Group #6

[Hogsmeade Trail]

EVENT ANNOUNCER - ROUND 1
After spending three and three-quarters hours wandering through the maze of the Ministry with several cramped lift rides (at least one having been uncomfortably haunted by a grumpy and blood purist old ghost), you have been given your supplies and map stuffed into a grey knapsack. If you are the first group member, you have also been given the responsibility of caring for a Ministry owl and are told to keep it with you at all times - you don't need to worry about feeding it, as it can hunt for itself. Then, you are shown the door and instructed to meet with your group members at a designated spot. You are also issued a harsh reminder of the consequences of being a deserter before you're shoved out into the spring's early morning sunlight.

The adventure has begun.

You have been informed that your group members are:

Rupert Hamilton, 20, Unemployed, Upper Class
Marcus Carter, officially: 18, Beings Division employee
William Pendergast, 17, 6th Year Hufflepuff Prefect
Bentley Beauregard - 20, Apprentice Craftsman, Middle Class

You introduce yourselves, review your maps, and then must come to a decision of which direction you need to start in.

Which part of Hogsmeade do you disembark from?
a. West Slums
b. East Slums
c. South Slums

OOC DIRECTIONS:
1.) Have your character introduce themselves. Mention in their post (doesn't have to spoken aloud) what else, if anything, they have brought with them. If it isn't mentioned here, then they won't have it later on in the trail unless it is found/made. Those who post first will be assumed to have spoken first.

2.) Assume all introductions have been made and then have them choose a direction/remain neutral. Points 1 and 2 should both be included in your character's first post.

3.) If the group comes to a decision before the round ends, you can have your group head in that direction. (Decisions will be made when all characters have had a turn to state their choice or the three days are up. Special instances are allowed and must be discussed with Lola.)

Round 2 begins May 19th

  

[William Pendergast]

William perplexedly stared at the door that had slammed in his face only a few seconds previously. One (specifically Will) would have thought that the Ministry employees in charge of the expedition would be a little sympathetic and kind towards the draftees since obviously those drafted had no control over the drawing and had not even an inkling of knowledge of what was to be presented, or rather, thrown at them while they were traveling. With a resigned sigh, William removed his green-eyed gaze from the door to the sheet of paper in his hands containing the names of his group members; all males and quite young much like himself. The eldest of the group, from Will's knowledge of society people at least, must be only twenty and the youngest sixteen. Well, it is a relief to know that I shall not be deemed the youngest. However, my not being the youngest group member does not give me a right to feel sophisticated and a know-all. There are two elders before me.

As Will began walking to the designated area to become acquainted with his group members, Will's mind traveled to the moment when he first received an unexpected letter bearing the seal of the Ministry of Magic upon. He recollected staring at the letter in disbelief and dread, wondering what he could have done to provoke the wizarding laws that he would receive such an important letter from a very important magical institution. Though he should have opened the letter to decipher the words contained within, Will left the letter be for a few days until he actually caught drift of the current events in Hogsmeade in the Great Hall where two young girls from his house were gossiping; and despite the spoken topics about the Season's latest fashions and the impending summer nuptials of certain couples, Will heard one of the young girls mention the Hogsmeade Trail, and he suddenly felt the blood drain from his face and his appetite for the delicious pancakes before him had vanished. After roughly pushing away his plate (so rough that the plate slid across the Hufflepuff table and hit a orange juice jug which sprayed a certain misfortunate student in its path), Will recollected hastily running towards the Hufflepuff Common Room and to his dormitory and literally ripped the letter open. Will groaned when he had read the first few lines of the letter from a Ministry official informing him of the expedition he was to participate in, whether he wanted to or not.

Though the thought was completely errant and irrelative to the situation at hand, William suddenly came to the realization that he had not yet apologized to the young girl whom had gotten sprayed with orange juice that fateful day he finally read the letter that filled him with mixed emotions of excitement and uncertainty. Excitement because, this due to being a second son of Philip and Olivia Pendergast, he would be getting a jumpstart in earning his income and a plot of land to live on. Of course, in terms of those in possession of a vast fortune, ten thousand galleons was hardly considered æsuitable' in their eyes, but to those in need of the money and land would most definitely input all of their efforts to succeed. The thought of earning his money, establishing himself a bachelor's apartment after his graduation, gaining a career within the Ministry for a few years to build up his current income, and retiring to do what he desired sounded highly appealing to him.

Approaching the designated area where he was told to greet and acquaint his group, William through his knapsack containing the supplies given to him, as well as a few other necessities he felt he could benefit from (two extra pairs of undergarments and another spare of clothing he was not afraid of getting wrecked or dirty, a thick book to pass the tedium away should it arise, a fishing rod should the need for fish arise and a lake was nearby, and five extra quills should the ones the Ministry bestowed would break or get lost), all of which he charmed as little as he could to fit into the knapsack (of which he also charmed to be lightweight and spacey). With a generous and kind smile (one of which he failed to receive from the Ministry employee earlier), William introduced himself, "Good morning, gentleman. I am William Pendergast, still a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I can assure you that I am of use for something."

Soon after the introductions, a Ministry official came to harshly remind them of the repercussions of deserting their group, and they were hastily ushered out of doors, the morning sunlight bearing weakly down upon the four gentlemen. After a few moments silence, Will faced his group members and inquired, "So, we head south, then? That is what I have read from the Prophet, but of course, the Prophet can be a tad unreliable at times."

tag: Group #6 | outfit: a suit | notes: none

made by Emily exclusively for Charming

  

[Rupert Hamilton]

• Rupert really didn't feel as though he was one of the best people to be a part of this Hogsmeade expansion project. He had no real need of the rewards, and hardly felt he had the specific skillset that would allow him to flourish on this expedition. He wondered how long and perilous the journey would be.
  
  Still, like it or not, he had been drafted. And Rupert would do his best to follow along obediently, help where he could or it was needed.
  
  What he hadn't expected was to be the eldest of the group. He'd barely turned twenty, but looking at the list of his fellow group member, apparently that counted as experienced. He assumed the other young gentlemen would likely find him a disappointment; quiet, unassuming, thoughtful... he didn't exactly have the presence of a born leader. He was in charge of the Ministry owl, though, and looking at the bird that was circling quite happily around his head for the moment, Rupert felt rather confident that at least he'd make one friend then.
  
  He shifted his bag more securely onto his shoulders, for along with the ministry supplies he'd brought some extra clothes (though he wasn't particularly worried about wearing the same clothes anyway), his wand - of course, and essentially a mini library, enchanted to fit neatly in his bag without weighing anything, consisting of books that might be helpful, everything from a book of survival methods to a dictionary of defensive spells. However, Rupert also had them in case he were to resort to reading just to escape for a while. He had wondered for a minute whether to bring along a horse or broomstick, or even a muggle gun that he'd had at game shooting parties in the past, but in the end decided against it. He didn't mind taking the slow path, and really had no idea how the others would be equipped.
  
  After William Pendergast, a student - Rupert knew none of the students, past or present, simply because he had attended Durmstrang - had introduced himself, he followed suit. "Good morning," He nodded briefly at each one of them, "Rupert Hamilton."
  
  He had been staring at his map for a few minutes when the first suggestion of which way to go arose. "This map's rather useless at the moment too..." Could the Prophet be trusted? Rupert didn't know, but he had no better suggestions either. "I can't immediately see a better alternative to set off from, but if anyone has any objections...?" Rupert glanced around uncertainly. He'd rather wait for everyone else's opinions before racing off through the outskirts of the slums.

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

OOC- so I totally typoed when adding Bentley XD he's 20, anywho!


If asked his opinion about this whole expedition thing, Bentley would be torn between saying it ruined his life, if he was feeling dramatic, and that it happened at the absolute perfect time in his life. When he'd gotten his summons, he'd felt quite a bit of trepidation and was nervous about telling Winnie, despite the fact that there was nothing they could do about it. However, when he had asked her to come over that day to break the news to her, he hadn't expected her to have even more shocking news. Their confessions had led to an argument, tears (on both sides, though he wouldn't admit to that) and some serious unfinished business that would have to wait who knew how long because of this damn trail.

But it did give him a lot of time for thinking, because honestly, he was at a huge crossroads and he didn't know what to do.

Deciding to think about that at another time, Bentley stayed rather quiet on the way through the ministry as he had nothing to say to his fellow trail-goers. He listened halfheartedly as they were reminded about the consequences for deserting, yadda, yadda, yadda. He had no intentions of leaving until he had to. The more time he had to think, the better.

Naturally, he'd packed some extra supplies even though he knew they'd be provided with some. He included a couple of his good awls from his woodworking kits, his mom had insisted on some extra medical supplies, like bandages and ointments, he brought an extra blanket and his wand. It was all tucked in a worn duffle bag that his father used to travel with, though he transferred everything to the ministry-issued knapsack before heading out to meet his group members.

As introductions began, he followed suit. "Bentley Beauregard and south sounds fine with me." He had no objections to whichever direction they set out, they'd all be out in the woods anyway.

  

[Marcus Carter]

The news about the draft reached him as anyone else û through the Daily Prophet, but soon enough another news reached him: about his name being drafted along with many others. It scared poor Marco, who wanted to stay anonymous to maintain his job in the Ministry. He was a vampire and anyone knew about him. Damn, Scarlett didn't know about it, which caused him a great pain, because this girl trusted him.

He wondered if this unbreakable curse which bonded them had effect on something that was already dead, however Marco didn't want to try and find out. It would be better for people, who were with him. Now they were in danger more than any other group.
Marco avoided going straight into the sun. He followed shadows and tried to not look suspicious. However, it was very difficult to cooperate with team.

"I'm Marcus Carter, employee of the Beings division" he introduced himself. "You can call me Marco, if you like. To be honest I'd like lurk into the woods, because trees give protection. We can change direction later in time.

  

[Hogsmeade Trail]

EVENT ANNOUNCER - ROUND 2
You travel south through the forest for the rest of the day. It's cool and shaded, but because it is so thick with trees, manuevering around them proves difficult. You do not come across any creeks or ponds, so are unable to refill your canteens with water. Finally in the late afternoon, you see mountains beginning to rise into the sky. The closer you get, the higher they become until you see that there are two different paths you can take. You could either try and climb the mountain, though it looks fairly steep and would not allow for the horse to be able to make it. The other option is to go to the West to go around the mountain, or at least until you find an easier place to climb. Night will fall soon, so you'll need to find a comfortable place to camp as well.

Which direction do you take?
a. Climb the mountain
b. Go around the mountain

OOC DIRECTIONS
1.) Have your character vote which route they are to take.

  

[William Pendergast]

After making a decision that they would follow the path south towards the mountains, William and his group travelled for nearly the whole day without noticing a pond or spring to refill their canteens. Will's lips and tongue felt as dry as the Sahara Desert, and their water supply was dangerously low. He was quite thankful that none of his group members had thought to bring a horse along on the journey as the poor creature would mostly likely die of dehydration if anything. Will, despite his best efforts to do so, kept attempting to wet his tongue against his lips for moisture to heal his cracked lips, but even that attempt was futile due to his tongue behold no moisture as well.

By late afternoon, the soles of Will's feet were beginning to ache even with the protection of comfortable boots, and nightfall was steadily and dangerously looming upon them. They would need to stop and rest for the night soon and Will was dreading how he would be resting as he had neglected to bring along with him a pillow. The thought of lying his head upon the mulch and dirt below him that could possibly be the home of various insects and trails of animal produce made him shiver with displeasure How can you be so stupid, Pendergast!, he growled to himself mentally as his group continued to trudge towards the direction they had chosen. There was nothing surrounding them but trees upon trees upon trees, and quite honestly, Will was beginning to become a trifled suffocated by the lack of new scenery. When he had envisioned an adventure, he had certainly not envisioned feeling discouraged and possessing a strong desire for any kind of liquid to quench his thirst.

Halting to a stop in front of a rising mountain with which two paths existed, Will threw his grey knapsack onto the dirt floor and plopped himself down upon the ground. If there was a conversation approaching (as there was quite a lack of conversation amongst his group while they journeyed), then he was taking advantage of resting his legs should they have to climb mountain. Gazing at each of his group members' faces, Will gestured to the paths, "So, I believe we should climb the mountain, but there is only one disadvantage to the suggestion: night is falling and it would be difficult to find a flat area to rest for the night. Perhaps we can camp near the paths, and begin tomorrow when we are all well-rested and thinking clearly?"

tag: Group #6 | outfit: a suit | notes: none

made by Emily exclusively for Charming

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

While the walk was not easy, Bentley wasn't exactly complaining about it either. His legs were starting to ache and has a little worried about the lack of a water supply, but he had been rather smart in rationing his water supply, his canteen still more than half-full at the moment. If Bentley was anything, it was objective. He could see the situation before them, however unreasonable it seemed and think ahead so that he could make the best use of the supplies he had. It was very much like his ability to take a single piece of wood and use even the scraps to get what he needed for a piece of furniture. He had never been a wasteful person and knew how to be resourceful when necessary.

As they approached the mountain looming ahead of them, a fork in the path caused a few of his group members to stop. Honestly, Bentley had been lost in his own thoughts for most of the day, thinking over the information Winnie had sprung on him just days before his departure.

It was hard to think of anything other than the fact that his fiancee was a werewolf, despite the fact that he was out in some unknown section of this dense forest with who knew what was other kinds of creatures for company. He kept chastising himself, his fiancee was not a creature, he kept telling himself. That was unfair and he knew it, but he was still furious that she hadn't told him sooner. Bentley was sure nothing, not even lycanthropy could change his feelings for Winnie, but he felt beyond betrayed that she hadn't told him sooner.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, he looked up as the Pendergast boy spoke up. Resisting the urge to roll outwardly disagree with the boy, he took his pack from his shoulders and rolled out the stiff muscles. "I rather agree we should camp here for the night, however, I disagree with climbing the mountain." Bentley had no crazy ideas that it would be easy or fun. "The higher we go, the harder the path with be and with an increase in elevation it will get colder, especially at night." He reasoned, voicing his opinion before falling silent, leaving that for the rest of his group members to muddle over.

  

[Hogsmeade Trail]

EVENT ANNOUNCER - ROUND 3
(Coin flip = go around)
Your group decides to camp for the night and then go around the mountain in the morning. It's a peaceful evening and except for a few decidedly close howls from an unknown creature, you're left alone. As you make your way around the mountain in a westward direction, you can see that farther to the west is a mountain range that looks easier to climb, though it's covered in a thick forest terrain. Straight ahead of you is a much more difficult looking mountain range which is equally as steep as where you first encountered it, but you are near enough to it now to see that the peaks are covered in snow - which means fresh water for your thirsty party- if you can make it up, that is.

Which do you choose?
a. Easier mountains
b. More difficult mountain

OOC DIRECTIONS
1. Make a decision

Round 4 begins May 26th

  

[Rupert Hamilton]

• After the exhausting first day, and the amount of water he'd gotten through - unbelievable to Rupert, who rarely did anything as physically demanding as this for such an extended amount of time - he was rather too tired to make much effort to get to know the other young men in his expedition group. (He had wondered a little about Mr. Carter of the ministry; always lurking in the shadows, but hadn't deigned to be so rude as to ask.) Though, they all seemed of an agreeable sort and Merlin knew Rupert really could use some friends; he resolved to be more sociable the next day. For that moment, all he'd been able to properly pipe up with was agreement with the Beauregard boy (hadn't he met another Beauregard once... Adella?) in that he'd rather go around the mountain. It seemed safer. He wasn't interested in causing conflict with Pendergast, but climbing up seemed like the riskier option, and taking risks was often more foolish than anything.
  
  The night - quite possibly the least comfortable Rupert had ever spent, though he really wasn't planning on giving in and complaining about it - passing rather uneventfully, he woke up with a private resolution to be in a cheery sort of mood and hopefully find that the others were as motivated as him. He allowed himself one quick pang of longing as Ayumi came to mind as he packed up his makeshift blanket-bed-thing, but pushed the thought of everything but the present out of his mind for the time being as he took another conservative swig of his emptying canteen. "Everyone still alive?" He asked, the thought light-hearted and cheerful in his head, but slipping out with just a hint of seriousness.
  
  As they walked, a new scene came into view. "Look, more mountains..." Rupert began, half-ready to chuckle hollowly. What had he been expecting, really? "But there's... snow," He squinted up, in turmoil again about the amount of decisions they were having to make. "It's still steep that way, but perhaps it is worth a try," He mused, thinking back to William's suggestion of the steep climb in the first place. They'd probably manage it; they all seemed reasonably sensible and Rupert assumed he was likely the least hardy of the lot, though he wasn't sure why he felt the weakest link... but perhaps the safer option remained the safer option. Oh, he didn't know. "Else it's through the forests up there -" He pointed at the least steep of the slopes, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Whichever way we go, it's up from here on out..." He stated, shrugging slightly.

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

While every howl he heard off in the distance reminded him of the thinking he was supposed to be doing, Bentley chose to ignore his decision making and relax. While this wasn't exactly his ideal vacation, it was nice not to have to wake up to go to work and they didn't exactly have a time limit on this thing, so they could just meander and figure things out as they went.

He was concerned however about their water supply. He had gone through half of his canteen, easily and he was sure everybody else was in a similar predicament. They wouldn't make it very far once they ran out of water and that was a miserable place to be in.

The day went by much the same as the day before, around the mountain like he had suggested. He hadn't wanted to climb any mountains, but it appeared, as they neared a second string of them, that there would really be no choice.

Choosing not to reply as Rupert voiced his thoughts. The guy was right, they'd have to go up somehow, and this time, Bentley didn't care just how much. The snow on the one mountain was high up, but it also meant they could melt the snow for water. It was a catch twenty-two, he was sure, but he supposed neither option was all that bad. He nodded slightly as Rupert continued, agreeing with the other man. "I'm still wary about snow." He voiced, though it wasn't really a giant concern, sleeping on the ground was already uncomfortable, sleeping in the snow would be worse.

  

[Marcus Carter]

Night howls reminded Marcus that he needed to eat. Regular human food tasted like ash in his mouth, but he had few flasks of blood in his backpack, however he was afraid that it wasn't enough for him. The boy was worried, but he would never confess... his weakness to the rest of the party, even though this Hamilton boy seemed to be kind enough to understand it.

On the other day Marcus realized that humans were running out of water. He could hunt for them if they were out of food, but finding water might be a bit difficult. "I'd like to avoid snow" Marco said, handing his canteen to his new colleagues. "Up there is still winter and we are not prepared. I'd go easier path and worry about water later. I can hunt so if I find animal traces I can find water as well."

  

[Hogsmeade Trail]

EVENT ANNOUNCER - ROUND 4
After a restful night, your group decides to take the easier mountain route. It's slow going due to having to weave in and out of the thick forest. By mid afternoon, you find a small stream and are able to fill your canteens. As you continue to travel in a southward direction, you notice that the mountain is getting steeper and steeper - apparently, the only way to tackle this mountain is to go upwards. You climb higher and higher. By the end of the day, there is a thick layer of snow all around you. The temperature has dropped unexpectedly quickly and just as the sun has disappeared behind the mountain, you are forced to make a quick decision before you all freeze to death. You can camp for the night where you are and hope to keep sheltered from the elements, or you can try and find a cave that will not only offer shelter, but warmth. The trouble is, you'll have to look for it in the dark.

What do you think is best?
a. Camp here
b. Search for a cave

OOC DIRECTIONS
1. Make a decision

Round 5 begins June 1st

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

Despite their best efforts to avoid snow, it seemed they were destined to find themselves immersed in it. The temperature was dropping rapidly the farther they went and even Bentley could feel the chill in his bones. He hadn't been prepared for any kind of cold weather and found the only way to really stay warm was the wrap his ministry-issued blanket around his shoulders and try and keep his fingers from being exposed for too long. "We need to find shelter, there's no way we'd make it out here all night." He suggested. "If we're exposed, we'll freeze." He reasoned.

Rubbing his hands together, he could feel them stiffen and he flexed his fingers. His fingers were his livelihood, if he lost one to the cold he'd have to find a new job. He wrapped them back up in the corners of the blanket and tucked them close to his body. Even if they lit a fire, in this cold, they'd die of hypothermia before the night was through.

  

[Hogsmeade Trail]

EVENT ANNOUNCER - ROUND 5
It is near midnight and a thick layer of snow is all around you. However, you are able to find a cave for shelter. You spend the night protected from the biting wind and manage to evade frostbite - but just barely. You continue traveling up the mountain for the next week and a half. On the evening of June 1st, just as you settle in and build a small campfire for warmth, you hear distant roaring. Do you go back out into the cold to find the cause of the roar or do you head farther back into the cave so that you're more difficult to find?

OOC NOTES
If William doesn't post in round 6 he will be injured and sent home.

Round 6 begins June 4th

  

[Rupert Hamilton]

• The freezing weather at this high altitude was admittedly taking its toll on Rupert. Certainly, he'd packed extra clothes but even in all his layers and coat, he'd had to do his best with warming spells to keep mobile, and took to carrying round bluebell flames in a small jar in either of his pockets to toast his hands on when he didn't need them for support in stumbling up the mountain.
  
  He could not object to the plan of finding a cave, but after all the trouble finding one, they were just barely able to survive the night. A week later, and they were still stuck in the mountains, as freezing as ever. Rupert had gotten so used to the numbness that he wasn't even sure that his nose hadn't dropped off along the way. "This weather's worse than the blizzards I remember back being at Durmstrang," He'd offered up once along the way, in a moment when his teeth weren't audibly chattering. Of course, a reason for that may be that he'd never actually been forced out on an expedition in the cold...
  
  Once they'd found a cave for this evening and settled inside the shelter, Rupert took a minute to ruminate on how glad he was that at least the other boys on the expedition - for they could hardly argue, they were all still boys - were reasonably competent and rather agreeable characters. There had been no major disagreements... and better yet, no one limbs had dropped off from frostbite. As darkness fell, however, they were all distracted by some roaring. "What's that?" Rupert stuttered, glancing around anxiously, not sure whether he was simply imagining it. Still, he wasn't sure anyone had a confident answer. And there was no way he was going to let anyone foolishly go out to find it. He may not be brave, but there was another thing Rupert wasn't, and that was stupid. "I'm sure everyone has the common sense not to go outside and find out, though, right?"