Baptism of Iron XVII Everything Thread (IC)

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Welcome to the Everything Thread for Baptism of Iron XVII, the gridiron football tournament for new nations. This is the everything thread, where you can post your rosters and RPs

Please post your rosters along with your RP permissions prior to the first cutoff. Your rosters may include a style modifier ranging from -5 (most defensive) to +5 (most offense). Here is how you can enter your RP permissions.

Choose my Scorers: Yes/No
Choose Scoring Events: Yes/No
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes/No
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes/No
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Yes/No
Godmod Other Events: Yes/No

Groups will be posted after the group draw. Here is the schedule. Note that all games will be played in Gregoryisgodistan but the nominal home team is listed first. All cutoffs will be between noon and 2 PM EST (5 and 7 PM UTC)

January 4: Everything Thread Posted
January 5: Group Draw Posted
January 9: Matchday 1 (1 v. 4, 2 v. 3)
January 10: Matchday 2 (4 v. 3, 1 v. 2)
January 11: Matchday 3 (2 v. 4, 3 v. 1)
January 12: Off Day
January 13-15: Matchdays 4 -6 (Reverse of MD 1-3)
January 16: Off Day
January 17: Round of 16
January 18: Quarterfinals
January 19: Semifinals
January 20: Third Place Game and Title Game

Groups:

Group A:
Thereisnogodistan
Eritai
Nornaius
Greater Weselton

Group B:
United States of Minton
Teague
Sheffland
Zitru

Group C:
United We Stand 123
Nukehavistan
Pacificana Islands
Wolfbenz

Group D:
DBostick
Gustavpolis
Britonisea
Southern Democratic States

Group E:
Farlandria
Val Halla
Barunia
Azrea

Group F:
Mieraskya
Schottia
Walamzia
The Qocaekian Isles

Group G:
Gregoryisgodistan Special Admin Zone
Jecatria
Kolmya
The Greater Vakolicci Haven

Group H:
Vermark
Sereina
Hambeich
New Nationale Einheit

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Tell me about Gregoryisgodistan.

Gregoryisgodistan is a glorious nation in Esportiva. All citizens are required to worship the head of state, Lord Almighty Gregory, as a deity.

Do you have any strange laws?

Yes. The following crimes are all punishable by death.
Murder, theft, treason, piracy, using or possessing birth control, disturbing the peace, leaving the country without permission, attempting to defect, jaywalking, interference with the duty of a police officer, interference with the duty of a Grammar Enforcement Officer, interference with the duty of a Spelling Enforcement Officer, interfering with the duty of a Mathematics Enforcement Officer, interfering with the duty of a Pervert Chaser, interfering with the duty of an Enemy Crusher, drunk driving, drug possession or trafficking, criticizing Lord Almighty Gregory, defacing property of the state (which is almost all property), public or private nudity, bestiality, failure to attend a public post-execution burning, singing any song other than songs of praise to Lord Almighty Gregory and the state, dancing, farting, hijacking, assassination, publishing material critical of the state, speaking words critical of the state, using profanity, wearing pants that leave buttocks or underwear exposed, worshiping any deity other than Gregory, failing to publicly worship Gregory at least 37 times a day, public indecency, fraud, failure to have a proper shrine to Gregory in one's house, distracting a shrine inspection agent while he is at your house, failure to give a shrine inspection agent coffee within 5 seconds of his arrival at your house, kidnapping, arson, assault, smoking, drinking alcohol, drinking orange juice, drinking pear juice, eating oranges, prostitution (for both the prostitute and client), doing jumping jacks, saying the word "coconut", reading a book that is not on the approved books list, thinking about reading a book that is not on the approved books list, thinking about thinking about reading a book that is not on the approved list, questioning the state or Gregory, thinking about questioning the state or Gregory, thinking about thinking about questioning the state or Gregory, thinking critical thoughts about Gregory or the state, thinking about thinking critical thoughts about the state or Gregory, burping, eating any food other than government-issued gruel rations, drinking any beverage other than government-issued prune juice rations, using the bathroom during a mandatory Gregory worship time (Between 3 and 5 AM, 6 and 11 AM, 2 to 5 PM, 7 to 9 PM and 10 PM to midnight), sleeping during a mandatory Gregory worship time, having dreams which are critical of Gregory or the state, attempting to figure out which technology the government uses to prove many of the above crimes, hypothesizing that the government does not actually possess the technology and merely accuses people because everyone commits some of these crimes sometimes, asking what you are being charged with upon arrest, refusing to accept one's guilt and execution sentence, refusal to accept one's guilt for a crime not punishable by execution, talking during one's trial for a non-capital crime, professing one's innocence of a non-capital crime, owning a car, owning a bike, being bald or having a shaven head, having sexual relations with any partner not authorized by the state, talking to anyone without state authorization, attempting to attain state authorization for something without first receiving authorization from the state, questioning whether the previous regulation makes any sense whatsoever, wearing clothes, questioning whether some of these laws conflict with eachother, failure to bow down to Gregory or his image (such as on a television screen or a statue) immediately upon seeing it, talking to police officers during arrest, trial, prosecution, or any other point, thinking about what you might say to police if you could talk, thinking about thinking about what you might say if you could talk, failure to fly the national flag outside your house, failure to sing the national anthem every hour on the hour, including while asleep (though many citizens set their alarm clocks for 5 minutes to the hour then go back to sleep after singing the anthem) attempting to disable any spy cameras anywhere, including in one's own home, attempting to determine the location of spy cameras, determining the location of spy cameras (even accidentally), talking about the secret police, thinking about the secret police, having a telephone, writing anything other than praises of Lord Almighty Gregory or the state, sneezing, coughing, showering, bathing, blasphemy, looking in sewers, littering, hacking, trespassing, riding ugly horses, rape, attempting suicide, flying a kite, whining, complaining, looking at goats, talking to animals, nosepicking, digging in gardens, walking on grass, swimming, cutting something with scissors, wearing a watch, making bad jokes, imitating animals, threatening anyone, possession of pornography, child molestation, kicking a duck, kicking a cow, cow tipping, kicking a chicken, stepping in dog poop, stepping in cow poop, singing or playing some, but not all, of the national anthem (except at the end of Creation Day when only the first two verses and the last verse are sung), eating on Creation Day, speaking any language other than English, masturbating, prank calling, singing the incorrect words to the national anthem, electronically transmitting nude or semi-nude pictures, being in public without a shirt (except at beaches and swimming pools), wearing high heels, making a false bomb threat, pulling the fire alarm when there is no fire, possessing spray paint, drinking on Creation Day, going to the bathroom on Creation Day, failure to pronounce Lord Almighty Gregory's name correctly, and hiccuping.

Additionally, sex-related crimes such as rape, molestation, mooning and streaking will result in the offender being hunted down by a pervert chaser who will dickapitate and castrate them prior to sending them for execution. Furthermore, we employ Grammar Enforcement Officers, Spelling Enforcement Officers, Vocabulary Enforcement Officers, and Mathematics Enforcement Officers, who will send people to Reeducation Camps for using bad grammar/spelling/vocabulary/mathematics. The sentence for a first offender is 28 days.

Oh my God - will I have to follow all of those laws?

All players, coaches and fans traveling to Gregoryisgodistan will receive special papers proving that they are there for the tournament. As long as they have those papers on their person at all times, they will not be subject to most of our laws as described above. However, if they fail to present those papers when stopped for violating a law, they will be prosecuted as normal up to and including execution. The laws against murder, assault, rape, etc. will still apply and players and coaches will be executed if they commit these offenses. Those who commit sex crimes will also be dickapitated and castrated by a pervert chaser before their execution. Blasphemy and related crimes will not result in execution but may result in immediate deportation if severe. Oocly, this gives nations a chance to RP characters being subject to the insane Gregoryisgodistani laws if they want to, while giving them an opt out if they don't.

What stadiums will we play in?

I'm glad someone asked. Here you go.

Groups A and B will be played at 617 Stadium in District 7, Ward 10. 617 Stadium normally holds 35,000 fans but will be expanded to 45,000 for the tournament by adding temporary bleachers on the open end where the scoreboard is. It will also host two Round of 16 matches, a quarterfinal and the final.



Groups C and D will be played at Creation Stadium, in District 3, Ward 10, which seats 27,500. It will also host two Round of 16 matches, a quarterfinal and a semifinal.



Groups E and F will be played at Friends Field in the Capital District. It seats 4,500 fans normally, but will be temporarily expanded to seat 10,000. It will also host two Round of 16 matches, a quarterfinal and the third-place game.



Groups G and H will be played at Coastal Stadium on the southern coast in District 30, Ward 3. It seats 11,420 fans and will also host two Round of 16 matches, a quarterfinal and a semifinal.



Note that all stadiums will host four matches per day during the group stage, ICly at 8 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:00 PM, and 9:30 PM local time (though they will all be scorinated at the same time.) For the first leg, the first game will be the first game listed in the first group, followed by the second game listed in the first group, the first game listed in the second group, and the second game listed in the second group. For the second leg, the order will be reversed. For instance, on MD1, 617 Stadium will first host a game between whoever is drawn into A1 and whoever is drawn into A4, then A2 vs. A3, B1 vs. B4, and B2 vs. B3. On MD4, it will be B3 vs. B2 first, the B4 vs. B1, A3 vs. A2, and A4 vs. A1. (These placeholders will be filled in after the group draw.)

[Walamzia]

Walamzia Roster:

QB: John Falco
RB: Peter Wilson
FB: Tom Draxler
WR1: Daquan Ellerbee
WR2: Latavius Jackson
WR3: Denzel Gore
WR4: Quintam Walma
WR5: Leroy Jenkins (primarily a returner)
TE1: Ed Heap
TE2: Bob Nelson

All of the aforementioned also play defense.

Kicker: Mat Zucker
Punter: Oscar Grocic
Long Snapper: Vulcan Wallace

[Barunia]

Gridiron (as it is known in Barunia) does not have a large popularity in the country. No professional, semi-professional or school/university leagues exist, and much of this team has been thrown together from other sports. Most are from Rugby Union (itself not very popular in the country, but a semi-professional league does exist), while others come from the more popular sports of Field Hockey, Association Football, and in the case of Ryan Dunne, Cricket. Olympic sports has also proved a good place to find players: A few of the stronger players are professional judokas, while Frank Hammond is an Olympic sprinter. Lyle Firmin has also represented Barunia in the Olympics as a gymnast.

Because of the limited popularity of the sport in the country, the team is not as large as it might otherwise be. As such, many players double up in the offensive, defensive and specialist teams.

Number of Players: 51

OFFENCE
Offensive Line
Centre: David McCall, Steven Johnson
Offensive Guard: Cameron Boswell, Russel Park, Michael Stewart
Offensive Tackle: Fernando Miranda, Simon Korb, Don Hunter, Marc DeLeon

Offensive Backs and Receivers
Quarter-back: John Garamond, Ryan Dunne, Salvador Cilura
Running Back: Frank Hammond, Roger Taylor, Daniel Caruso, Lyle Firmin
Full Back: Bruce Hunter, Orlando Partington, Sylvester Dominguez, Bill Holman, Phillip Moore
Wide Receiver: Wayne O'Higgins, Marcus Schwedler, Juan Guilherme, Ralph Ceratto, Kiefer Harris
Tight End: Renato Guerro, Simon Nobel, John Lethbridge, Cassius Howard, Damon O'Leary

DEFENCE
Defensive Line

Defensive Tackle: Mark Meyer, Marc DeLeon, Donovan Reeves, Simon Korb, Cameron Boswell
Defensive End: Arnold Talisca, Cameron Anderson, Jack Rafinha, Kiefer Harris

Defensive Backs and Linebacks
Middle Linebacker: Michael Stewart, Graham Nightingale, Adam Taylor
Outside Linebacker: Donald Lee, Victor Hall, Leonardo Tardelli, Matthew Clark
Cornerback: Joe Davis, Rees Barnes, Simon Nobel, Damon O'Leary
Strong Safety: Fred Vargas, Alex Palmer, Rolf McGee
Free Safety: Angelo Moreno, Brett James, Daniel Caruso

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker: Samuel Arkwright, Bill Holman
Holder: Salvador Cilura, Ryan Dunne
Long Snapper: Steven Johnson, Don Hunter
Punter: Bill Holman
Punt/Kick Returner: Frank Hammond, Wayne O'Higgins
Gunner: Roger Taylor, Frank Hammond, Juan Guilherme

Team Name and Kits
The team name is the Barunia Sea Cows, and take their name from the Barunian Sea Cow, or White Dugong, a rare Sirenian which is known to live only in the deep sea and coastal waters around Barunia. Team kits utilise the three colours of the Barunian flag, with the helmets in yellow, a colour often associated with Barunian sports. Th distinctive white stripe flanked by two thin red lines on the flag is a dominant feature in the kit; it features on the socks, the side of the pants, the shoulders of the shirts, and down the centre of the helmet.
Kits are made by Barunian company Foroni Fabrics.

Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes, I choose the Severity
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: No

Style mod. +0.1

[Hambeich]

Hambeuchen Football Roster

Hambeich, a team ready to face everyone. On a nation which has the same shape as Germany. But more people and the capital of Hoffenheim. Players are very talented but they don't have the style for a very good play. Even thoguh they are fair and strong players. Manager staff are very kind people but defensive tactics aren't their best because Hambeuchen people are all for attack.

Offence:

Uwe Heiko
Boris Jonathan
Tim Axel
Paul Michael
Ansgar Lorenz
Huppert Erik
Florian Hinrich
Traugott Günter
Bertram Hermann
Heiner Siegward
Korbinian Thorsten


Defence:

Eckhart Falk
Torsten Michi
Marcell Rodolf
Nicolaus Ernst
Hilbert Burkhard
Günther Ludolf
Gotthold Ueli
Sieghard Klemens
Lorenz Emmerich
Timotheus Philipp
Jochem Hermenegild

Coaching Staff:

Main Coach: Kaspar Arend
Second Coach: Merten Claus
Doctor 1: Thomas Gerold
Doctor 2: Pascal Bernd[/b]

Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: Yes with tg

[Southern Democratic States]

Southern Democratic States National Football Team

Nation info:
Country Name: Southern Democratic States
Demonym: Southerners
Nicknames: Southern Bears, Bears, Southerners, Capitalists
Trigramme: SDS
Offensive formations: 3 WR 1 TE 1 HB or 2 WR 1 TE 2 HB or 3 WRs and 2 HB. The FB is only used in 3 and short and goal line formation
Defensive formations: standard 3-4-4 ; nickel 3-3-5 ; dime 2-3-6 ; goal line 5-4-2
Style mod: -3,5

The coaching Staff

Head coach: Nick Hoffman
Offensive Coordinator: Fred Spencer
Defensive Coordinator: Kurt McAdams
Special Teams Coach: Marvin Cunningham

The Team

QB 16 Clifford Jenkins 26
QB 11 Jimmy Morris 28
HB 23 Coconut Riddick 22*
HB 20 Dontavious Williams 30
HB 26 Kerwynn Watford 25
FB 44 Orlando Gonzalez 29
WR 15 Demarcus Woods 27
WR 13 Jarius Floyd 24
WR 85 Marquis Hatwood 26
WR 17 DeAndre James 28
WR 81 Shawn Foote 32
WR 80 Dwayne Boyd 30
TE 82 John McRae 27
TE 89 Brian Shaw 28
TE 87 Shayne Zimmerman 24

LT 77 Walter Kaufman 29
LG 67 Randall Bush 27
C 69 Brandon Clark 34
RG 75 Kris Hunter 27
RT 72 Quinton Bishop 30
T 71 Ernesto Herrera 26
T/G 76 Riley Vandervelde 28
G 70 Xin Xu 25
C 79 Nick Adams 32

RE 97 Derek Sheppard 31
NT 99 Rodrick Nash 27
LE 92 D.J. Floyd 26
DE 78 Kyle Alvarado 28
DE 90 Travis Buchanan 26
DT 94 Ross Gilmore 32

SLB 91 Terence Johnson 34
ILB 59 Konrad Juszczyk 24
ILB 52 James Williams 28
WLB 53 Demetrius Robinson 26
OLB 95 Andre Thomas 33
OLB 58 Carlos Alvarez 30
OLB 56 Justin Harris 32
ILB 54 Jarrod Houston 27
ILB 55 Jimmie Cox 28

LCB 30 Morris Dunbar 31
RCB 32 Antonio Irvin 29
CB 24 Lavonta Thomas 27
CB 25 Michael Woodard 28
CB 36 Hakeem Pendleton 32
CB 28 Melvin Dickson 34
FS 21 Octavius Jones 26
SS 33 Dominique Ogletree 28
S 31 Rashad Jennings 27
S 39 Marcus Brown 32
S 35 Ikemefuna Nwachukwu 29

K 8 Crockett Burkhead 25
P 6 Brandon Morrison 39
KR 80 Dwayne Boyd 30
KP 31 Rashad Jennings 27
PR 80 Dwayne Boyd 30
LS 48 Kevin Beauchamp 28
H 11 Jimmy Morris 28

Inactives but they are travelling with the team
QB 10 Tyler Kruger 22
HB 22 Bobby Murphy 27
WR 83 Markus McLendon 26
OL 62 Tyson Konz 23
DL 96 Ryan Ferguson 24
LB 50 LaMarr McGee 27
DB 29 Jarvis Roberts 26

*Coconut Riddick: His name written on his passport is Darius Riddick, but he goes by the name Coconut Riddick so this name is written in all official rosters.


Choose my Scorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod Scoring Events: Y
RP Injuries to my Players: Y (I'll choose the severity)
Godmod Injuries to my Players: N
Godmod Other Events: Y

[Kolmya]

Kolmya Forestiars

Roster
Offense
QB#1- Wyikvth Trevver
QB#2- Aland Bjolk
FB#1- Fredrik Ekholm
FB#2- Viktor Bystrom
RB#1- Hindrik Jonsson
RB#2- Josef Söderholm
WR#1- Ludvig Aspelund
WR#2- Wilhelm Blomqvist
WR#3- Ernst Rehnquist
WR#4- Sven Tegnér
TE#1- Gärdar Malmstrom
TE#2- Tage Lundstrom
LT#1- Matteo Widforss
LT#2- Vidar Almqvist
RT#2- Gertorn Bergh
LG#1- Christer Akerlund
LG#2- Magnus Sjöholm
RG#1- Reer Lindskog
RG#2- Kjell Hägg
C#1- Axel Nordahl
C#2- Gustaf Strandberg
Defense
SS#1- Rune Strömberg
SS#2- Hannes Lindelöf
S#1- Kevin Henriksson
S#2- Fredrik Aberg
LC#1- Önder Sköld
LC#2- Töres Björk
RC#1- Sten Johnsson
RC#2- Faltin Källström
Left OL#1- Önnert Backstrom
Left OL#2- Andreas Lagerquist
Right OL#1- Ove Blomqvist
Right OL#2- Felix Lennartsson
LE#1- Oliver Järnefelt
LE#2- Tim Schauman
RE#1- Anifas Richardsson
RE#2- Botel Wallenberg
LT#1- Mats Mattisson
LT#2- Folke Lindblad
RT#1- Elvin Lundholm
RT#2- Folke Ohly
ML#1- Alex Hagström
ML#2- Tim Vikström
RP Permissions: Don't kill my players. Anything else is fine.

[Eritai]

OOC NOTE: I have not the slightest clue about grid iron, and explaining a bit about the nation and using a slight cop-out.

About Eritai
Eritai is a nation located in Esportiva which has "Fantasy Technology" as some would call it. It is hidden on a secretive island somewhere in the east and features elves, humans, dwarves and anthros.

The elves are the highest class, with humans making up the upper class, dwarves making up the lower class and the anthros being slaves, The nation is ruled by the high elf known as Emperor Valyn Eritai. Elves are immortal creatures with a very high tolerance for wounds and illness. They are also among the best magicians. The Humans are very much like humans in other, more mundane nationsm while the dwarves are long living hard workers with an innate resistance to magic. The anthros are classed as scum, and were created by Valyn to replace the native animals of the island and create his own anthro race to slave for his people.

Eritai in Grid Iron
Blood Bowl is one of the most well known sports in Eritai, second only to mundane association football. Blood Bowl is very similar to grid iron, except it focuses much more on gore, death and magic. Grid iron rules will be taught to Eritai's best Blood Bowl players and it is those players that will play in the mundane Baptism of Iron and World Bowl. All offense players of the team will also play defense and special teams.

Roster
Eritai does not reveal the names of its players on rosters due to the magic contained within a person's name which can cause a mundane's mind to seize, usually causing death. Therefore, all players are to be referred to by their position and rank within position, for example, first-string quarterback, third-string kicker and et cetera.

RP Permissions:
Do whatever, I don't care. Only restriction is don't kill Valyn Eritai.

Style Mod: +5

[Thereisnogodistan]

THEREISNOGODISTAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OFFICIAL TEAM SHEET

Thereisnogodistan County is a county in the Abanhfleft colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula. It was established on November 30, 2014 from the splitting of Haritzaga County, by Colonial Executive Order No. 190047. The southern part of the county retained the name and history of Haritzaga County, while the northern part was named Thereisnogodistan County. The county seat is Thereisnogodabad.

Thereisnogodistan County Community College is an American football team based in Thereisnogodabad, Fhulghamous Peninsula. Its home ground is Richard Dawkins Park, a newly-built 8,000-seater park named after the prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, which is also currently Thereisnogodistan FC's home ground. The team is set to be integrated into Abanhfleft's NCAA football. Thereisnogodistan County Community College had requested to play in the 17th Baptism of Iron through the Fleftic Commission on Games and Sports to acquire some crucially needed experience before it began playing against some of Abanhfleft's best colleges and universities.

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of team: Thereisnogodistan FC
Team colors: Yellow shirt, pants, socks, and helmet (home); white shirt, pants, socks, and helmet (away)
Style modifier: +3.5. Thereisnogodistan is inspired by Fleftic sporting philosophy in that the best defense is offense.
Manager: Francois-Michel Nkong'o (Abanhfleft, 39 years old)

NOTE: Since Thereisnogodistan County Community College is a small college, the team will not have as many reserves as they would like, and therefore injuries are very much not good for the team. An injury might force a safety to become a quarterback, and such cross-position training is not very popular within Abanhfleft's sporting systems.

OFFENSE
Key: (Shirt number, height, weight in pounds, age)

Quarterback - Harrison Aumann (#1, 6'2, 205, 19)
Fullback - Von Colone (#2, 6'0, 212, 20)
Tailback - Harry Tranmer (#3, 5'11, 175, 18)
Wide Receiver - Maxwell Esquer (#4, 6'2, 219, 21)
Wide Receiver - Wilburn Butkovich (#5, 6'3, 220, 18)
Tight End - Trent Goheen (#6, 5'6, 203, 18)
Center - Dominick Disher (#7, 5'8, 217, 22)
Offensive Guard - Delmar Bosco (#8, 6'0, 225, 21)
Offensive Guard - Jefferey Rencher (#9, 5'11, 199, 17)
Offensive Tackle - Scottie Martineau (#10, 6'2, 225, 22)
Offensive Tackle - Norberto Tanguay (#11, 6'2, 223, 18)

DEFENSE
Middle Linebacker - Andreas Westling (#12, 6'3, 240, 23)
Outside Linebacker - Donnell Zigler (#13, 5'10, 200, 18)
Outside Linebacker - Dillon Mancha (#14, 6'3, 223, 17)
Cornerback - Roderick Wendt (#15, 6'0, 215, 16)
Cornerback - Rudolph Brewington (#16, 5'11, 230, 21)
Safety - Kerry Kerns (#17, 6'4, 232, 18)
Safety - Edmundo Smead (#18, 5'9, 198, 17)
Defensive Tackle - Stacy Schult (#19, 6'2, 246, 22)
Defensive Tackle - Richard Pursel (#20, 6'1, 231, 19)
Defensive End - Yusuf Uzun (#21, 5'10, 205, 18)
Defensive End - Voldemars Ozolinsh (#22, 5'11, 205, 20)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker - Einion Evans (#23, 6'5, 209, 23)
Holder - Kerry Kerns
Punter - Milan Iliev (#24, 6'2, 229, 18)
Returner - Norberto Tanguay

RP PERMISSIONS
Everything except killing is fair game. You also might want to go easy on the injuries, as I don't have any substitutes at all.

[Schottia]

The Leviathans of Schottia

G.F.C
Baptism of Iron XVII

---

Team Info
With no real tradition of the sport in Schottia, Baptism of Iron hopefuls Leviathans will travel to Gregoryisgodistan with little backing or support. Schottia and the surrounding islands, off the east Belisarian coast have more of a passion for soccer, rugby, and Celtic sports. With nothing in the way of funding or training facilities, up until early this year none of the Schottic team were even semi-professional. However, in March they were awarded a sporting excellence grant from the Schottic government to put a team together for the World Bowl and Baptism of fire. The funding allowed the team to quit their jobs for a few months on concentrate on training, giving them the best chance possible of qualification.

The players are from a range of different ages and sporting backgrounds. A few come over from rugby union and rugby league, along with a couple of youngsters who played the sport while studying in countries such as Novitera or the Allamunnic States. Expectations for the team will not be particularly high, with qualifying out of their BoI group the main target.

Playing Style
The Leviathans are considerably stronger in offence than in defence, relying heavily on veteran quarterback Lewis Patterson, the only one of the team to have played professionally. Particularly in defence, expect the Schottia to be pretty rough around the edges. There will be a lot of gritty, aggressive blocks and tackles owing to their lack of experience. In attack they will look to move the ball very quickly trying to catch their opponents of guard.

Schottia have a strong kicker in the form of Mark Tomkins-Brown, a former Rugby player, who has a keen eye for goal.


Style mod: +3

Coaching Staff
Head coach: Rob Feeny
Assistant coach: Steven Gregg
Offencive coach: Nick Farnmouth
Defencive coach: Phil Unbridge
Physio: Gary Thornton

Offence Line Up
QB: Lewis Patterson, 37
RB: Lucas Popescu, 26
WR: Nail Cornor, 22
WR: Hank Fitterman, 21
WR: John Maxwell, 30
TE: James McDermott, 45
RT: Chris Fines, 28
LT: Harry Grey, 20
RG: James Clee, 19
LG: Ail Hr-Affay, 34
C: Rupert Kenny, 18

Defence Line Up
SS: Stephen Graham, 24
FS: Archie Scott, 30
CB: John Rodgers, 23
CB: Stuart Tantalon, 30
OLB: Crius Lucious Vento, 25
MLB: Ghert Dorenburg, 29
OLB: Nathan Johnson, 19
RE: Roberto Di Ignasio, 21
LE: Frank Lemis, 35
DT: Jarron Fyul, 27
DT: Nasat Gibthi, 25

Specials Team
K: Mark Tomkins-Brown, 29
P: Craig McLeod, 30
KR: Jack Stoitkov, 24
PR: Leon Caddie, 26
-------

RP Permissions

Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: Y

[Sheffland]

American Football is extremely popular in Sheffland, however what they are known for is just their passion for the game. This means that Sheffland doesn't particularly have a talented squad. There are many franchises in Sheffland as it expands and finds more land, but for now, this is the best team that it can send:

Offensive Line:
C - Dave Johnson
G - Jay Blackburn
G - Kai Davison
T - Kieran Sanderson
T - Matthew Begun

Backs and Recievers:
QB - Logan Kerr
RB - Finn Singh
WR - Joe Russell
WR - Logan Yates
TE - Jordan Burgess
TE - Fred Miles

Defence:
DT - Mason Bell
DT - Ewan Herbert
DE - Jude Chapman
DE - Henry Gardner
MLB - Alf Jones
OLB - Ryan Kay
OLB - Kian Wheeler
CB - Jude Turnbull
CB - Dominic Morton
S - Lucas Chan
S - Harry Pratt

Special Team:
K - Jacob Blake
P - Connor Hyde
LS - Fred Fowler

[Schottia]

Leviathans on Tour

"Arriving in Gregoryisgodistan."

By Lewis Patterson

7th January 2014

---

As part of our Baptism of Iron adventure I was asked (as one of the senior members of the playing staff) to keep an online journal, putting down some of my thoughts as we attempt to progress through the competition. For many of the team it will be their first experience of playing in a major sporting competition. A year ago few of them would have even dreamed of being part of something like this, as most of the Schottic gridiron teams played on football pitches or in parks, many of which were not even the correct dimensions.

I first fell in love with the game as a child, watching the sport with my dad. Most of the games on the TV in Cornellia were either Noviteran, Jedorian or Allamunnic. I remember asking my dad why Schottia didn't have a team and he couldn't tell me. My interest in the sport spurred on from there really. It was that early enthusiasm, and also the experience I gained playing abroad that inspired me to set up an amateur league in Schottia, and ten years later here we are. For me the most important thing was that it was a source of enjoyment. However it also acted as a miens for other people visiting Schottia; students, immigrants, visitors, to play the sport while they were here. That was something that became a very pleasant bonus, the sense of an international community around the sport in Schottia. It is evident today in the national side, which we have sent to the Baptism of Iron. We have many naturalised Scots, and a lot of overseas students in our ranks: it gives us a real strength and depth.

Gregoryisgodistan must be one of the strangest countries I have ever visited. In the region of Cornellia there are several authoritarian and theocratic states, but the laws over here put even places like Arbites in the shade. I think I will have to make sure that my exemption papers are glued to my chest for the whole of my stay. We went to visit the Friends Field where we will play our group matches. It is a smaller stadium but, as I mentioned earlier that will probably suit our players better, most of us are not used to a big venue.

I have been really encouraged by the support we have received since the nation found out that we were competing. The reaction of friends and family has been fantastic. People who you maybe haven’t spoken to for years will come up to you and ask how you are feeling. The coverage in the media has been great too, if not a little sparse. That’s one thing about sport in Schottia, the fans really get behind it no matter what is happening. There is a real sense that the country takes every sports team to its heart.

I will try to update this blog between each match, and hopefully it can serve as a useful insight for those of you with an interest. Our first match against Walamzia should be a tough one but it will be an encounter we are looking forward to nonetheless. It will be fascinating for me to see just how far we have come. It’s never going to be easy, especially when we get up against professional sides, but we will give it our best shot.

Cheers…

[Southern Democratic States]

Baptism of Iron XVII preview

The Southern Democratic States is about to make it's debut on the international scene of american football by participating in the Baptism of Iron XVII in Gregoryisgodistan. It was about time we take part in this tournament, why waiting so long? We are always claiming to be the best nation at playing football, but we never played against other nations. It was time we gauge our strenght against them. We have put up a team of all star players, it's the best team ever formed in the Southern Democratic States:

At quarterback, Clifford Jenkins who doesn't need any presentation, a Southern Bowl champion and Southern Bowl MVP, he was also invited two times at the Star Bowl, a kind of all star game played on a distant island. And He's only 26 years old.

At halfback, Coconut Riddick who was the offensive rookie of the year last year is only 22 yeas old.

At wide receiver, Demarcus Woods, 3 time Star Bowl who has at least 1 000 reception yards per seasons in his past four seasons.

At strongside linebacker, Terence Johnson 3 times Southern bowl champion, 1 time Southern Bowl MVP, 8 times Star Bowl, 618 tackles in 158 career games with 88 sacks and 3 interceptions.

At middle linebacker, Konrad Juszczyk, defensive rookie of the year 2 seasons ago, 1 time Star bowl. In 32 career games he has 326 tackles (249 solo and 77 assisted), 8 sacks and 3 interceptions, all three last season.

At cornerback, Antonio Irvin. Irvin is listed as a rightside cornerback but he's a shutdown corner and always line up against the best wide receiver of the opposite team. He's a 5 time Star Bowl and he has 325 solo tackles and 66 assisted tackles in 111 games. 23 interceptions, 3 of them are pick sixes, 123 pass defended and 2 sacks.

The Southern Democratic States has been placed in the group D against Britonisea, Gustavpolis and DBostick. Britonisea can be a threat to SDS if they show up in Gregoryisgodistan and post a roster. Being on the "enemy list" of Gregoryisgodistan, at this time is it not sure if Britonisea will travel to Gregoryisgodistan. Let's hope they don't and SDS would win against them by forfeit. A kind of arrangement can be made between these two nations to allow Britonisea to compete in Gregoryisgodistan even though they are on the enemy list. Little is known about Gustavpolis and DBostick so SDS will easily win against them.

Schedule

Matchday 1: DBostick vs SDS 5:00 PM local time
Matchday 2: SDS vs Britonisea 5:00 PM local time
Matchday 3: Gustavpolis vs SDS 5:00 PM local time
bye week
Matchday 4: SDS vs DBostick 12:30 PM local time
Matchday 5: Britonisea vs SDS 12:30 PM local time
Matchday 6: SDS vs Gustavpolis 12:30 PM local time

All games are played at Creation Stadium, which is named after a false creation created by a false god.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

This is your friendly reminder that it is just under 23 hours until the first cutoff. Cutoff may be anywhere in the 12 to 2 window, but it will likely be early so assume it is.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for Matchday 1. Who will win? Who will lose? Find out NEXT.

Edit: Results

Group A
Thereisnogodistan 16–0 Greater Weselton Kickoff delayed 18 minutes after fans threw gruel at Thereisnogodistan players to mock them for being heathens
Eritai 30–7 Nornaius Kickoff delayed 15 minutes after llama from zoo escaped and ran onto field.

Group A                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Eritai                                    1   1  0   30   7 +23    3
2 Thereisnogodistan                         1   1  0   16   0 +16    3
3 Greater Weselton                          1   0  1    0  16 −16    0
4 Nornaius                                  1   0  1    7  30 −23    0

Group B
United States of Minton 37–22 Zitru
Teague 3–24 Sheffland Kickoff delayed 45 minutes after the slave who was supposed to deliver the game ball lost it and had to be executed on the field. The ball was found a few minutes later.

Group B                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sheffland                                 1   1  0   24   3 +21    3
2 United States of Minton                   1   1  0   37  22 +15    3
3 Zitru                                     1   0  1   22  37 −15    0
4 Teague                                    1   0  1    3  24 −21    0

Group C
United We Stand 123 3–13 Wolfbenz Game delayed 23 minutes after the national anthem singer fainted halfway through the Gregoryisgodistnai national anthem (which was being sung to honor the hosts) and had to be executed for not singing it in its entirety.
Nukehavistan 10–7 Pacificana Islands

Group C                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Wolfbenz                                  1   1  0   13   3 +10    3
2 Nukehavistan                              1   1  0   10   7  +3    3
3 Pacificana Islands                        1   0  1    7  10  −3    0
4 United We Stand 123                       1   0  1    3  13 −10    0

Group D
DBostick 3–27 Southern Democratic States Game delayed 24 minutes after public address announcer was executed for introducing Coconut Riddick.
Gustavpolis 7–33 Britonisea Game delayed 62 minutes after fans stole Britonisea's uniforms. The fans received a 100,000 greggygodbuck reward each for putting the heathens in their place but were forced to give back the uniforms.

Group D                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Britonisea                                1   1  0   33   7 +26    3
2 Southern Democratic States                1   1  0   27   3 +24    3
3 DBostick                                  1   0  1    3  27 −24    0
4 Gustavpolis                               1   0  1    7  33 −26    0

Group E
Farlandia 17–10 Azrea
Val Halla 7–38 Barunia Game delayed 21 minutes after soldier who was supposed to parachute onto the field with the game ball got stuck on the light tower.

Group E                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Barunia                                   1   1  0   38   7 +31    3
2 Farlandia                                 1   1  0   17  10  +7    3
3 Azrea                                     1   0  1   10  17  −7    0
4 Val Halla                                 1   0  1    7  38 −31    0

Group F
Mieraskya 20–10 The Qocaekian Isles
Schottia 20–24 Walamzia Game delayed 47 minutes after the referees got diarrhea from their dinner.

Group F                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Mieraskya                                 1   1  0   20  10 +10    3
2 Walamzia                                  1   1  0   24  20  +4    3
3 Schottia                                  1   0  1   20  24  −4    0
4 The Qocaekian Isles                       1   0  1   10  20 −10    0

Group G
Gregoryisgodistan Special Admin Zone 3–6 The Greater Vakolicci Haven
Jecatria 7–10 Kolmya Game delayed 19 minutes after the national anthem singer forgot the words to the Jecatrian national anthem and instead sang a long, improvised piece that went on for 20 minutes and extolled many virtues of Jecatria that may not even exist.

Group G                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Kolmya                                    1   1  0   10   7  +3    3
2 The Greater Vakolicci Haven               1   1  0    6   3  +3    3
3 Jecatria                                  1   0  1    7  10  −3    0
4 Gregoryisgodistan Special Admin Zone      1   0  1    3   6  −3    0

Group H
Vermark 10–14 New Nationale Einheit
Sereina 7–10 Hambeich Game delayed 22 minutes after a streaker ran onto the field wearing nothing but one filthy sock, which was being worn on his left hand. He was dickapitated, castrated, and executed on the 50-yard line.

Group H                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 New Nationale Einheit                     1   1  0   14  10  +4    3
2 Hambeich                                  1   1  0   10   7  +3    3
3 Sereina                                   1   0  1    7  10  −3    0
4 Vermark                                   1   0  1   10  14  −4    0

[Southern Democratic States]

The Southern Democratic States wins!

The Southern Democratic States won 27-3 against DBostick in the opening game of the Baptism of Iron XVII. The game was played at Creation Stadium in Gregoryisgodistan and was shown live on BEAR and BSN (BEAR Sports Network). Players were introduced while they came onto the field and the Gregoryisgodistani people were shocked when they heard Coconut Riddick's name, apparently the word "Coconut" is banned in Gregoryisgodistan. The fans instantly booed him and the public announcer was executed for saying his name. Luckily BEAR and BSN managed to avoid showing the execution on live tv. The game finally started after a 24 minutes delay. Cococut Riddick was booed each time he was carrying the ball and the new public announcer was avoiding to say his name when he scored a touchdown.

The Southern Democratic States were the first team to score. With 3:36 remaining in the first quarter, Coconut Ridding scored a touchdown on a 16 yards run. SDS were leading 7-0. During the 2nd quarter, both teams made a field goal. DBostick made a 37 yards field goal and about five minutes later, Crockett Burkhead made a 52 yards field goal. The score was 10-3 for SDS at the halftime.

The Southern Democratic States received the ball at the start of the 3rd quarter and we scored a touchdown on our first drive when Clifford Jenkins made a 28 yards pass to Jarius Floyd into the end zone. The Southerners also made a 23 yards field goal in the 3rd quarter. The score was 20-3 after 3 quarters. Coconut Riddick scored his second touchdown in the game midway in the fourth quarter on a 3 yards run and the Southern Democratic States won 27-3.

BOXSCORE

1st quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Coconut Riddick (16 yards run)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good

2nd quarter
DBostick: FIELD GOAL by Kicker #1 (37 yards)
SDS: FIELD GOAL by Crockett Burkhead (52 yards)

3rd quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Jarius Floyd (28 yards pass by Clifford Jenkins)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good
SDS: FIELD GOAL by Crockett Burkhead (23 yards)

4th quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Coconut Riddick (3 yards run)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good

Britonisea wins too

Britonisea won 33-7 and they are currently ahead of the Bears in the standings because of a bigger points margin. Both teams will play against each other next week. The winner will have a big chance to win the group, but there's also a rematch on matchday 5.

Gregoryisgodistan shocked by the SDS's behaviour

The president of the Gregoryisgodistani Football Federation (or something equivalent under another name) is shocked that we have fielded a player with a forbidden name and he is asking the Southerner delegation to publicly apologize for "the use of a player with a forbidden name". If we don't comply, 3 points will be deduced at the end of the group stage. The SDS still haven't responded.

[Wolfbenz]

Wolfish national Gridiron Football team

Football is not a very popular sport in Wolfbenz, and as a result, there were first come-first serve signups for the team required, and as a result, every player is an amateur. Each come from a variety of professions, (mainly low class), so if you know anyone on the roster, root for them, and maybe even congratulate them for being one of the only ones to take on the field in a psychotic cult-of-personality dictatorship. 
Key: Postion- Name (Profession), age
Quarterback - Lassi Ziegler (Steelworker), 29
Fullback - Isidor Marquardt (Unemployed), 26
Tailback - Helmfried Kolen (Waiter), 23
Wide Receiver - Caj Järvinen (Accountant), 33
Wide Receiver - Pontus Raske (Miner), 28
Tight End - Denis Eerkens (Police officer), 30
Center - Nico Bieber (Construction Worker), 26
Offensive Guard - Sten Frei (Chef), 20 
Offensive Guard - Rochus Arentz (Male stripper), 23
Offensive Tackle - Kir Lindgren (Nuclear Plant worker), 32
Offensive Tackle - Lukas Aalfs (Unemployed), 21

DEFENSE
Middle Linebacker - Oiva Messner (Stock Broker), 35
Outside Linebacker - Orvar Seghner (Works the Wolfish border patrol), 20
Outside Linebacker - Pauwel Blumenthal (undisclosed), 30
Cornerback - Sisu Winter (Janitor), 28
Cornerback - Karl Förstner (Landlord), 35
Safety - Makar Alexandersen (Plumber), 27
Safety - Werner Oelberg (Bus driver), 32
Defensive Tackle - Raffael Gulbrandsen (clerk at a convenience store), 20
Defensive Tackle - Zakhar Heyman (babysitter), 19
Defensive End - Reuben Koenig (community college student), 24 
Defensive End - Humbert Van Cann (Bartender), 27

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker - Balder Omdahl (professional womanizer), 26
Holder - Nestori Borst (Blogger), 23
Punter - Nils Gottschalk (forum troll), 32
Returner- Sigurd Mertens (clown), 31

Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes
RP Injuries to my Players: No (I have no substitutes, mind you)
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: No

[Walamzia]

Walamzia Wins First Game

The Walamzian football team has won it's first game in the Baptism of Iron 24-20. The massive crowds gathered in the only football city in Walamzia, Calacea, to watch the match on the big screen. The kicker sealed the game with a field goal with :20 left in the 4th quarter. Currently, the team is off to a good start, will they keep it up?

[Thereisnogodistan]

617 Stadium
District 7, Ward 10, Gregoryisgodistan

"Ah, Gregoryisgodistan," Francois-Michel Nkong'o said as he inhaled a big lungful of air from the country, stepping out of the stadium's locker room. "Aagh!" he coughed. "Could use a little less pollution. Anyway, my friends, welcome to Gregoryisgodistan! A nation where one man infected by the God delusion has taken over his country and infected the entire nation with his delusion. Yet that is not the reason why we are here. Our own country, Thereisnogodistan, is a haven for the people who believe that there is no god in the universe, or the multiverse, or wherever, but we are not here to force our beliefs on these poor, poor mindless sheeple. They are free to believe what they want, as is natural human law, and we are above such useless concerns as forcibly converting those who do not want to be converted into the truth of the world. All we are to do here now is play armoured rugby--er, American football, and enjoy the game. Hooah!"

"Hooah!" the players, all students of Thereisnogodistan County Community College, repeated. All twenty-four players and their coach ran out to the tunnel, hopping in anticipation as they waited for their team's name to be announced. Thereisnogodistan was a county of Abanhfleft, not a country in the common convention, and therefore they considered themselves as Fleftic citizens playing under the name of their college, which is incidentally located in a newly-created county in one of Abanhfleft's colonies.

"And now, let's give it up for... Thereisnogodistan?!" The Thereisnogodistanis didn't notice the way the announcer suddenly became very fearful once he announced their team's name. The cheers that were just about to erupt from the Gregoryisgodistani spectators quickly died on their lips, and then their cheers turned into jeers, and the Thereisnogodistani players certainly weren't expecting that. A few spectators, all of them Fleftics returning to the land where their country had lifted its first international championship, bravely continued their cheering for their fellow countrymen, but their cheers were eventually drowned out by the mostly Gregoryisgodistani crowd's booing. The players, who had been expecting the exact opposite of booing, lowered their arms in confusion. "What the hell's going on, coach?" asked Harrison Aumann, starting (and only) quarterback of Thereisnogodistan.

"I think our county's name may have offended these people more than we thought," Nkong'o replied.

"Is that bad?"

"I don't think so. My brother Robert said that these people have some very strange laws. Like how their head of state is also the deity of their official religion."

Suddenly, Nkong'o felt something wet and sticky hit the top of his head. He ran his fingers over the mysterious substance, which was a mix of brown and white and felt sticky to the touch, yet at the same time was running through his hair and over his face. Obviously it wasn't Gatorade, because he knew of no Gatorade flavor in the world that was colored brownish white, like the stuff he was examining right now. Also, the game hadn't even begun yet, and therefore there was no reason for the Gatorade shower just yet. Nkong'o then stuck his tongue into the substance. "Gruel," he said, almost to himself.

"Uh, coach, they're throwing their gruel at us!" Aumann shouted.

"What!?" Nkong'o turned around just in time to get hit by a gruel ration right in the face. After he wiped off the gruel, he noticed that everyone was getting in on the gruel-throwing "fun," from the slaves to the horse beaters to the enemy crushers to the loyal friends of "Lord Almighty" Gregory. Eventually, the police did put a stop to the proceedings, but not before throwing their own gruel rations at the Thereisnogodistani players. As the policemen struggled to contain the close-to-rioting people, the Thereisnogodistani quickly and wisely retreated to their locker room. "All right, everybody clean up," Nkong'o told his players. "Hopefully, the next time we come out of that tunnel won't be a repeat of this time."

"The vile heathens!" middle linebacker Andreas Westling shouted. "Don't they realize that they have been brainwashed into an all-encompassing delusion by a single man?"

"Dude, seriously, now's not the time to be all rhetoric-like and stuff," offensive tackle Norberto Tanguay said to Westling. "It don't suit your being a football player."

"I'm just good at both languages and sports," Westling replied.

"Look, all we have to do now is show these people that just because we don't believe in their god, or any go for that matter, doesn't mean that we won't win a game. It's because we're human, and we've accepted our own strengths and weaknesses as our own, and not divinely bestowed. And this is a prime opportunity to show that to these 'vile heathens,' as you call them."

When the Thereisnogodistanis stepped back out of that tunnel eighteen minutes later, it was still to much the same booing that they had experienced the first time. But there were a few changes. This time, the announcer called their team as "Thereisnogodbutgregorystan," but they didn't care. They were representing Thereisnogodistan, for man's sake!

[Schottia]

Leviathans on Tour

"An Historic Day."

By Lewis Patterson

9th January 2014

---

Just off the pitch after our first match against Walamzia; incredible match and a great atmosphere. I thought the guys held their own really well, and on another day we could have even went on to win. It's funny because before the game all the guys were a bundle of nerves, no one wanted to go out there and get humiliated. Then after the game was over, there was a lot of frustration that we couldn't get anything out of it. Even if it wasn't the outcome we were hoping for it has succeeded in galvanising the team and giving them some hope that they can come here and compete.

We were kept waiting for close to an hour as the referee recovered from what I gather was a bout of food poisoning (the delay did nothing for the afore mentioned nerves). It was one of those agonising waits, where everyone was already champing at the bit and raring to go. In a funny way it kind of takes the wind out of you.

When we got out on the pitch it was a fantastic moment, hearing the national anthem, it's like something you see on the TV. Normally in Schottia it's a privilege afforded to footballers, so I would imagine it will be a memory that stays a long time with all of us. I thought that the team were exceptional, some of the young lads like James, Hank, and Rupert played out of their skin. We always knew we would have to work on the defensive elements of our play, and in the end it was indeed that that let us down. Losing 24-20 is a tough one to take but at least it gives us something to work on and we will have a clear vision on where to go next.

We are all heading back to the hotel now for some well earned rest, after an historic day for Gridiron in Schottia. Our next game against Mieraskya will be just as tough so we will need all the sleep we can get.

LP

[Barunia]

OOC: RSBN is a non-Barunian sports broadcaster whose broadcast can be picked up on satellite TV in Barunia. Also, this turned out to be longer than I thought.

J: Hello and welcome to RSBN's special coverage of the 17th Baptism of Iron.
I'm Jules Grimshaw and with me is Bob McCullum. Tonight we're looking at Group E, with the Sea Cows of Barunia taking on Val Halla and Farlandria facing Azrea.
Bob, this Barunian side an interesting one.

B: Absolutely Jules. Not many of the other teams have provided us with information on the group, but these guys have, and its not your normal football squad.

J: Plenty of professional athletes, but not a footballer amongst them.

B: Well, it depends on your code of course. There's a few soccer players, which they call football down there in Barunia, and a lot of guys from Rugby, which I understand is also called football in some parts of the world.

J: That's right, and the Barunians preferring the name gridiron for this sport. Let's have a look at some of the key players.

B: Ok, let's start with the quarterbacks, no stats of course for any of these players, never having played this sport before. John Garamond is the starting quarterback, he's a rugby player normally, and looking like he's getting comfortable throwing the ball forward for a change. He's a solid build too, so he may go for a few runs himself.
The back-up Ryan Dunne, get this, is a professional cricketer. Reports are that he can hit throw a cricket ball from the edge of the field to the centre, a distance of seventy or eighty yards, so maybe it's not that crazy.

J: A bit more weight to a football though. Now they may have a star running-back in Frank Hammond, this guy knows how to sprint.

B: That's right Jules, an Olympic level athlete, ran 10.35 in the 100 metres at Zube, he's going to be the key to running plays. He's not the only Olympian in the team either, one of the other running backs, Lyle Firmin, he's a gymnast.

J: Yep, last competed for his country at the Orean games. Hammond may have the speed, but this guy is nimble.

B: Roger Taylor is the other running back you'll probably see a lot of. Unlike the other's he's a solid guy, so look for him to be the tailback on rushing plays.

---

J: Ok, so let's see how this team, cobbled together from other sports, did in their first match. Over to our commentators, Martin Lewis and Huey Brown, with the highlights.

ML: Barunia, third and long at the forty. Garamond, fakes a pass to Taylor and throws long to O'Higgins, who runs out for a gain of 36 yards. A great play, and Barunia now closing in on the Val Halla red zone.

HB: That was a really smart play, and it was set up by the two running backs. Firstly there's the fake pass to Taylor, but then watch Hammond. He goes to the left, the same side as O'Higgins, then cuts back in past the outside linebacker. He draws the linebacker, and the safety too, and Garamond goes over the top to O'Higgins.

ML: Good work from the offensive tackle to create that opening. Now, first and goal. Garamond goes himself, through the middle, how far did he get it? All the way, touchdown!

HB: Brilliant play, you see Bruce Hunter at the fullback position, just creating that small amount of space for Garamond to get through the line. Garamond gets low but stays on his feet and sneaks the ball over the line for six.

------
HB: Val Halla go the long pass, picked! And he's evaded the tackle, and will run all the way, Touchdown! The cornerback Rees Barnes with a brilliant pick on that pass, and then nimble work to avoid the desperate lunge of the offensive tackle. The result is 13-nil.

ML: And Arkwright makes it 14. A conversion specialist in the Rugby Union back home, and he makes it two for two here at the Baptism of Iron.

------
ML: Hammond, breaks through the line, and he's off. The safety's not stopping him, and the Sea Cows are dominating Val Halla with another touchdown!

HB: Once again, the Barunians showing a good execution of their plans, and they've been really helped by a poor showing from the Val Hallan defence. Keifer Harris just holding up the corner back and Hammond charges around him and runs down to the line easily.

ML: Good work from Keifer Harris there. Arkwright slices it, a miss! So the score stays at 20 nothing, Barunia in the lead.

-----
ML: Val Halla looking good just at the moment. Long throw, and touchdown! 20-6 as the Val Hallans draw one back.

HB: That was the cornerback Joe Davis, just making that mistake there. It looked like he was watching the quarterback, not the receiver.

ML: He doesn't need to worry about the throw, just the catch. A rare mistake from this Barunian defence, which has been in outstanding form.

----
ML Fourth and long, but Barunia are in field goal range. Arkwright looks like he will go for it. And he does, and gets it! Well, he missed a conversion earlier in the night, but there was nothing wrong with that.

----
ML: Garamond looking for options, throws long into the red zone, caught! O'Higgins the receiver, gets his second touchdown of the night!

HB: They're going for two, and why not? They've already got this game in the bag. Garamond goes himself, dinks it over the top to Firmin, and the Sea Cows get the two.

----
Garamond will take a knee, and that'll be the game. The Sea Cows win here in emphatic fashion, 38-7, can you believe it? A team that has never played a competitive game of football before, pulls off an impressive win here at the Baptism of Iron.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Cutoff for MD 2. Good luck to all teams.

Edit: And results.

Group A
Greater Weselton 3–21 Nornaius
Thereisnogodistan 23–23 Eritai (23–26 OT) Game delayed 45 minutes after someone tried to burn flags of Thereisnogodistan and Eritai at midfield. He received a 1 million greggygodbuck reward for the former, but was then executed for the latter.

Group A                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Eritai                                    2   2  0   56  30 +26    6
2 Thereisnogodistan                         2   1  1   39  26 +13    3
3 Nornaius                                  2   1  1   28  33  −5    3
4 Greater Weselton                          2   0  2    3  37 −34    0

Group B
Zitru 6–20 Sheffland Game delayed 66 minutes after rhinoceros escaped from zoo and made explosive diarrhea on the field.
United States of Minton 3–0 Teague

Group B                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sheffland                                 2   2  0   44   9 +35    6
2 United States of Minton                   2   2  0   40  22 +18    6
3 Teague                                    2   0  2    3  27 −24    0
4 Zitru                                     2   0  2   28  57 −29    0

Group C
Wolfbenz 0–16 Pacificana Islands Game delayed 21 minutes after fan tried to behead wolf at midfield and was then beheaded himself for his crimes.
United We Stand 123 10–3 Nukehavistan

Group C                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Pacificana Islands                        2   1  1   23  10 +13    3
2 United We Stand 123                       2   1  1   13  16  −3    3
3 Nukehavistan                              2   1  1   13  17  −4    3
4 Wolfbenz                                  2   1  1   13  19  −6    3

Group D
Southern Democratic States 7–0 Britonisea Referee was forced to wear clown suit for the game after airline mixed up his luggage with a clown's.
DBostick 12–10 Gustavpolis

Group D                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Southern Democratic States                2   2  0   34   3 +31    6
2 Britonisea                                2   1  1   33  14 +19    3
3 DBostick                                  2   1  1   15  37 −22    3
4 Gustavpolis                               2   0  2   17  45 −28    0

Group E
Azrea 0–32 Barunia Game delayed 11 minutes after stadium music system would not shut off and stop playing music.
Farlandia 6–0 Val Halla

Group E                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Barunia                                   2   2  0   70   7 +63    6
2 Farlandia                                 2   2  0   23  10 +13    6
3 Val Halla                                 2   0  2    7  44 −37    0
4 Azrea                                     2   0  2   10  49 −39    0

Group F
The Qocaekian Isles 3–31 Walamzia
Mieraskya 10–31 Schottia Game delayed 45 minutes after ref's car was rear ended by a drunk driver who was later executed.

Group F                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Walamzia                                  2   2  0   55  23 +32    6
2 Schottia                                  2   1  1   51  34 +17    3
3 Mieraskya                                 2   1  1   30  41 −11    3
4 The Qocaekian Isles                       2   0  2   13  51 −38    0

Group G
The Greater Vakolicci Haven 7–9 Kolmya Game delayed 44 minutes after fans threw rocks at the Vakolicci players to put the heathens in their place and received 10 million greggygodbucks each as a reward.
Gregoryisgodistan Special Admin Zone 13–6 Jecatria

Group G                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Kolmya                                    2   2  0   19  14  +5    6
2 Gregoryisgodistan Special Admin Zone      2   1  1   16  12  +4    3
3 The Greater Vakolicci Haven               2   1  1   13  12  +1    3
4 Jecatria                                  2   0  2   13  23 −10    0

Group H
New Nationale Einheit 7–34 Hambeich
Vermark 13–7 Sereina Game delayed 34 minutes after Enemy Crushers accidentally crushed the referee while training for the World Bowl.

Group H                                 Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hambeich                                  2   2  0   44  14 +30    6
2 Vermark                                   2   1  1   23  21  +2    3
3 New Nationale Einheit                     2   1  1   21  44 −23    3
4 Sereina                                   2   0  2   14  23  −9    0

[Vermark]

Vermark National Handegg Team
In Vermark, the sport of handegg (American Football) is considered another code of rugby and is governed by such the Vermark Rugby Federation (VRF). It is by no means a vastly popular sport in Vermark; however, like the other codes of rugby, handegg has a decent sized population of followers with a stronghold in the plains region of the country. Varish players tend to be smaller in size, but often much quicker. They tend to favor the running game, and most passing plays will stem from play action. Varish handegg players have two seasons: one for handegg (American Football) in the fall months and one for Northern Rules (Canadian Football) in the spring.

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Gulbrand Carlsen
Offensive Coordinator: Oskar Willemsen
Defensive Coordinator: Erik Thorsen
Special Team Coordinator: Hernan Holgersen
Team Doctor: Dr. Mathias Svensson
Head Trainer: Joakim Stefansen

Offense
LT #67 Jonathan Nordskov (Raskstad Renegades)
LG #52 Axel Halt (Dunsvik Bears)
C #64 Arvid Lindstrom (Videnhagen Wolves)
RG #59 Gunnar Kristiansen (Videnhagen Jets)
RT #49 Joakim Claesson (Agriholm Warriors)
QB #05 Stefan Abrahamsen (Dunsvik Bears)
HB #24 Eric Raske (Enberg Blizzard)
FB #32 Janne Oren (Petrovik Pelicans)
WR #87 Arvid Larsson (Sorenstrom Kings)
WR #88 Andreas Hernansson (Raskstad Renegades)
TE #81 Peter Pedersen (Videnhagen Jets)

T #52 Jacob Poulsen (Sorenstrom Kings)
T #44 Knud Gunnarsen (Videnhagen Wolves)
G #45 Joachim Helgesson (Larquist Hitmen)
G #57 Oskar Lindstrom (Agriholm Warriors)
QB #12 Herman Amundsen (Videnhagen Wolves)
RB #25 Wilhelm Ostergaard (Agriholm Warriors)
WR #84 Andreas Jespersen (Raskstad Renegades)
TE #85 Christian Hansson (Sorstrom Kings)

Defense
DT #66 Sander Helgesson (Dunsvik Bears)
DT #71 Rune Bendtner (Enberg Blizzard)
NT #61 Kasper Hermansson (Videnhagen Jets)
OLB #63 Jokum Gunnarsen (Petrovik Pelicans)
OLB #68 Thor Skovgaard (Larquist Hitmen)
MLB #56 Thorsten Andersen (Videnhagen Wolves)
MLB #55 Esben Lunds (Raskstad Renegades)
CB #26 Dafid Ostergard (Enberg Blizzard)
CB #28 Jokum Kaspersen (Sorstrom Kings)
SS #22 Sigmund Patriksson (Videnhagen Jets)
FS #37 Leo Solberg (Raskstad Renegades)

DT #60 Frederik Moller (Videnhagen Jets)
DT #69 Kristen Petersen (Raskstad Renegades)
NT #91 Daniel Borquist (Videnhagen Wolves)
LB #44 Aage Guldbrandsen (Dunsvik Bears)
LB #49 Jannick Randrup (Agriholm Warriors)
DB #21 Hakan Lange (Sorstrom Kings)
DB #29 Nicklas Patricksen (Enberg Blizzard)
DB #33 Elias Raske (Petrovik Pelicans)

Special Teams
K #03 Eric Kristensen (Videnhagen Wolves)
P #11 Acke Borg (Raskstad Renegades)
KR #82 Thorsten Johansson (Dunsvik Bears)
PR #85 Frans Poulsen (Agriholm Warriors)

RP Permissions
Choose my Scorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod Scoring Events: Y
RP Injuries to my Players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Y
Godmod Other Events: Y
Style Modifier: +2.5

[Schottia]

Leviathans on Tour

"A Sour Note."

By Lewis Patterson

10th January 2014

---

Our second game of in the tournament brought what would, in normal circumstances, have been an incredible win for the team. The result (our first ever win) was sadly overshadowed however by news of an event which took place prior to the match.

The game was delayed for the second day running, we initially put this down to the clear infrastructural problems that Gregoryisgodistan seems to have. However we were later informed that the referee's car had been driven off the road by another motorist, who had been put to death for his crime. Coming from a small socialist democracy we were of course horrified, and several of the players have been considering withdrawing from the tournament. Even Lucas, who comes from Jedoria where the death penalty is still used, could not believe the manner of the government's actions.

As I write this I am sat at the hotel bar with a small class of whisky, trying to get my head around some of the reports of barbarity taking place in this country. If I am totally honest my hands are still shaking and will probably continue to do so for some time. It is something that most of us in Schottia never have to think about, as we take our freedom and social liberty for granted. However it seems that these people live in a constant state of fear and persecution.

We have come to a decision that most of us will at least try to play out the remainder of our matches. However, whether everyone in the squad decides to stay here for the duration of the tournament, it still remains to be seen. Playing under these conditions will be tough, but with a win under our belts it seems like a shame to through things away.

I intend to lead the team out in our next match against The Qocaekian Isles regardless. Sport should, in my opinion, be something that is beyond politics and removed from the social problems within society. I for one am here to play Gridiron football and that is what I intend to do -- If my legs stop shaking long enough that is.

LP

[Thereisnogodistan]

617 Stadium
District 7, Ward 10, Gregoryisgodistan

"Malik Qazizadah once said that Gregoryisgodistan would be right at home in his crazy planets," Francois-Michel Nkong'o said, almost to himself, "but this is just ridiculous now! Really!"

Once again, Thereisnogodistan's game had to be delayed because of their team's very provocative name, at least in the eyes of the Gregoryisgodistani fans. A very zealous spectator, brandishing what appeared to be a lighter, hopped down from the stands and onto the fields. As he ran, he was shouting "Gregory is great!" or something like that. Kind of similar to the Islamic "Allah akbar!" But this guy wasn't a suicide bomber; no, he was nothing like that. All he wanted to do was set fire to the flags of the two countries about to play. And he managed to do that, after the kids holding the flags of Thereisnogodistan and Eritai ran away from the screaming madman. There was nothing very provocative about Thereisnogodistan's flag, at least if you weren't a Catholic. It was basically a copy of the flag of the Vatican City, only instead of the keys of Saint Peter on the fly, it was the symbol of atheism (actually just one of many) that was there. There was nothing much about that symbol for atheism, just an unassuming atomic model with the letter A in place of the nucleus. However, the Gregoryisgodistani fan had decided that it was very much a pagan (in his religion's eyes, at least) object, and therefore deserved to be consumed by the fire of the god Gregory.

As for why he wanted to burn the flag of Eritai too... now Nkong'o had no answer for that. The flag of Eritai was an almost-exact copy of the Australian Aboriginal Flag, a black and red bicolor with a yellow disc in the center. As the two flags burned, the agitated fan shouted, "There is no god but Gregory! Gregory is God! Gregory is great! He provides us all! He protects us all!"

"Talk about fanaticism," Harrison Aumann muttered to Norberto Tanguay as they watched the fan jeer at the burning flags.

"Yes," Tanguay agreed. "It makes people do the craziest stuff."

"Wonder when the police will finally decide to intervene?"

"No need to ask anymore, man; here they come!"

Four policemen surrounded Flag Burner. They had some sort of conversation for a few minutes, and then suddenly, one of the policemen announced, "This man here is hereby awarded 1 million greggygodbucks in the name of Lord Almighty Gregory for burning the flag of the nonbelieving heathens of Thereisnogodistan!"

"What!?" every player and staff member of the Thereisnogodistani team shouted in unison. "What is the meaning of this?" Andreas Westling demanded. "Do these uneducated masses not see restriction of the right of freedom of religion, or rather our lack of it, through that man's burning of our flag?"

"Take it easy, Andreas," Nkong'o told the linebacker. "Their beliefs are so firmly entrenched in their brains that not even the industrial jackhammer of Richard Dawkins' wisdom can remove it."

Then, just as suddenly as they announced the guy's substantial reward for burning the Thereisnogodistani flag, the policemen said, "For burning the flag of Eritai, which does not carry any connotation to Lord Almighty Gregory, you are hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

"Oh, the humanity!" Nkong'o shouted as the policemen dealt the killing blow to the flag burner right there on the field of 617 Stadium. "Yeah, that's gonna take some time to clean up," Aumann muttered.

As the Thereisnogodistani players filed back to their locker room, Aumann decided to bring up a fact that he had only just noticed before they were asked to return to their lockers for the clean-up of the impromptu execution. "Hey, guys," he said, "did you notice our opponents for this game?"

"What? Those Eritaian guys?" Tanguay asked in reply. "Yeah, I noticed it too. They look like elves and dwarves, in addition to the regular humans."

"And I've just looked them up on the Internet," Westling said. When everyone gave him the evil eye, he said, in his defense, "What? I've got my own pocket Wi-Fi. Anyway, I looked up Eritai on the Internet. Turns out that they think that names have such a powerful magic behind them that can cause our brains to seize, and never mind the fact that they call us regular humans 'mundanes.'"

"Oh, man, now I'm pissed even more," Scottie Martineau said. "Now all I wanna do is show these elves how us 'mundanes' play real football!"

"That's the spirit!" Nkong'o shouted, speaking up for the first time. "All right, when we finally get back onto that field, we're gonna show these elves and dwarfs how we humans play armoured rugby--er, American football! Hooah!"

"Hooah!"