1st Year Dueling with Madam Chai

Class is now open!

Time is 9:03 AM.



One of the doors at the east end of the room opened; Ramona Chai stepped through first, followed closely by Nurse Coraline. Chai was wearing a loose blue silk blouse with matching loose pants, and black ballet flats, and her hair was done up in a huge bun pinned to the back of her head. She moved quickly into the room with a bright "Good morning, students!" announcing her arrival.

She looked around the room at the few 1st Years who were now gathering around her. It did not matter there was so few; this was not a mandatory class, and these days not so many students thought dueling was important. They read too many dramas of the Second War and think anyone can take a wand and take down an opponent. Ramona knew differently.

"I am Ramona Chai," she said, starting. "You will address me as 'Madam Chai' or simply 'Madam'." Her gaze, while appearing stern, was somewhat lessened by the slight smile playing across her lips. "In this class we will learn the art of dueling, of wizard's combat." She looked closely upon each student as she spoke. "This is an ancient art and as such, we will learn to treat it with the reverence it deserves."

Ramona turned to her right and began to walk around the student as if she were looking for some weakness in a defense. "Once you begin this class, take it seriously. Forget what you have seen in the media; this is not a drama where one day you are stumbling about trying to learn simple charms and the next you are able to defeat a dozen Death Eaters without effort." She stabbed the air with her right index finger. "Or practice!" Ramona stopped behind the student, making them turn to face her. "That is a falsehood created by people with very active imaginations." She pointed to the staged that was now behind the student. "Up there... That is reality.

"Some of you will never become competent at dueling," she states as she walked around the throng and stepped up onto the stage. "Some of you will become good enough to keep a simple predator at bay. Some of you will become skilled duelists able to defeat many worthy opponents." She lifted her gaze from the students to the team banners lining the south wall. "And some of you will become that which is legend." She lowered her head for a moment, the returned her eyes upon the students. "And I am honored to be the instructor for you all.

"But..." She turned towards Coraline, who was walking down the stage runway towards them. "First a small message from our outstanding school nurse. Coraline?"

Coraline took her place next to Madame Chai and smiled warmly at the students, winking at both Annie and Kerry. She was thrilled to see them both looking rested and happy.

“Well now,” she began. “Dueling is very much a contact sport. It is imperative that you follow the precise instructions of your dueling madam. I cannot stress enough how important that piece of advice is. Dueling injuries can be both horrific,” she looked deeply into Lina’s eyes as she spoke the last, “and haunt you for the rest of your lives.”

She straightened up, smoothing her jet-black pencil skirt over her legs. “Are we all clear, students?”

Kerry started to feel his heart beat a little quicker now. When he heard the word "duel", he did imagine it being like fencing. Now . . . contact sport?

He was starting to understand that maybe he wasn't really understanding what was about to happen . . ..

Evangelina nodded and agreed with what Nurse Gallagher had just said. Mom and Dad both said that it wouldn't be easy, but I'm willing to try.

Annie stepped a little closer to Kerry. All of the fun from the moments before fading fast as Nurse Coraline spoke.

She shook her head no, wondering what it was they had just gotten themselves into.

When no one spoke Madam Chai turned to Coraline and nodded. As the nurse made her way to the far end of the runway, Ramona spoke to the students. "What she says is true; this is a contact sport, and it can have very bad consequences--sometimes even deadly ones.

"But! I do not want you to be afraid you are stepping into a dangerous situation. One of the things you will learn is how to minimize damage to yourself--either by using the correct defense, or by knowing how to fall the right way. And in that last, we can help a little--"

Ramona moved to the other end of the runway, opposite Coraline, who had slipped off her shoes and was standing barefoot. Ramona said, "There are some schools that have very shoddy programs; ones where the instructors have no interest in controlling their students' actions--and when and instructor does this, they find their students going to the hospital to be a pain for Nurse Coraline!

"I will not only teach you correct control, but you will see that I have your safety in mind when I teach." She pulled out her wand and limbered up. "Please watch..." She looked down the runway to Coraline. "I'm ready."

Coraline had her wand out. She took three steps then stopped, raised her wand before her in a salute--one that Madam Chai matched--before falling into a stance, drawing her left arm back--

And, without warning, took one step while whipping her wand forward, shouting, "Expelliarmus!"

The disarming charm hit Madam Chai so hard it lifted her off her feat. She flew backwards about 4 meters, twisting in the air as she was hurled. But, moments before it looked like she was crash into the runway, she suddenly slowed greatly, as if she was caught in a net. She continued her spin--now in slow motion--and impacted the runway with not much more than what one might get jumping down a couple of feet.

She was on her feet in an instance. "The area around the runway is charmed to prevent serious injury while we are learning." She held her head up with obvious pride. "I am not a ignorant instructor; you are all very important to me." Ramona waved her left hand out, indicating the runway, while Coraline slipped on her shoes and left through the same door they'd entered. "This is your home while you are here. And you will not be hurt in your home. Not while I am your Dueling Madam.

"Are there any questions?"

Annie watched with awe and horror as the two witches dueled. She wanted very much to learn what she witnessed, but the thought of pulling her wand for real on another person was too much for her. She felt the blood drain from her face when it was all over.

When Madame Chai asked for questions, there was only one screaming in her head to get out.

"Will we have to face each other," she asked.

"Not right away," Ramona said. "You are..." She tried to remember the face on her registration sheet, then took note of the accent. "Annie Krum. Hum. You should know a little of contact sports."

She then nodded, telling her, "When you are learning the basics you will not face each other. The likelihood of hurting your opponent is far too great. There are some charms you will need to practice on others, but under controlled situations." The stern look she'd half-shown was on full now. "There will be no... what is the phrase? 'Cowboy stuff' on our runway."

She stepped down from the runway and stood directly before Annie. "But, when the time comes, you will face each other." Her eyes played over the students before her. "If you are to join a dueling club next year--or this if you are very good--you will face a live opponent on the runway." She stepped back so as not to be so intimidating. "But that will likely not be until after Yule."

Annie gulped. Here was her problem--standing on her left. There is no way I'll be able to duel if I am faced with Kerry as an opponent, she thought.

She straightened her posture in preparation for what lie ahead, deciding not to worry about it until the time was right.

Evangelina was ready. There was nothing that Madam Chai could say that would change her mind about dueling, Mom and Dad were both really good at dueling, and I will do my best to be worthy of the Watanabe-Cromwell name.

Lina was so edgar to start dueling, that she almost couldn't contain herself, "Madam, what will we be learning today?"

"As for what we will use first... Please follow." Ramona walked to the east wall, where, build flush into the wall, were two sets of large doors. Madam Chai opened them, relieving the contents of the closets: human-like dummies dressed in black, with a hood over their head that made them look a little like ninjas.

She raise her wand and pointed it at the interior of the first closet. "Piertotum Locomotor," she intoned, then walked to the other closet and did the same. Returning to a point next to the students she called out, "Come out!"

And they did.

The 8 dummies--4 from each closet--stepped out into in dueling hall. Their motions were not stiff, not like robots or something mechanical--or, even to Kerry's mind, undead and zombie-like--but their movements were very natural, very human.

Ramona knew that some students were uneasy around her jiang shi: for some they were a little too human like, and one student two years ago told her it was because they were "sitting in the Uncanny Valley"--whatever that was.

They stopped when they were 5 steps from the wall. "These are what you will practice on," she said, moving closer to one and encouraging the students to follow. "They are made of something called ballistics gel, which is very much like human flesh." She held up the hand of one, and the students could dimly see what looked like bones inside the hand. "Poplar wore is used to mimic a skeleton, because the breaking strength of poplar is very near that of human bones."

She let the hand drop and stepped closer to the students. "The reason we do this is so you can see what you are doing to your opponent." She came to a stop just short of arm's reach. Though she wasn't very tall, her demeanor made her look as if she were heads taller. "You will make mistakes; you will do things wrong. This is a given because you are all beginners." She indicated the dummies with her wand. "You will learn on the jiang shi to perfect your technique before moving on to each other."

She walked quickly towards a spot in front of the middle team banner--the one for Cernunnos--and motioned one of the dummies forward. "After all, when you hurt one of my jiang shi, they will not require the attention of the lovely Nurse Coraline."

Watching the things Madame Chai brought out of the closet was surreal. She stared, her jaw flopping open, as they advanced into the room.

"Do you believe this school," she whispered to Kerry as the professor made her way to the banners on the South wall. When she addressed them again, her voice made Annie shiver.

Madam Chai was about to continue when another girl ran in, looking a bit hurried, then jogged over to the rest of the students stood and sat--on the floor. "What are you doing?" she said, raising her voice. "Wuh de ma! This is not your parent's house! Stand up!"

Ramona repositioned herself. "For our first attack we will perform the Leg Locker Curse. This is a good one for beginners in that it is a wide effect curse which only requires a general area for a strike." She held her wand to her side, ready. "Watch as I demonstrate."

She motioned for the first of the jiang shi to step forward. She let it get to within 4 meters of her, when she struck, slashing forward with her wand, yelling "Locomotor mortis!" with great force as she attacked.

The dummy's legs became bound together as if they'd been tied by invisible ropes. It tried to walk forward, but stumbled after it tried two steps and fell flat on its face.

As the dummy became still Madan Chai waled to it. "When performed correctly this is the result you will achieve." She nodded to the students. "The effect will pass given a minute, but in a duel this would be enough to being an opponent near to a point of defeat." She tilted her head slightly to the right and, for the first time since entering the hall, smile. "And it has applications away from the runway.

"Begin practicing the curse--but not on each other! Fast the walls or the runway, but do not sight another student while you are practicing." She slashed her wand in the air. "You will paid close attention when I give you instructions. Failing to follow those instructions will result in the loss of coven points, detention, or... worse." Ramona let that last sink in. "I will ready the jiang shi: you may begin."

Rules for Dueling.


Dice used is the D100, selected from the Player's Dice button (above) next to the "Others" button. Drop down in the body of your text and select it to enter the code. Do not edit your comment after "rolling"; any edited comments will be deleted and considered null and void.

As 1st Years you will practice the Leg Locker Curse against a ballistic dummy. The wand is pointed at the target and the incantation is "Locomotor mortis". You have 5 attempts to use the curse successfully against your opponent; when you have performed your 5 attempts, regardless of the number of successes, you will leave the runway. You may also leave the runway at any time after the 1st attempt, at which point your are finished.

You are required to get one (1) success; you may try for extra successes, with each one adding 5 points to your coven total.



While this is an easy curse, as 1st Years you have little experience doing this, and so the thresholds for success are listed:

Roll	Results	Fail/Success
1	You break something, probably the dummy's knees and/or legs	Epic Fail! Do not roll again as you have broken your opponent and sent them screaming to the hospital
2-9	While the opponent can still move, you will probably shatter a kneecap	Fail; you may continue though your opponent's heart (and legs) may not be in it
10-54	Your opponent may stumble a little, but not enough to slow them up	Fail
55-74	Opponent's stumble is more pronounced, but not enough to keep them from launching an attack	Fail
75-84	Opponent's stumble is enough that you will be allowed a free attack against them; this attack does NOT count towards your 5 Attack Total	Pass, but not a Success
85-99	Opponent is locked up tight and falls on their face, unable to launch their own attack	Success
100	Opponent is locked up tight and falls on their face so fast you won't believe they were actually standing	Critical Success; counts as 2 Successes if 100 is rolled without modifications. NOTE: Any rolls pushed to 100 and above with modifiers count as a normal Success

When you are ready, stand upon the west end of the runway and your opponent will mount the east end. Once they begin walking the runway you may begin your attack(s).

Good Luck!


Ramona Chai
Dueling Mistress

Facing the class, Ramona bowed. "Thank you for coming," she said "Next week we will build upon this and do something new." She stepped back and clapped her hands. "Class is dismissed. Until next week."