Task One - Hogwarts Champions
 

In a clearing somewhere in the midst of the Forbidden Forest, is a group of caves known as the "Fire Seed Caves." It is in these caves that the Champions' wands have been hidden. Champions must use their wits to navigate through the dark and survive unknown dangers to reclaim their wands. From the outside, there is no indication how deep or how large these caverns are, only darkness as you look into it. Each champion stands alone and will not see another person until they emerge.

One of the entrances to the cave stands before you. The Goblet chose you and so, enter you must.


ooc: Only Hogwarts Champions should post in this thread

Miles stood in the clearing peering down into the cave in front of him or trying to but his eyes don't seem to be able to penetrate very far past the opening. What he wouldn't give to have night vision at the moment. Upon waking up he jumped up and had gone frantic at not finding his wand anywhere in his dormitory and now his nerves were even more edgy. He knew he hadn't lost it it was taken and know he knew it was somewhere in the cave before him.

His fingers tapped nervously on the hem of his pants as he looked around for anything he could use as a light but it wasn't night time, he knew better. Anything he could possibly use as a light source would be somewhere in that cave...along with things that could possibly eat him. He was a Ravenclaw...he could do this.... Taking a deep breath and holding a smiling image of Fia in his mind he took one step forward and then another allowing his feet to guide him toward the cave as his eyes kept watchful and weary. Least he wasn't going to be racing anyone, that was a plus.

Right before he entered the dark abyss he looked over his shoulder and then sighed. Now or never. Taking another deep breath of fresh air he reached his hand for the edge of the cave wall and starting walking into the unending darkness, keeping his hand touching the wall, his ears alert for things moving other than himself and his eyes open in search of anything that lit up or anything he could use to light something up the old muggle way. Just a bloody good thing I'm not afraid of the dark or anything, he thought to himself as he continued walking

As you enter the cave, the last bit of light from the outside is extinguished as the entry squeezes closed behind you. Without your wand, you're pitched into darkness and no matter how you try to adjust your eyes, it is without use. There are no shapes, no shadows, nothing.

That is, until you notice a faint glow around what seems to be a twist in the cave. As you draw nearer, it illuminates the area around it, but if you look further past, it is again black. Light, and heat, radiate from the now visible bush, indeed, radiate from each seed.

A fireseed bush.

As you enter the cave, the last bit of light from the outside is extinguished as the entry squeezes closed behind you. Without your wand, you're pitched into darkness and no matter how you try to adjust your eyes, it is without use. There are no shapes, no shadows, nothing.

That is, until you notice a faint glow around what seems to be a twist in the cave. As you draw nearer, it illuminates the area around it, but if you look further past, it is again black. Light, and heat, radiate from the now visible bush, indeed, radiate from each seed.

A fireseed bush.

Miles froze in his steps as he heard a sound behind him and turned around to see the entrance way closing. Half of him wanted to run toward it and see if he could get out, the other half wanted to keep going for his bloody wand that was stolen from him. Protection of his own equipment won out and with a great effort he turned back toward the darkness before him. It seemed to go on forever. He held out his hand and looked down unable to see it. Well this is going to be fun...not.... Too late to back out now.

Gathering all of his strength and will power he kept his hand on the strong cave wall, the only reminder that he was going forward and not around in circled, and continued walking forward allowing his hand to trail lightly over the wall. As he walked he stared in what he could only imagine was straight ahead hoping the wall didn't turn sharply and his head run right into it. As that thought ran through his mind he brought his other hand up and held it out in front of him just to be sure. Come on genius...as many times as you and Fi explored around the house this was going to be a piece of cake. Stupid voice in the back of his head... he sighed and looked around noticing a slight change in the density of the darkness ahead. Was that...light?

He got excited but had to restrain himself before he do something stupid and get himself hurt. With his hand against the cave wall he followed it along a turn carefully not wanting to think about just what exactly was on the wall and how long he'd have to scrub later. As he came around the twist in the cave he spotted a spiky, red, fiery, and rather hot bush before him and sighed happily as his eyes adjusted though he had to cover them for a moment at the brightness of it. He knew exactly what the bush was and as he looked past it he saw darkness again. It was now or never but how exactly now?

Turning his eyes back to the bush he pursed his lips thoughtfully as he tried to remember what it was about this plant. The seeds.... He could feel just how hot it was though and wasn't about to risk touching it. His eyes flashed brightly as he remembered he needed to cool the seeds or wait for one to get cool enough to touch but...wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose of the light if it was cooled? But if it could get cool enough to touch yet still glow... He frowned thoughtfully and looked around it seemed to him he had four options, see if there was any cold water around to cool it, wait for them to cool down on their own since he remembered they did, risk 3rd degree burns trying to wrap a seed around a piece of cloth or keep walking. He hadn't heard anything that sounded like water so...he'd wait. He'd probably keep going without it but...who knew what was waiting for him. So he stood patiently eying the seeds carefully for the variation in colour. Good thing this isn't a race....

She was nervous. Her hands were balled at her sides in fists as she stared into the depths of the cave. The darkness seemed never-ending. Dark. She took a deep breath, fidgeting in the dim light cast over by the thick forest. She was in the Forbidden Forest - without a wand. She groaned, the instinct in her to just run was supressed by her willingness to do the task and not just to do it but to try her utmost to get through to the next round. She WOULD try her hardest. She would give it her all.

Her feet seemed to lead her towards the darkness and she entered the mouth of the cave, wearing shorts and a thick jumper despite the biting chill. Her hair, up in a messy ponytail, she looked determined. But was determination enough to overcome whatever was waiting for her in the darkness?

The bush practically pulsed with light, though if one got close enough, the heat wasn't terribly unbearable. The question remained how it would feel against skin, however.

A breeze - a strange, chilling thing in a cave - blew up from down the tunnel, rustling the branches of the bush. On the far-side, away from the Champion, one branch dimmed, slightly, though it still gave off light.

It is impossible to continue without being able to see... but how much and how to take it?


As you enter the cave, the last bit of light from the outside is extinguished as the entry squeezes closed behind you. Without your wand, you're pitched into darkness and no matter how you try to adjust your eyes, it is without use. There are no shapes, no shadows, nothing.

That is, until you notice a faint glow around what seems to be a twist in the cave. As you draw nearer, it illuminates the area around it, but if you look further past, it is again black. Light, and heat, radiate from the now visible bush, indeed, radiate from each seed.

A fireseed bush.

The affronted seed dimmed briefly as the air passed over it, but when it stopped, the brightened again, though not as much as before. A neighboring seed, which had held on to the bush by a tenuous connection, fell loose from the slight disturbance and hit the cave floor where it dimmed. But the breath of a young man wouldn't be enough to knock free any of the others.

How many more than the fallen one will he take? And how to get them?

The bush was dimming on it's own, at least a bit, but if the Champion looked closely, one would see that the light was almost exclusively from the seeds, though together, they made the whole bush appear a ball of light. It wasn't as easy to tell if the same principle applied to heat, though it very well might. The color of the branch remained unchanged from the breath, though the nearby seeds, once again, dimmed.

The branch was warm, yes, from being surrounded by burning, pulsing seeds, but not nearly as burning hot, though likely still uncomfortable. The heat radiating from the seeds was the bigger heat source, however, and comparatively, the branch might even feel cool.

But with that dirt-spit mud, burns should be avoidable.

Wiggle. The seeds shook but did not fall as branch was being worked on. The others around it wiggled a bit, threatening to fall on the Champion's arm, but staying secure.

Snap! With the repeat of the process, the branch splintered and suddenly came loose without warning. As it severed from the bush, it cooled and dimmed, but still cast off a great deal of light. How many of the almond sized seeds did you manage to get, Champion?

When you're ready to go, the way before you is lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, and as you walk, you'll see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.

Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.

The floor was tightly packed around the bush, and stony, though some dirt came up as the Champion dug. The dirt itself was warm and the roots deep. A branch on the far side, obscured if one were focused on the dirt, dimmed of its own accord, but only slightly.

Just a bit under the surface of the dirt, and still packed tight, a large, flat rock the size of hand became visible, though it's edges were still obscured by packed dirt.

Even the dimming section still gave off significant light, though the seeds gave off much less heat.

The boy's words had no effect on the plant, which continued to cast light and warmth throughout the cave.

As you walk, the source of the sound eventually makes itself apparent. Honking daffodils. Noisy, to be sure, but harmless. Unless, of course, you value your eardrums.

As you proceed through the tunnel, you come across an area that is, for the most part, quite sparse. There are a few patches of grass scattered here and there, but nothing is thickly, grown, or settled. Then suddenly, the surroundings change, and although the area is very dark and it’s difficult to see, a few creepers and tendrils can clearly be seen. As you walk a little closer, you can see that there aren’t just a few creepers and tendrils, but there are many, and all are blocking every single way around the plant that lies before you. There’s no other way out than to figure out what you’ve come across and to find the solution to getting past it.

Though past the daffodils, the honking still echoed down the tunnel, though muted somewhat. The plant slithered and wriggled, as if inching away from the light that was held aloft. The part that remained in shadow, however, wriggled more, one lone tendril sneaking along the shadow, toward the champion.