head on how to create some source of warmth - and unfortunately, she had nothing to use as kindling for the fire, so they were completely useless. She didn't even have a container for any sort of bluebell flames...

There didn't happen to be a random marmalade jar hiding in the snow, right?

She looked down at her feet and was glad she had worn her trusty combat boots again - although snow was already creeping over the tops and into her shoes, but she was so cold that she hardly registered the icy sensation engulfing her socks. "Impervius!" she muttered softly, pointing her wand at her shoes and socks and charming them to be waterproof. She wasn't big on nature - not at ALL - but she knew enough about survival to know that you had to keep your feet warm and dry if possible. Otherwise they shriveled up and got gross and then you could lose your feet. So help the British Ministry if Aurora lost a foot - she would SUE sooooo hard. It did nothing to help her feet get warmer, but at least they weren't getting any soggier either. The only way she was going to get any warmer was to move forward - which was precisely what she started to do.

One step. Two steps. She tried to focus on how many steps she was taking, trying to keep her mind off of the cold. It was hard, especially as her eyes began to water down her face, likely RUINING her carefully crafted makeup. She'd done her hair in a braid again today, but she reached up and pulled it loose, fingers quickly running through her dark hair to undo all the little twists and turns she'd done so perfectly this morning. It was small, but the added hair over the tips of her ears helped keep them just a BIT warmer. Her nose was running now, and she rolled her sleeves up over her hands to try and keep them warm - and to use as a makeshift handkerchief. Gross.

You had to do what you had to do when scholarships were on the line, though!

Teeth still chattering incessantly, she kept moving forward. With each step, she scanned the area beneath her feet as she pushed snow out of the way with her boots, looking for branches or anything she could possibly use to fashion into a torch. If she had to go total caveman style here, she definitely would. It was so deep, though, that if there was anything hiding under there, she doubted she would see it. She kept her fingers crossed (mentally of course, as they were too frozen to do anything at the moment) and kept going forward, hoping against hope that she would trip over a random tree branch or something that she could use to create a portable fire.

She felt like she had been walking forever, her legs already burning from trudging through the knee deep snow. She looked back in dismay, however, and saw she had barely gone more than a couple dozen yards. Alright, this was taking too long. She might not be able to use her wand as a makeshift caveman torch, but a new idea was forming in her brain, which would hopefully speed this process up - AND keep her from turning into a Horned Serpent popsicle.

She pulled out her wand and pointed at the area in front of her. "Incendio!" she exclaimed loudly, using all her concentration to try and create the largest jet of fire possible from her wand. It was hard to try and block out the screaming voice in her head that was only focused on how cold she was, but as soon as she said the incantation, she felt a small bit of warmth blowing back from the fire, and her determination was renewed. A large stream of fire came from the tip of her wand, melting a few feet of snow from the area in front of her. It didn't reach TOO far, only a couple of feet, and didn't completely melt the wall of snow down to the ground (she hadn't expected it to), but she would take it. The makeshift path was better than the knee high snow she'd been working through up until now. The warmed snow was much easier to trudge through, squishing with an odd sort of satisfaction under her boot as she moved forward to her newly melted path, which helped her go just a bit faster. The small rush of hot air she'd gotten from the initial blast of fire had helped her numb hands for...a good two seconds before the fire had disappeared, taking it's blessed warmth with it.

Yes, it wasn't much at all, but something was better than nothing.

She waved her wand, nonverbally casting the spell this time. It wasn't as strong as screaming it at the top of her lungs, but it was getting the job done, and she needed to save her energy. She took it slowly, a few feet at a time, with her wand working like a blow torch to make her path just slightly easier.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have to go TOOOOO far before it became obvious what she was supposed to do with this challenge...
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Old 07-01-2017, 06:13 PM   #3 (permalink)
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There is still nothing in sight as you crunch through the tundra field, only snow, no shelter from this bitter cold that surrounds you. You take another step and suddenly a strong blast of icy wind buffets you from west, so intense it almost knocks you over. Perhaps dear Ilvermornian, you should have left your hair in that braid, because it is quite the mess now. Not to mention all that snow you melted has been replaced by the force of the wind.

The wind calms just as suddenly as it came up giving you a chance to catch your breath, before another strong gust comes, this time from the north. You are caught in the forceful gale once again.

Does this wind have any specific meaning you can gain from it? Or it is just the sporadic winds of the hostile Tundra that you are caught in?
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Old 07-02-2017, 03:33 AM   #4 (permalink)

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Just as Aurora was thinking that she might be making the slightest bit of progress, slowly but surely melting a path through the snow, a wind from the west practically barreled her over, sending her tumbling into the snow with a strangled yell. It hadn't been that strong, but the sudden force of the wind had surprised her and thrown her off her guard, sending her tumbling. Her hair flew in front of her face, whipping her already raw cheeks, and she sincerely regretted undoing her braid at that point. She didn't care, though, as the wind was making it impossible to see where she was at the moment - braided hair or not. Snow blinded her vision, getting in her hair and numbing her face, chilling her to the bone. The part of her body that hadn't fallen into the snow was coated with the blowback from the wind, and the path she'd created in front of her was completely gone.

She was completely soaked now, her waterproof boots doing practically no good now that her entire body was drenched in snow. She couldn't feel her hands anymore, despite the fact that she was gripping her wand so hard, her long manicured nails were digging deep into her palm, causing tiny little cuts. As soon as she was sure the killer wind had passed, she slowly got to her feet and brushed herself off.

As soon as she got up and got her balance again, she took a deep breath. She paused, taking her hair and tying it into a messy bun - she was going to need a SERIOUS deep condition after this challenge - when another strong wind promptly knocked her down again. This time, it hit her straight on, sending her stumbling back onto her bum and knocking the wind out of her. For a split second, she was scared the wind wouldn't let up and she wouldn't be able to stand, and the snow would eventually blow over her, burying her tiny frame in a mini avalanche. That would have been the end of Aurora Chae...

But no, she was able to get up again, gasping as she caught her breath. The damage had been done, however - the snow had been blown all over, completely covering the tracks she had been making with her Incendio charm. She had no idea which way she had come - but she knew which way the wind had blown her, since the indent of her body falling backwards was the only mark in the snow she could see at the moment. Which way was that? Did it matter? She needed to readjust and get her bearings, even if it was just to comfort herself and give herself some semblance of knowing what she was doing...

WAIT. WHERE WAS HER WAND!?

It wasn't in her hand anymore! After the first gust she'd had it, she had been sure of it, but the second one had knocked it out of her hand and she hadn't even noticed! Her heart practically stopped, and despite the fact that she was cold and soaked to the bone, she dropped to her knees, frantically digging through the snow. "Come on, come on!" she sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks as she imagined a world without her wand. Forget the competition - her LIFE was OVER if she couldn't find it!!

What if it was broken?! What if she never found it?! Would she be disqualified right away? Would she simply freeze to death out here? What if she never found it?! She would have to fly back to America just to get a new wand, she'd have to drop out of her fifth year, she'd be behind for exams next year, she'd never get in to university...

Thankfully, these terrifying thoughts only stuck around for a few seconds. After some frantic digging, her right hand grazed over something long and slender, and she let out a cry of relief as she pulled her wand from the snow. Shaking, she sat up, dizzy from the cold, the anxiety over losing her wand - all of it. She felt like she was going to pass out and had to steady herself for just a moment, reminding herself to remain calm.

Things were NOT going in her favor at the moment.

She looked around in dismay. The only thing visible in the wasteland of snow was the indent she'd made falling backwards - and the subsequent scramble to find her wand in the snow. So, that meant the wind that had knocked her over had come from...there? She turned, facing the direction she'd been when the second wind had hit. "Point me," she muttered as she held her wand in front of her, using the makeshift compass to determine that the wind that had knocked her down had come from the north.

Once again, she had no better ideas, so...on she went. If the wind had come from the north, she decided that meant she SHOULDN'T be going north. More than likely another strong gust would just knock her over again. So instead, she turned and walked in the opposite direction, to the south. Hopefully that was the right direction - and hopefully she wasn't headed back in the direction she had just come. Still, logic told her that winds pushing AGAINST her were likely not her friend, so south it was until she determined otherwise. Her wand was out again, casting Incendio to try and build herself a path once more. She couldn't feel her fingers, or her nose, or even her lips anymore, and she was surprised her eyes hadn't frozen shut from the crying.
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Old 07-02-2017, 07:14 PM   #5 (permalink)
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The wind is indeed coming from the North and you are wise to head southward, for heading the other direction would be impossible, the north wind is blowing at your back, helping you along, messing with your hair, howling in your ears, still very present as it helps you move along the path of mushy snow you are creating with your spell.

Perhaps it's help is trying to tell you something. Is it possible you could predict something based on its sudden change in direction?

Nothing is random in this place. Try and figure out what the wind is telling you, before you end up a frozen statue in this harsh environment. Your eyes haven't frozen shut yet, but perhaps a warming spell might help. Better hurry, looks like your fingers are turning blue.
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Old 07-02-2017, 09:31 PM   #6 (permalink)

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Aurora was not promptly knocked on her backside by the wind, so she took that to mean she was doing something right. She thought back to that first gust of wind...that had come from...Never eat soggy waffles...the west. So perhaps she had to go...southeast. She paused, reciting the mantra in her head again and then made a slight turn to the left, going diagonally instead of straight forward. Hopefully the wind was PUSHING her towards something...instead of away into the barren wilderness.

She waved her wand, casting the Hot Air charm in front of her to try and warm herself up a bit. That did nothing except blow the hot air away, so she instead pointed her wand at her other hand, casting the charm again. Ahhh, that was a bit better. Her fingers didn't feel like ice cubes anymore so that was good. Onward she went...thawing random parts of her body as she went...
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Old 07-03-2017, 07:43 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Congratulations on warming yourself up, My Dear Miss Chae, the hot air charm is working perfectly and saving you from the brutal cold of the tundra. However the south eastern direction you are going is not correct, the wind pushes you steady south, and you have no choice but to follow its nudging.

It seems you missed a vital sign that would have prepared you for what was to come due to all of your falling and wand losing. You were so caught up in finding your wand, you missed what the wind was telling you.

Interpreting the wind using Anemoscopy would have, given you a clue about what was happening, for you see in Anemoscopy, winds blowing from the west and north are seen as bad omens, and a wind blowing strong, then going calm, and starting up in another direction forewarns that dire circumstances are on the way.

Too bad you didn't get that warning as the time for predictions are over now and the bad circumstances draw closer and closer with every southern step you take.

The wind gets less harsh as you approach something that becomes more visible with each step. Soon a metal cage, its bars layered in ice, come into view. The lock on the cage is a metal box with a series of random dots. This lock could easily be overlooked though as you look into the cage and see somthng that makes you gasp with fear.

For inside this magically protected cage, shivering violently, and with his fingers turning blue, is the person closest to you, your big brother, Chadwick Chae.

Maybe next time you'll heed the warnings of the wind?
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Old 07-04-2017, 01:19 AM   #8 (permalink)

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Aurora didn't have time - or precious space in her brain - to waste on Divination of all things, so the wind would have never been something she would have associated with the subject. She continued to assume it was showing her the direction she needed to go. Danger was something she assumed she would stumble upon at some point - it was a CHALLENGE after all - so despite the warning the wind was trying to give her, she continued to trudge on, unaware that the winds were doing more than just showing her which was to go. She remained on her guard, however, as she knew at SOME point, something would pop up...right?

She began to doubt that a bit as she went onward. WHY had she not stumbled upon something useful yet?! All she was doing was trudging through the snow, getting more and more frozen as time went on despite using magic to keep her fingers from falling off due to frostbite. Was this challenge simply going to involve surviving until someone came and picked her up? Was the challenge going to simply be don't die?

She hoped Valerie froze to death. She already had a heart made of ice so she was half way there...

Suddenly, she stumbled upon something large in front of her, and the wind suddenly died down. Well, that was nice at least. And FINALLY, she had something else to focus on besides the cold.

There was a giant cage in front of her. Aurora wrinkled her eyebrows, wondering what was in there. A baby wooly mammoth maybe?? She wasn't sure WHY that was where her brain had gone, but it had to be a magical creature of some sort. What creatures lived in rough, tundra conditions? She tried to think about her magical creatures knowledge as she kept moving forward...only to find that it, in fact, was NOT a baby chimaera or any other sort of magical being.

A chimaera would be more comforting than what it actually was.

It was Chad. Her brother. Her big brother, the one she had always been closest to, her biggest ally and support - and he was freezing like an animal in a cage!!

Normally, Aurora's brain would whisper to her as she went through the challenges, reminding herself that these challenges weren't real. She'd barely hesitated facing the dementor, had flinched ever so slightly at the prospect of facing the Whomping Willow...because somewhere, the rational part of her Horned Serpent brain reminded her that this was all just a game. This was controlled. The Ministry officials would never do something to actually put them in grave danger. That was why she had never understood why her fellow competitors were always so offended and traumatized by the challenges. Surely they were reasonable people too? Surely they knew that this was all just a test of their strength, and no reasonable person would ACTUALLY put a dementor into an uncontrolled environment with teenagers?

The sight of Chad, however, had thrown all thoughts of rationality out of her brain. It didn't occur to her that maybe this was a trap. It didn't occur to her that maybe this wasn't REALLY Chad, and the real one was somewhere in the stands, watching her with interest. None of that occurred to her. All she was worried about right now was the fact that Chad looked like a Chae-sicle, and he was probably scared and confused as to why he was locked in a cage like a common dog.

She ran up to him, completely abandoning all thoughts of charming the air or making things warm around her. "Chad! CHAD!" she shrieked, approaching the cage and grabbing the bars, tugging on them angrily. She didn't expect anything to happen, especially with her wimpy arms, but all she was thinking about was getting the cage open and freeing her brother.

"What are you doing here?! Are you hurt?! Are you ok?!" she cried, tears streaming down her face again. This was way scarier than losing her wand. Her brother could DIE out here. He could freeze to death, or even worse - he could lose his fingers. How could he play Quidditch and hold his Beater's bat with no fingers?!

She saw the lock and gave it a tug, eyeing the dots on it as she pulled. Once again, she hadn't expected anything to happen, but it was worth a shot. She pointed her wand at the giant box as well, muttering "Alohomora!" but not expecting that to do anything really either. She was going to try everything she could, though. What did those dots on the padlock mean? They had to mean SOMETHING right? Her brain tired to recall runes, but it didn't seem like it made the shape of anything rune-like. Maybe...it was a constellation type thing? It wasn't night though...still, that was all she could think of. Connect the dots...like in astronomy class when they were learning all about the constellations.

That was the best guess she had at the moment. While she waited for a better idea to come to her, she tugged on the lock again and again, hoping that it would just magically give and open up without any additional effort. She waved her wand and did a hot air charm for her brother as well, directing the flow of air in between the bars of the cage as tears continued to pour down her face.
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Old 07-04-2017, 05:58 PM   #9 (permalink)
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I am sorry Miss Chae, but no matter how hard you tug, the cage that holds your brother isn't going to open, and any magic that you send towards him, like that hot air charm, bounces off and hits you instead. No Magic can get into the cage, looks like you'll need to find another way to get him out of there.

But what?

As you look at the cage, you'll notice the light of recognition in your brothers eyes, and his shivering mouth is attempting to say your name, but it's hard to hear the words clearly due to all his teeth chattering.

If you look again, you'll notice that your brother is trying to move his hand towards you, but the cold makes it extremely difficult for him to move. What is that off-white thing that is in his hand? Can you get it from him?

Better hurry. The conditions are still harsh and his hands are still turning blue.
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Old 07-04-2017, 11:10 PM   #10 (permalink)

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Aurora squeezed her eyes shut as the hot air blew back in her face, indicating to her two things - one, her brother was still freezing. Two, the cage had some sort of spell around it preventing her from getting to him. She shouldn't have been surprised...

Wiping away some of the tears on her face, she took a deep breath and studied the lock again. At least, she assumed it was a lock - those dots didn't exactly make the shape of a keyhole, but there was no other way to get the cage open. Or so it seemed.

She looked back up at Chad and noticed with dismay that he seemed to be trying to talk to her - but she couldn't hear him. She wasn't sure if it was the spell keeping his voice from reaching her ears, or if he was just so cold he could no longer talk. Her bottom lip continued to tremble as she stood up and crawled closer to the cage, peering at what he was holding. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but it was obvious that it was important, and he wanted her to have it.

Was it...a key?

It was the only thing she could think of right now - and hopefully, she was right. But how did she GET it? She knew the cage was protected by some sort of barrier...and she couldn't get to HIM. But could things in the cage get to HER?

She pointed at his outstretched hands. "Accio!" she cried, desperately hoping that the item was able to penetrate the magical boundary keeping her brother inside.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:32 PM   #11 (permalink)
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I am sorry Miss Chae, but your accio spell just bounced harmlessly off the cage and into the surrounding snow. For you see magic can't get into the cage.

Maybe something else can? You held onto the cage before, so nothing is stopping your hand from getting in. The bars are certainly wide enough for you to reach in and carefully grab for whatever your brother is holding.

Better hurry though, it looks like his fingers are starting to turn blue as well. The harsh conditions wait for no one.

Yourself included.
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Old 07-05-2017, 11:56 PM   #12 (permalink)

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Aurora choked back another sob as her Accio charm did absolutely NOTHING to get her to her brother. She kept trying to remind herself to breathe, that this was just a challenge and Chad wasn't REALLY in trouble, but the irrational part of her brain was being so LOUD right now. It kept overriding the reasonable part of her brain, which was almost ALWAYS in control, and it was making her sick and disoriented as well as completely frazzled.

You can do this, you can DO this, Chad isn't in any actual danger here...

Wait. She realized that she was gripping the bars of the cage - and her long, talon like fingernails were piercing whatever magical barrier was around the cage. Was...was it really that simple? She rubbed her nose and then took her right hand and reached in through the cage.

"Chad! I'm here Chad!"
she cried, hand reaching open wide to try and grab whatever it was in his hand...
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Old 07-06-2017, 12:33 AM   #13 (permalink)
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You can indeed do this Miss Chae, just take a breath.

You reach through the icy bars and your hand easily reaches your brothers, despite the hot air charm still in effect on your person, you instantly notice how cold his hands are.

You need to be careful in extracting the information he has in his grasp. You slowly start to pry his fingers back, the warmth from your hands easing the chill that has come over his hand. Making it just that much easier to slip the small roll of parchment from his hands.

A slight twitch of his fingers around yours is all the recognition you get from your words.

After you remove your arm from within the cage and unrolling the scroll, you will see that numbers needing decoding have been written on it:

285 6995 19751
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Old 07-06-2017, 01:49 AM   #14 (permalink)

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Tears continued to roll down Aurora's eyes the entire time she held her brother's hand, wishing that she didn't have to let go. He looked so sad in there. She didn't blame him, and he was FREEZING. He was practically turning into an ice sculpture! Still, she forced herself to finally let go of his hand after she retrieved what was clasped between his fingers.

It was a piece of paper. She knew it was a clue of some sort, but she sort of hoped it was a message of reassurance from her brother. It wasn't, of course, but it would have been NICE. The best thing, of course, would have been to just not have her brother in here at ALL. She was so upset over all this that she didn't even feel the blinding cold on her face, forming small tracks of frozen tears on her pink cheeks, or the tingling feeling in her fingers as they continued to freeze closer and closer to the dreaded frostbite threshold. She paused and cast some more hot air on her fingers and toes, as well as on her face as well, to give herself a little boost. Right. Back to the task at hand. She could not let her brother's presence here derail her completely.

The message was a series of numbers. At first she thought perhaps it was a combination to a lock - but that didn't make sense. The lock had dots, and unless those dots were actually BUTTONS and the message indicated what order she had to hit them in, she didn't think that had anything to do with it. What she DID notice was the spaces between the groups of numbers - there were three, like it was spelling out words. Perhaps it was Arithmancy related...

Taking her wand, she stabbed it into a nearby patch of snow, writing out the numbers 1-9 and assigning them numbers. She remembered how to determine what the numbers were, but it was much easier for her to visualize it, even if it meant writing out the ENTIRE chart by hand. She went as fast as her frozen fingers would let her, knowing that time was precious in this challenge.

Quote:
1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9
A---B---C---D---E---F---G---H----I
J---K---L---M---N---O---P---Q---R
S---T---U---V---W---X---Y---Z
And now for the message. She peered at it again, and then using another area of the snow as her chalkboard once again, she assigned possible letters to the numbers.

Quote:
285 6995 19751
B-H-E F-I-I-E A-I-G-E-A
K-Q-N O-R-R-N J-R-P-N-J
T-Y-W W-Z-Z-W S-Z-X-W-S
Ok, so the first word was very clearly the word "the". That had been easy enough. Now for the second word - the first thing that jumped out at her was "fire". Although she supposed it could also be "wire" but in the context of this challenge, "fire" seemed like it made more sense. The last one was stumping her, though. Sixes? Ugh, this made no SENSE. She thought back to that other number system...what was it called again? Something that started with a C...but no, that couldn't work. That only went up to number 8 if she recalled and there were a ton of 9's in this riddle. Ok, so "the fire sixes" was her best guess here.

Unless she had to add all the numbers up, instead of assigning letters to them? Ugh this was awful. She HATED Arithmancy.

Very quickly, she summed up the numbers, just in case that was what she needed to do. Her heart was racing and her brain felt like it was getting frazzled again. This was HARD and time was running out before her brother turned into a hunk of frozen Quidditch player.

Quote:

285 6995 19751
2+ 8 + 5 = 15 = 1+5 = 6
6+9+9+5 = 29 = 2+ 9 = 11 = 1+1 = 2
1+9+7+5+1 = 23 = 2+3 = 5
6+2+5 = 12
1+2 = 3
Alright, so she had two possible interpretations of these numbers now. But were either of them right? Her head was pounding and preventing her from seeing straight now. Tiny block dots were appearing in front of her eyes and she had to take a few moments to pause and close her eyes, rubbing her temples.

She could do this, she COULD do this. She just had to repeat that to herself over and over again. Over and over and over again...

Whatever the answer to this puzzle was, she KNEW it had something to do with the lock. The lock still reminded her of a constellation, and wondered if the answer to the riddle was in relation to a group of stars or something she had to press to get the lock to open. The fire sixes...did that mean anything at all? It was all she could think of as she stared and stared and STARED at that final word, wondering if her bizarre answer was ACTUALLY the answer...or if she was completely missing something else totally obvious...
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Old 07-06-2017, 08:28 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Good job on the hot air charm Miss Chae, you need to be alert and warm in this dangerous Tundra in order to save your brother.

You are on the right track with Arithmancy, and you have even seemed to get the first two words right. However you might want to reconsider that last word, surely those numbers could form some other word than sixes?

And while your adding was correct in the second method, it's not what we are looking for. Good job though.

You are so close, Miss Chae. Take a breath and concentrate.

Better hurry though, it seems the longer you take, the bluer your brother turns.
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Old 07-07-2017, 12:54 AM   #16 (permalink)

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Head pounding, Aurora crouched down, pulling her legs into herself as she stared at the letters. The first two words HAD to be right. It simply didn't make any more sense. There was no wire around, so it just had to be fire. Fire had to definitely be referring to some sort of heat in the cold tundra, but the last word was still stumping her completely. The fire WHAT? The fire WHAT? UGH.

She focused just on the last group of numbers again, making sure she had done it right. She was so cold now, she was practically numb to everything around her. The wind barely registered with her as it pounded against her frozen cheeks. Her lips were turning blue, and it was not because she had picked a bold color of lipstick this morning. She tried not to look at Chad, who she knew was just as cold, if not colder, than she was. She cast the hot air charm on her hands and face again, although it did little to comfort her at this point. She felt guilty every time she did it, because she couldn't reach her brother and provide the same relief to him.

Wait...something was wrong. She had made a mistake somewhere. She consulted her chart again, eyes watering and making it hard to see her work in the bright, blindingly white snow. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her head, but she knew the cold was getting to her. If this were a normal setting, and she were taking an Arithmancy test, she NEVER would have made these mistakes. But as she wrote it out again, to give herself a clean slate, she realized she HAD messed up. She'd assigned an Z to the number 9, which didn't exist, 9 only had TWO letters assigned to it. The X also didn't go to 7 - her eyes had blurred them together, making her write it down incorrectly. Well, that made it a bit easier - but not by much.

Quote:
1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9
A---B---C---D---E---F---G---H----I
J---K---L---M---N---O---P---Q---R
S---T---U---V---W---X---Y---Z

19751
A I G E A
J R P N J
S [ ] Y W S


Why could she not get this?! She felt so stupid. This was so embarrassing, and all of her classmates were watching her fail on a big screen right now. She was a Horned Serpent, for Merlin's sake! They were the smartest of the bunch! This should be so easy, if it weren't for the cold she wou--

SIGNS! THE FIRE SIGNS!

"THE FIRE SIGNS!" she exclaimed in triumph, jumping up and pumping her fist in the air triumphantly. Immediately pieces of the puzzle were clicking into place. When she heard the term "fire signs" she thought of just one thing - and it made perfect sense with what she already knew about this challenge. Anxiously, she hurried back to the cage, babbling to her brother as she sat down in front of the lock.

"Of course! Now it makes sense! The lock has dots on it, it has to represent a constellation...one of the fire signs! Maybe if I trace it with my wand I can let you out!" she yelled over the roar of the wind. The rambling was making her warmer by moving her mouth, and she wanted Chad to know that she was figuring it out. If she couldn't warm him up, she at least wanted to let him know that she was close to cracking this infuriatingly frustrating puzzle. She was on the edge of a breakthrough here, she was certain of it! "You'll be out soon!" she exclaimed.

Now for the constellations. Luckily for Aurora, while most of Divination was a complete waste of her time (hence why the wind divination had gone COMPLETELY over her head, quite literally) she DID take some stock in star signs. Ever since she'd read up on Libras and realized she was TOTALLYYYY one, she'd been fascinated with it ever since (Ironically Libras were supposed to keep their cool in tough situations - whoops. Not so true today) And she knew from her previous studies that Leo, Sagittarius and Aries were the fire signs. Her brother Drew was TOTALLY a Sagittarius. The fact that she was surrounded by so many people who were sooo like their signs had only strengthened her faith in the dismissed subject.

One of those fire signs had to be formed in a constellation on the lock.

She studied it again, pulling it close to her face so she could see the dots as clearly as possible. Her brain was working in overdrive now, making up for lost time (and lost dignity) by scanning the dots over and over again. There were a few stars that definitely stood out to her, so those had to be the primary stars in the constellation. Now what shapes could be made out of them? She tried to remember her study guide from the test she'd taken this very subject earlier this year, trying to recall the shapes of those three constellations in particular.

There was a small cluster of stars near the bottom of the lock that might - MIGHT - work out to be Leo. She remembered it looking sort of lion like, with the triangle and everything. There were a few dots that definitely stood out more than the rest in that area, but that one seemed to be calling out to her. It was one of the only areas that looked like it had anything remotely recognizable to the Horned Serpent.

She sighed, having nothing to lose, and pulled out her wand. She pointed at the star and began to trace a line across the stars she thought would open the lock. Time to see if anything actually happened...this had to work, it just HAD to...
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Old 07-07-2017, 07:56 PM   #17 (permalink)
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There you are Miss Chae! You did it! The Fire Signs! Makes a whole lot more sense than the fire sixes, yeah?

It's great to see your enthusiasm as you try and get the cage open. For the dots on the metal lock are indeed Stars, which are formed into constellations..

You are just a few taps away from freeing your brother Miss Chae! Your freezing brother who is turning bluer by the second.

You trace your wand over Leo and it lights up white, but as you wait.. nothing else seems to happen. The clue did say The Fire Signs, not The Fire Sign, so maybe you need all of them to unlock the cage?
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Old 07-07-2017, 09:19 PM   #18 (permalink)

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Aurora felt her heart leap as the Leo constellation turned white...and then nothing else happened. Her face sank. She was SURE that she was on the right track, especially since the constellation lit up...

Wait, maybe she had to do more constellations. They were all close to each other in the sky, weren't they? She shut her eyes as she tried to think, but all it did was make her eyes water, reminding her how cold she was. How cold CHAD was.

So Sagittarius and Aries had to be in the dots on here somewhere...she pulled the lock as close to her face as possible, trying to recall the shapes of the stars that made up those two constellations. Sagittarius was...difficult to remember, and she knew it involved a LOT of the dots. Aries was just...a line. But WHICH line was it?

After a few seconds, she determined that she found a cluster of dots that she was pretty certain correlated with the square bit in the Sagittarius - and a diagonal looking line that looked like it could be Aries. She didn't have time to second guess herself right now. Chad could freeze to death any second now! She pulled out her wand and began to trace over them again. Here goes nothing!
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Old 07-08-2017, 07:53 PM   #19 (permalink)
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Now is definitely not the time to second guess yourself Miss Chae, especially with your brother freezing in a cage right next to you.

As you trace over Sagittarius it lights up, and Aries does as well as you touch it.

All three of them are now bright white and then in a few seconds, they all turn green and you hear a click, as the lock comes undone and the door to the cage opens.

You have freed your brother from his icy prison, however he is still much to cold to walk. You need to warm him up and get him out of here.
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Old 07-09-2017, 01:54 AM   #20 (permalink)

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With wide eyes, Aurora watched the constellations light up, turning green and then clicking open dramatically. She let out a strangled cry of excitement and yanked open the door, running into the cage and tackling her brother in a bear hug. Oh Merlin, he felt like an actual ice cube! She couldn't imagine she felt much better, though, so she cut the hug short and pointed her wand at him, casting the Hot Air charm directly at his face, and then his hands, and then his legs. He was wearing pants, of course, but she had to try and warm his WHOLE body, even if it was covered. He didn't look so good...and he was HUGE. He was a BEATER after all. She was going to need his help getting out of here.

After she repeated this cycle a few times, pausing to warm her own hands every few minutes, she backed up out of the cage. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked him.
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Old 07-09-2017, 06:46 PM   #21 (permalink)
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The hot air charm you cast Miss Chae is slowly warming your brother up, and his color is gradually starting to return to normal.

“Au..rora..” Your name comes from between his lips as as you ask him if he can walk, and he slowly moves his head left and right. “No.”

His limbs still won't support him, so you'll need to find a way to get him out and moving along with you. A strong north wind starts up again, and is trying to push you in a southerly direction.

Will you follow it or go your own way to find some shelter?
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:24 AM   #22 (permalink)

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Aurora let out a sigh of relief as her brother finally uttered some words. But he couldn't walk. Merlin. She couldn't lift him - her brother was a BEATER, and he was all muscle. Aurora was teeny tiny. A good thing most days - but not in situations like this. There was only one thing to do.

"Alright, hold on - this is going to probably feel weird. Pretend you're flying or something," she grumbled, pulling out her wand and pointing it at her brother. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she exclaimed, doing the swish and flick movement as she pointed at her thawing brother. As she watched him levitate in front of her, she felt the wind coming from the north again, pushing her southward. Since she had come from the north, and she knew there was nothing up there - best to just keep moving south. There had to be an exit or something somewhere...

Using her wand and keeping her focus on her floating brother, she began to trudge through the snow again, Chad floating in the air in front of her. She took deep breaths as she went, making sure that she focused on her brother - she did NOT want to drop him.
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:36 AM   #23 (permalink)
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Good job on the levitating charm Miss Chae, your brother smoothly floated out of the cage and started to float in front of you.

Wisely you begin to head south and as you slowly trudge away from the cage, the wind at your back for awhile, pushing you southwards. The blustering Northern wind starts to change to a more gentle wind from the east.

The wind starts to gently urge you to go westward and as you turn your eyes that way, you'll notice a mountain range. At the bottom of the range you'll see a cave.

Dare you go find it and seek shelter from this harsh weather?
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:41 AM   #24 (permalink)

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Aurora was wondering how long she would have to keep wandering down this barren wasteland, with her brother hovering in front of her. Her eyes were watering - mostly from the cold, but there were still some tears at the sight of her brother, broken and floating in front of her. Her hair was a rats nest, so much so that the thought of her having to brush it later made her wince. Her muscles ached, her hands were still frozen, and her nose was becoming raw from the constant drainage.

However, her heart soared as she got further down the pass and noticed - A CAVE! Even if it wasn't the way out of this place and out of the challenge, it would at least provide some shelter for the time being while they thought of their next move. Maybe there would even be kindling in the cave to make a fire!

"Chad! A cave! Come on, we can rest there!" she exclaimed, despite the fact that he wasn't actually moving on his own so it made no sense to urge him on. Taking large steps and holding her wand so hard it was making her hand hurt, she hurried through the snow as fast as her little legs could take her. In just a few moments, she had managed to drag herself - and her levitating brother - to the base of the mountains and into the cave.

If there was a bear in here or something...she was done. Just SO DONE.
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:54 AM   #25 (permalink)
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I don't think you need to worry about looking like a Fashion Plate Miss Chae, you have been out in the harsh arctic tundra, battling fierce elements, who could look amazing after all that?

Your levitating brother smiles a bit at you as you speak, "Rest.. sounds nice." He says tiredly as you reach the mouth of the cave and step in.

No there is no bear waiting for you Miss Chae, it is just a dark cave, or is it?

As you enter and move deeper in, you notice that it gets warmer and warmer as you and your brother keep moving forward. You see a light ahead and decide to make for it, light should mean fire right?

Continuing onward, the walls of the cave begin to change. They gradually shift from the stone of the mountain into a room with two people waiting for you. The small man is a Ministry employee from the Department of Environmental Regulation and Protection, who has quietly been watching over you, and a large female is a healer from St. Mungo's.

The healer approaches, looking you over first to make sure the elements hadn't done any serious damage. She gives the man a thumbs up and after handing you some water and some tissues for your nose, progresses to look over your brother. The Ministry Employee moves, gently placing a hand on your back.

"Mrs.Fletcher the Healer, has a few things to check before she sends your brother out," His high nasally voice informs you, in case you were wondering or having any doubts about what the woman was doing. "You are free to go." He then makes a gesture with his other hand toward a door that will take you to the stands.

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