[Open] Year 5, Lesson 1 — Applied Magic

[Rafael Corvesso]

Year 5, Lesson 1 — Applied Magic

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4 September 2025

This class is open to all fifth-year students only. @Fifth Year

Rafael remembered being fifteen, he remembered zoning out during class, he remembered looking out the window or at girls, he remembered rolling his wand between his fingers underneath the desk, just dying to have another go at one of his unfortunate classmates. What he did not remember was paying even a lick of attention to his Professor of Applied Magic whose dull, droning voice could've put anyone to sleep. It wasn't until those dreadful O.W.L.S loomed dangerously close that he'd actually opened his textbook for that year.

He'd re-read it over the summer in preparation and while it was an excellent reference book, there was nothing exciting in it. Every subject was treated with a kind of distant objectivity that made a dark hex and a countercurse sound about as thrilling as the curse of the bogies. If he was to have any hope of teaching his students anything this year, Rafael knew he'd have to find a far more compelling method to teach.

And didn't he have just the thing.

The reed basket sat beside him on the floor where he had sat down on a large round pillow. All the desks had been pushed to the back and a scattering of similar round pillows lay arranged in a semi-circle around the center of the room.

Footsteps echoed near the entrance, voices rose and fell. Then the first of the fifth-years pushed in, chatting loudly, then halting with a start at the unusual sight before them. "Please, come in," Professor Corvesso said, "shoes off, wands away for now. You can leave your bags and books at the door." The same line was repeated a few more times until the last of the students had filed in. The reed basket stirred impatiently beside him.

"Bene," he said once everyone had been seated. His dark eyes slid over his students as though searching for something, perhaps already picking out the troublemakers even before they could make themselves known. "My name is Professor Corvesso and I will be your Applied Magic instructor this year." He allowed some murmurs to ripple through the semicircle, but soon raised his hand to command silence, then slowly moved it toward the reed basket beside him. "I've prepared a special surprise for you today. Please, do not be alarmed and do not scream, it won't like that."

A faint smile played at his lips. His exotic, layered, colorful silk robes shimmered and rustled as he gracefully flicked his wand at the basket. Slowly, teasingly slowly, the woven lid floated up and the basket, which had been moving and rocking slightly before, now turned motionless. Then there came a low, slow sound, a drawn out hiss, the rattle of a tail, the sound of something slithering within, then another hiss.

Rafael arched an eyebrow at the reed basket. "It seems to be in bad mood, no?" He was enjoying himself a bit too much.

The snake that emerged was black as night, its hood flared wide, yet its scales shone like mirrors and it almost seemed like a haze of heat surrounded its long, coiling body. It rose a foot above the edge of the basket, then another, its forked tongue flicked outward a few times before it bared its fangs. Yet most of its body remained within the basket. When the snake turned its head and swayed it seemed to cause slight, mesmerizing ripples in the air.

"Ecco, say hello to Bella. Does anyone want to try and tell me more about her? Like what she can she do, for example?"

OOC Note: in order to have a go at answering Professor Corvesso's question, you must roll the dice.

Take your character's intelligence and roll a d20 using the forum's dice roller. You must use the forum dice roller so that your rolls can be verified. Add the result of the d20 roll to your character's intelligence and check the list of possible outcomes:

• 14 or lower: you don't have a clue what you're looking at, beside it being a dangerous looking black snake.
• Between (inclusive) 14 and 20: you know you are looking at a Somnulent Snake. You may know one or several of the following facts about it. A Somnulent Snake is a dangerous species of snake from the Sahara best known for its lethal, paralysing poison and its ability to hypnotize its foes. The Somnulent Snake is capable of some animal form of legilimency which allows it to lull a witch or wizard into a state of (half)-sleep. Somnulent Snakes are not actively hostile toward witches or wizards, but will defend itself and attack when it feels threatened or provoked. Its paralyzing poison is hard to obtain and a sought-after ingredient in alchemy. Because of this, the species has a low population and any export of it outside of its natural habitat, the Sahara, is strictly forbidden.
• 20+: only read the following if your result is higher than 20:
  You are quite observant and perhaps you realize that Somnulent Snakes are protected and it would be quite illegal for Professor Corvesso to possess one, never mind the danger of showing a lethal snake to his students. Perhaps you also picked up on the heat-haze like shimmer around the snake's body and the way the air seems to ripple around it when it moves. Whatever the case might be, you're quite sure that the snake is an illusion.

Make sure you post the link to your dice roll in your reply.

[Santiago Corvesso]

SANTIAGO CORVESSO
         Year 5, Lesson 1 — Applied Magic

date. september 4th, 2025.  tagged. @enid pryce
listening to. the dead dance by lady gaga
intelligence roll. 23 (16+7]

Usually, Santiago’s luminescent optimism was unwavering even in the most doubtful circumstance, but knowing that Rafael was their newest Applied Magic professor and that he hadn’t spoken to his brother in what felt like years rattled the Floranti’s students' usual nerves of steel.

Gripping onto Enid’s hand a little bit tighter as they headed into the classroom made Santiago feel a bit better, knowing that his own little sanctum had been near as a safety precaution. They shouldn’t work in theory, the two polar opposites orbiting each other but somehow they found the rhythm together to succeed and excel. She, of course, was his little bug — an essential part of any thriving garden.

As he rounded the corner to the Applied Magic classroom, Santi noticed the slight pile up of students at the doorway and wondered what in the world could be so bizarre or strange that it caused pause. The answer came swiftly as they turned into the room where his brother stood and Santiago already hated what he was trying to do.

Was this meant to try to disarm them? This might've worked on the third years but they were fifth years who were focused on the application of magic. His only solace was the fact that after this year, Santiago wasn't planning on continuing with Applied Magic and he wouldn't have to deal with his brother's usual antics (at least, what he heard of them from his parents and why they hadn't wanted them to interact much).

With a release of Enid's hand, Santi followed in pursuit of the other fifth years as he placed his things into a corner, shoes happily flown off as the bug socks that his girlfriend bought him were proudly on display. If he could help it, Santiago wouldn't wear anything at all and allow his feet to touch the ground everywhere he went.

With a look towards Rafael, Santiago offered a fake smile to him before giving him a hello. " Professor Corvesso. " He would treat his brother with the same courtesy that he offered the others, a nod over to him as he found a pillow a little off-center with space next to him, the space rightfully reserved for Enid (as they've done for the classes they share).

A few ticks of a clock later and the room had settled with the students sitting and the lesson beginning. Santiago watched with intent at the introductory lesson they were having with Professor Corvesso.

The snake was certainly a surprise. From his own studies and interest of animals, Santi noticed that it was a Somnulent Snake, the midnight scales were a dead giveaway to him. What in the world was Raf doing with this snake until he noticed something and everything in his mind clicked into place.

Without skipping a beat, Santi turned slowly to Enid and whispered something into her ear before turning back and scanning the other students in the class to see who might decide to speak up. It certainly wasn't going to be him.

[June Selwyn]

JUNE SELWYN
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Date: September 4, 2025 | @Rafael Corvesso & The rest of the class | Dialogue: X
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Criminal. Criminal, is what this was. Shoes off?!? In a room full of teenagers? June hung by the door for a few moments when given the instruction, trying not to show her gobsmacked reaction to her new professor. Wands away was not criminal, but made equally as little sense in applied magic. The satchel filled with fresh notebooks hanging from her shoulder suddenly felt very out of place.

Still, she bent down quickly, unbuckled her shoes, and padded forward in her socks, tucking them neatly against the wall with the others. It would take more than that to get June to go against a teacher's instruction.

The classroom was also... interesting. No desks, no chalkboard covered in notes, only round pillows arranged in a semicircle. June hesitated, then slid onto one near the edge, smoothing her robes beneath her as other students shuffled in. A reed basket sat at the professor’s side, rocking faintly as if something inside it wanted very badly to get out. Professor Corvesso introduced himself, so now June knew what name to put in the police report if the no-shoes policy didn't have a purpose.

"I've prepared a special surprise for you today. Please, do not be alarmed and do not scream, it won't like that."

Her brows knit. That was… not comforting.

The hiss that followed was long and low. A snake emerged, black, glossy, its hood wide, scales gleaming like the oil slicks June had seen in the muggle world before. It rose higher, swaying, forked tongue tasting the air. June tilted her head, watching it with interest. She wasn’t afraid of snakes, if anything, she found them weirdly nostalgic. Magpies were not quite as easy to rally behind.

She looked at the creature, thumbing through her past care of magical creatures teachings until finally placing it.

June raised her hand. “It’s a Somnulent Snake,” she said, voice clear. “Their venom is paralyzing, extremely potent, and valuable in alchemy. They can also put victims into trance-like states, a bit like what Legilimens can do.” Her face settled into confusion, something clearly not adding up, a piece of the puzzle missing. "They're usually not hostile to wizards unless provoked, though..."

[Enid Pryce]

All morning, she'd been watching Santi's face for some sort of sign for how their first Applied Magic class of the year should be approached. Direct questions had thus far yielded few answers, and she knew little more than that the wayward eldest Corvesso son had pulled something of a disappearing act when Santi was young, but had returned to their family once again in recent months.

The prodigal son, returned home to roost. It wasn't much for her to form an impression on. It was frustrating not knowing if she should be aiming to make a good impression on an important member of her boyfriend's family, or if she should aim to push the man into one of Penwick's many fountains for going off to fuck-knows-where and abandoning his brother without so much as a letter detailing that he was "out for milk and cigarettes."

Santiago's bone-crushing grip on her hand made her suspect that it was the latter, and that Professor Corvesso would likely find himself dogged by rumors regarding dragonpox in some inconvenient places before the week was up.

Unlike Santi, whose face implied a level of euphoria achieved from getting to show off his bug socks that she herself was unsure she'd ever felt, Enid was less than thrilled to be required to take her shoes off in order to attend class. She debated the merits of leaving them on and daring their new professor to do something about it, but she was willing to stay her hand until she had a better idea of what her goal with Professor Corvesso needed to be. Mouth twisted into a cutting scowl, she slid her ballet flats off and placed them with the others.

She made a note to send out an owl-order for a good pair of house slippers.

Seated next to Santi, she watched Professor Corvesso introduce Bella to the class with no small amount of trepidation. She was not, personally, a fan of dangerous animals being brought into small rooms that her very biteable flesh and blood was also currently occupying.

And what a dangerous animal it was. Enid was sure she recognized it from an alchemy research project the year prior, and she felt semi-confident in her guess that Bella was a Somnulent Snake, a very rare and very lethal snake that produced a paralyzing poison used in potions, but unfortunately, that was where her knowledge of the creature ended.

Santi leaned over towards her and whispered something very interesting in her ear. She raised an eyebrow at him, hissing back a quick, "Are you sure?" before turning her attention back to the task at hand, with sudden new interest.

Her new roommate and Hogwarts runaway knew plenty about the Somnulent Snake, apparently, and was ever so eager to share it with them. What a treat.

Once June was done speaking, Enid quipped, tone dry as the desert that the snake hailed from, "Oh, are we not waiting to be called on, now? That is a delightful change."

Enid made no move to raise her own hand or offer any input of her own, instead opting for an air of faux casualness as she lazily propped her head up in one hand, elbow perched on her desk and palm pressed to her cheek. Her eyes, though, were entirely focused on their professor and his snake. If Santi was right, and the situation was as he suspected, then she wanted to ascertain that for herself, and as such kept an eye out for any obvious tells, both from the creature and from their professor. She was far more interested in the games at play here than any spell they were intended to learn today.

Tagging @Santiago Corvesso, @Rafael Corvesso, and @June Selwyn.

Proof: 9 + 10 = 19
Action: If no one gives up the game before it's my turn again, I'd love for Enid to do some sort of awareness roll here to see if she can spy any evidence to confirm her intel. I'm also willing to bribe Mural with various exotic cheeses.

[Kasimir Damon-Cowles]

Date : September 4, 2025 4 September, 2025
Location : Penwick School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Interacting with : @Enid Pryce | @Rafael Corvesso | Open to rest of class

Kas had already been busted for skipping class. Fantastic. Wonderful. More marks on his record. Or that's what he'd thought, before the letter from Cassandre came in and dug at his conscience like a dull knife until it found guilt. Just making more trouble for Mr. and Mrs. Pryce if he got kicked out before winter break. And, well, it wasn't their fault, was it? Would he want to worry Mrs. Pryce with all these notices from the school?

Fine. Whatever. He'd go to class. But he wouldn't participate. He'd actively disrupt.

His thoughts flashed back to the letter. He would actively disrupt starting in October. For now, Kasimir would not be a sponge but rather a jellyfish in the classroom: brainless, dumb, and stinging when provoked.

He entered without books or a notepad, or his wand for that matter. Nothing but the untidy uniform on his back and the shoes on his feet. When Professor Corvesso asked him to remove those- the shoes- Kas paused. He gave the young teacher a look of disgust and opened his mouth to talk back. Once again, the letter. He kicked off his sneakers, not caring where they landed (they landed atop @Santiago Corvesso's shoes, but Kas didn't know that).

A seat in the back was his usual choice, and nothing was different about today. There he slouched in all his petulant, penitential glory as some guy talked about a surprise with enough shock factor to scream about. Kas scoffed. He doubted it was all that.

A snake. Seriously? It was a gorgeous ophidian, sleek, shiny, and darker than those few pitch hours just past midnight. So shiny it looked like it was radiating heat waves. It looked cobra-like with it's hood and fangs and set up in that reed basket like in the movies that had cultural appropriation in them.

One blonde girl, this one he did not know, spoke about the snake. So the snake was fancy and magic and whatever. To be expected. Big whoop. Then another blonde girl, this one he had the misfortune of knowing, also spoke, but about the first blonde girl.

"God you're a prig, Pryce," he said once she prattled off her smart quip, getting up from his seat. He looked at the snake again, then at the professor. "It's a snake. Like a freakin' black cobra but magic or something, and it looks poisonous." As a city boy from the heart of New York who only half paid attention to nature documentaries because they meant school was going to be fun that day or they were simply whatever he was stuck watching with his brothers, and moreover hadn't seen one in over five years at this point, he did not know what tells of agitation a snake had, nor what a snake about to strike looked like. All he knew to see was the danger hidden under the beauty, but that was inherently there in most any snake, especially ones with hoods and fangs.

Roll : [1d20: 3] + 9 = 12 (proof)

[Raizel Voltrouz]

Interactions ❯❯ - | - | - | Open
Mentions ❯❯ - | - | -

❂《 ⌜ September 4, 2025 ▎ --:-- ⌟

Applied Magic, she remembers most of her classes starting out with a lecture and their professor yapping and yapping until the end of the class. Less spell casting or practical activities, and more boring you to death with words that would've been better off being shown with action. She was expecting the same for this class with only her classmate livening up the classroom with their crazy antics. This time, however, was different. While still unimpressed with the lack of usage of wands and spells, their new professor who introduced himself as Rafael Corvesso certainly knows how to catch the attention of those seeking thrills.

Anything dangerous is thrilling and that's what will make this class exciting. A surprise, that's what Professor Corvesso said, revealing a black snake that just screams danger with its fangs bared, hood wide to make itself more threatening and send fear. Oh? A Somnulent Snake? She thought with a smirk forming on her face. That's an interesting creature to get your hands on. This professor has guts if he's showing it to the whole class as well. It even has a name as if it was his pet. Makes her wonder how he even got his hands on it. She squinted her eyes, then the realization. “I see how it is…” Okay, now things are making sense.

Next came the question, a typical start for a class and of course, Raizel had no intention of answering even if she might know the answer and besides, others will just answer it for them much like what blonde girl just did. Good job, saves them the time of waiting for someone to get called and the lecture could move on. Although, someone doesn't seem impressed by her actions and openly voicing it out. Tension, a bit of spice in this class. Perhaps this won't turn out to be one of those boring introductory lessons after all. Adding more to it was another, seemingly wanting to pick a fight. Boy, and here she thought she was the hot-headed one. Too noisy though, the boy doesn't even know what exactly the snake is and still has the nerves to speak as if he knows a lot about it. Talk about confidence.

Would she voice those out? No, not really. She wasn't in the mood to be fighting or arguing with anyone right now. She's more on watching how this goes right now with all these personalities clashing. Maybe that'll keep her awake aside from their hissing friend here.

⌜ Year 5, Lesson 1 — Applied Magic ⌟ | ⌜ WC: 419/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #000124

Roll: 17 + 8 = 25 | Link

[Maggie Hawkins]

I Don't Want To Make A Header.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────9.4.2025────────────

Perhaps, in a way, Maggie Hawkins might have more in common with Professor Corvesso than she might think. She, too, preferred to watch the girls in her class rather than pay attention to dreary professors (who could forget when good old Professor Blumenthal had barked a detention at her for zoning out during their unicorn grooming seminar fourth year?), though she had no mind to change that.

Her mood hadn't improved much since the sorting three days prior, in which Maggie had been sentenced to three years in what seemed to be the emo bad luck house, no parole, no bail. That meant no roommate she knew, no late night slumber parties, and no June Selwyn.

Maggie wandered down the halls to class, and she didn't mind kicking off her shoes so much on account of the heel of her right loafer was starting to peel off at the bottom. Seeing June was like a breath of fresh air, and Maggie absently noted that her hair looked nice today. There was a non-zero chance she'd spend most of today's class staring at it.

"Morning," she slipped into the seat beside her best friend, immediately reclining back and crossing her ankles out on the carpet before them. She had to say, she appreciated the unorthodox choice in seating, reminiscent of the plush selection back at the Hogwarts Astronomy Tower.

The snake's appearance made Maggie jump, something slight and unplaceable to someone who wasn't watching her intently (and nobody looked at her as intently as she looked at others). Cobra-like, black as tar, and mean, Maggie wondered if it might be placed in her dreary, emo house, too. Blah.

Upon closer inspection, though, Maggie raised a brow, unimpressed. A Somnulent Snake. It looked to her like an old friend, black and mirror-like. In the back of her mind, Maggie wondered if it knew any green snakes that shimmered with silver-plated scales, if it might know how to cheer for the school Quidditch team. "Ciao, Bella," she clicked her tongue, "neat snake."

She could play the part of clueless, silly Maggie. It was just a snake, rearing its toothy head. Nothing special. If Maggie knew its designation, she wouldn't say, and if she'd wanted to be known as a regular bookworm, she would've made that decision years ago.

June answered quickly, as Maggie had expected. It was just like her to know, to try and make an impression on their professors as soon as she possibly could. "Came to Penwick to ace those classes, too?" She quipped quietly with a grin, nudging June with her elbow and looking, again, at her hair.

Maggie hadn't had the time to make merry with many of her classmates, save for her house, yet, and the familiar lilt of a Welsh accent fell upon eager ears. She leaned back to take a look at the girl who had spoken, noting, with a hint of amusement, that she looked like a strawberry-blonde June. They could be cousins, really. "Oh, are we not waiting to be called on, now? That is a delightful change."

The girl's voice was tinged with a snide, proper sort of tone. Like someone who got what they wanted when they wanted it, a voice polished with down feather dusters and set up high on the shelf with all the fine china. It was the sort of voice that Maggie had begun to notice in her own little sister, the kind of voice that was borne only out of someone who didn't know any better.

Her hair was awful nice, too.

"Well, she raised her hand, so..." Maggie retorted, rolling her eyes and rubbing a smudge of stubborn dirt from off her cheek with that pesky middle finger, painted in fresh black polish.

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@June Selwyn, @Enid Pryce, @Rafael Corvesso

Maggie H.

[Rafael Corvesso]

Rafael's gaze fell on his brother. Merlin, when had little Santi grown into that? It was strange to see him, a number of features he still recognized, but many others had matured in ways that hurt to see. He hadn't been around to watch Santiago grow up, hadn't been there to see him fly his first broom, hadn't been there to celebrate his birthdays. There was something strange about seeing him now, a ghost of the past, like returning to an old home and finding the furniture rearranged. There were bits he recognized, the bits that reminded him of their father, yet there was something guarded about him, the way he clutched that girl's hand... was this his girlfriend? A hint of a smile tugged at his lips and for a moment he was tempted to- what? Clap his brother on the back? Rafael tore his gaze away from Santiago, knowing all too well how flammable rumours were in school and how difficult such fires would be to put out.

The first answer came from a blonde girl, her voice was crisp and certain, confident, perhaps a touch snobbish, depending on who you asked. "You're quite right, Ms..." his voice trailed off, was this Rhiannon's Pryce niece? As if on cue, his question was answered when a far more snide voice cut in, accusing the first girl of speaking out of turn. "Thank you Ms. Pryce, I am glad you are finding there to be some improvement in your classes." He turned back to the first girl, remembering her name now that Pryce had made herself known. "Ms. Selwyn is correct, five points to house Mercator, though you are perhaps not quite as correct as you presume."

Eager to be distracted, another student felt at liberty to chime in. A boy this time, one far too self-assured and far too eager to throw himself to the wolves. Rafael arched an eyebrow at him. This one was just waiting for an opportunity to be disruptive, practically begging to be told off so he could throw a fit and drag his classmates down with him. He'd been warned in advance about this Damon-Cowles who had burned through several schools already and seemed keen on going for the hat trick. He carried himself like a mangy dog with teeth bared, craving the fight and expecting the whip. Boys like him were always more bark than bite and hardly any of them were beyond saving. So he let the crude remark pass, choosing instead to toss the boy a bone. "It is indeed a snake, Mr. Cowles, though not a cobra, but it is quite poisonous. Three points to House Modron."

A girl with long brown hair seemed to be genuinely interested in today's lesson, but offered no input. It was always the quiet ones that had to suffer the insistent attempts of their louder peers to learn as little as possible. Girls like could benefit from some of the zest that Mr. Cowles had displayed, and Cowles in turn could do with a little less vinegar in him. All in due time, Rafael thought. The year had only just started.

The serpent swayed, its shimmer deepening, and the air around rippled like heat over hot tarmac. Rafael spread his hands, palms facing outward. "If this were truly a Somnulent Snake, I would not be here today. I would be in prison. They are a protected species because they have been nearly hunted into exticintion for their potent venom." His lips curved with a flicker of humor. "I would be in quite a bit of trouble not just with the ministry, but also with your parents for exposing you to a lethal animal you are unprepared to handle. Does anyone want to have another guess? Raise your hands, please."

Whichever students choose to have a go would be given a turn before finally, Professor Corvesso revealed the truth with a flick of his wand.

The serpent's body rippled as though seen through water and then the hood collapsed, the coils unraveled, and the scales dissolved into folds of cloth and jangling metal. It fell out of the reed basket and onto the cold stone before it. In its place stood a creature no higher than a gnome, with a turban too large for its stout frame, golden earrings swaying from long ears, and a rucksack swollen with pots and pans. It grinned with teeth like pebbles, and the whole bag clattered when it shifted.
"This is Nimmir, and he's a Memisi." Rafael said. The creature grinned and made a small bow. "Memisi are desert folk, quite hardy and tricky to find, they're masters of illusion and quite good at card games." The little creature's grin widened at that last remark. "Today, with his help and that of his friends, you will learn Strolla, a charm which will shield you from the hypnotic effects of a Somnulent Snake."

Another flick of his wand and a door behind him, leading into a small storage space swung open. Three more Memisi scurried out, their bags rattling while they chattered and grinned. "They have agreed to help you in your practice today so I would like to urge you to treat them with respect, they are not pets. In return for their assistance, and as a reward for your studiousness, I have promised them to play some games at the end of our lesson. They have rather a few prizes on offer for anyone who can beat them at cards..." At this, Nimmir showed a small ruby to the class. "Be warned though, they're quite good at it, and you're expecting to offer something of value in return should you wish to play."

He clapped his hands together. "Bene. First I want you all to learn this spell. Watch closely." He demonstrated the wand movement a few times before he resumed. "I'd like you to form four small groups, Ms. Tompsett, you are with Ms. Kleyne and Mr. Chapelhow and his companions. Ms. Pryce, I'd like you to join with Ms. Hawkins and Mr. Corvesso please, that one, not me. Ms. Voltrouz, please join with Mr. Cowles and Ms. Selwyn."

Once the four groups had been settled in separate corners of the room, spaced so that no wayward spell would hit an unsuspecting student, ach Memisi scurried to its assigned group and slipped back into the shape of a snake. The students would soon discover that meeting a Somnulent Snake face-to-face, even an illusion of one, was far harder than it may have seemed from a distance. The slow sway of its hood, the whispering hiss, the flicker of its forked tongue... all seemed to induce a kind of tiredness that spread quick as poison and which slowed the mind.

You are encountering a Somnulent Snake (well, an illusion of one anyway). This dangerous creature will attempt to dull your mind before it strikes. Perform the following rolls to see how well you do in handling it:

• Roll a 1d20+Spirit. If the result is above 15, you will resist the snake's attempt at dulling your mind. If you roll between 5-14 (inclusive), you suffer a -2 debuff on all your rolls after this. If you roll lower than 5 or roll a 1 on the 1d20, you will suffer a -4 debuff on all your rolls after this one. Rolling 15+ means you’re unaffected.
• Next, roll a 1d20+Spirit to perform the spell Strolla. You will succeed at a value of 10 or higher. Don't forget to apply the debuff if you suffered a debuff from the previous roll! If you fail the spell, you can end your rolls here.
• Next, roll to determine if your spell (if you managed to cast it), hits the snake. Roll 1d20+Agility. You will hit upon a value of 8 or higher.
• Finally, calculate how powerful your spell is by rolling a 1d20+Sorcery. 1-5 does almost nothing. 6-10 is acceptable but nothing to write home about, 11-15 shows good understanding and 16+ will make your casting stand out because of how effective it is.

The Memisi in the illusionary snake form may boop you (this is up to you whether you want to include this) if you fail to hit it or succumb to its mind-dulling hypnotic effects. The Memisi are quite mischievous and playful creatures, they won't actually bite or hurt you.

Note: these rolls are optional and just determine how well you do against the snake in case you actively participate in the lesson. If you want to RP not participating in the class, you're free to do so.

Finally: playing a game with the Memisi is likely not going to be RP'd in detail during this thread, but there may be future opportunities to RP that in detail. Whether the class will get to play some games depends on their in-character behaviour during this class as Rafael intends these games to be a bonus reward, not the focus of the lesson.

@Fifth Year

[Rafael Corvesso]

The following information is written about Memisi in one of your fifth-year textbooks. You may claim to know as much or as little about them as fits your character.

Memisi

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Memisi are a small, gnome-sized creatures with big, turbaned heads who primarily dwell in desert biomes. Smaller than a child, skittish and easily startled, they aren't the kind of folk you'd spot easily. Most of wizardkind is only vaguely aware of their existence, but frequently mistakes them for a different breed of leprechaun. Memisi have a reputation for being mischievous and tricksy thieves or hagglers, though that reputation isn't entirely deserved. Cultures that live closer (mostly North-Africa) to Memisi dwellings have a more complete understanding of them. Memisi are quite hardy creatures and excel at navigating the harsh desert environments. They're limited in their magical abilities, but can perform powerful illusion magic which they often use to hide themselves and their dwellings.

Memisi have a restless nature and never stay in one place for long. They travel in small groups, as few as three or four and rarely more than ten. They are rather mercurial creatures who have several key interests: machinery, precious metals, and games. One can earn a Memisi's loyalty by beating them at a game, which is easier said than done, as Memisi are not above cheating. Having a loyal Memisi at your side can be useful beyond just navigating deserts since Memisi are good with tools and machines, and are capable of inventing all manners of practical, mechanical items.

Most Memisi upon discovering they have been seen would flee or hide, the latter of which they do by using their illusion magic. But in some cases, the Memisi might choose to trade instead. Trading takes the form of playing a game. If the Memisi wins, you lose your item to them or vice versa.
A typical Memisi has a somewhat grubby appearance and may be heard before they are spotted due to the clinking and clattering of their heavy travel bags which contain all their worldly belongings. Indeed, these overflowing bags full of pots and pans and trinkets may be larger than the Memisi themselves, with their hunched over frames.

[Santiago Corvesso]

SANTIAGO CORVESSO
         Year 5, Lesson 1 — Applied Magic

date. september 4th, 2025. tagged. @enid pryce @maggie hawkins
listening to. reliquia by rosalìa
rolls. Spirit #1 26 [7+9] | Spirit #2 12 [3+9] | Agility 24 [15+9] | Sorcery 22 [15+7]

Merlin, these new transfers were quite the snarky bunch. Enid was going to have her hands full with them if she decided that these Hogwarts students weren't worth her time. Santiago would reach over and give her nearest thigh a pat, hand resting calmly to help her anchor herself back to the class. It wouldn't be worth letting them get under her skin, at least, that's what Santi believed. They weren't worth a quick quip or banter, especially as Professor Corvesso had leaned himself into beginning the lesson with this shock and awe factor that quickly turned from slightly intimidating to a whimsical gesture of learning how to care for oneself when faced with a Somnulet Snake.

As they were broken up into groups, Santiago gave his brother a look that equated to ' Are you seriously putting them two in this group? ' Maybe this wasn't actually his older brother and he was a doppelganger sent to stress out his girlfriend so much that she'd create an enemy out of a know-it-all.

With the groups beginning to form, Santi reached for one of the empty pillows and placed it to the other side of him and Enid for her to sit. " Hey, welcome to Penwick. " It was clear that there were many new students to their class, but this girl with ravenette hair seemed far darker and willing to push buttons. She seemed scary, but not as scary as Enid could be. His girlfriend, perhaps, was scarier than a Somnulet Snake when challenged. " I'm Santiago, but Santi is fine. "

And that was just about how much he was willing to offer and give to this moment, not wanting to meddle into further disruptive waters.

Santiago reached into his pocket for his wand, perhaps he'd let someone else go first if they were so eager at facing off against a Memisi pretending to be a highly lethal serpent.