Baptism of Fire LXV - SPAWK!

[Soltsteed]

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Restaurant in Kayo
9 June

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“To good health!”

“Hear!”

Glasses clinked as the team celebrated a harrowing escape from oblivion. The path to the knockout stage wasn’t pretty, but the road ahead would be brutal. At least the Drawkian FA were kind enough to provide free flights for the Stallions.

“You know,” Clement queried as he observed his dish, “I didn’t think you could put crab on pasta. You don’t see a lot of them in St Christopher.”

“It’s kind of hard when your city is inland,” the Port Michael native Emmet proclaimed. “I would presume that most crabs in the capital are already dead.”

“You should see Cherrygrove,” Bryan replied. “But I must warn you, they come from the sea there instead of a bowl of noodles.”

A small rumble of laughter emanated from the group. The thirty-odd Soltsteeders continued to munch away at their meals with smiles and other miscellaneous approving looks until James rose to speak.

“If you’re nervous about tomorrow, don’t be.”

Surprised faces quickly emerged from the happy ones, wondering what the hell the assistant manager was on about.

James continued: “Chailanka didn’t perform that much better than us. A difference of one point and one goal conceded is all that separated the two of us. We are the furthest from underdogs we can get outside of the game against Heif.”

Some vaguely motivational speeches followed. Some praised the resilience of the Soltsteedish team, especially after being pelted with pastry-wrapped sausages. Others emphasised Soltsteed’s good chance against Chailanka. Still others commended the effectiveness of the Soltsteedish defence.

Finally, Jan-Peter rose to speak. “Let’s forget the rocky road here. We have a new start and the same chance at the trophy as everyone else. So a toast.” Jan-Peter waited for everyone to lift their glasses before proclaiming “Wie sent en skal senten.”

“We are and shall be,” was the unanimous reply.

Soltsteed were here today and they’d be here tomorrow.

Hopefully.

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Giant Pink Castle, Kayo
9 June

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The castle felt suspiciously like a tourist trap. The pink colour couldn’t have been a real thing: it had to be made up to attract gullible foreigners.

Emma had rued her missed penalty in the dying minutes of the first half, but it ultimately didn’t matter: Soltsteed were still in the lead thanks to her earlier 21st minute goal and she had secured their win in the 62nd. A two goal win and Loynn picking up points were more than enough to see Soltsteed through.

It wasn’t enough, though. Marvin bagging Soltsteed’s first goal of the tournament still rankled her. It was all for the same cause, but wasn’t that her job? And what about the quarterfinal, if the Stallions even got there at all? Maybe there was a reason she was hardly mentioned in the restaurant.

“You nervous?” yelled a man in suspiciously Soltsteedish-accented English.

Emma looked up to find Clement heading from the other direction. “How did you know?”

“Wasn’t it obvious? Listen, we’re in this together. You’ve got all of us behind you.”

“Yeah, but it’s a still a lot of pressure.”

“Not as much as losing our first game and having to win the next two to stay in it. We only have to win one game to advance now.”

“True.”

“Listen, we’ve got some other players coming here for a tour. You can come with if you’d like.”

“I’ve got some cash to spare, so sure.”

Five other players showed up to the castle from the animation studio. After the obligatory hugs and whatnot, Clement laid down several lolads and proclaimed “Seven tickets, please,” in English.

Clement turned around and gave a simple nod. Emma slowly returned the cash she had pulled out to her wallet and her wallet to her purse. It’s not often you see someone from the capital pay for someone else.

A seemingly uncountable amount of time later, seven obnoxiously smiling Soltsteeders would return. Upon seeing the dusk settling upon Drawkland, it was now back to the hotel for some sleep and some last-minute practice in the morning.

[Drawkland]

Round of 16 Cutoff (Fork)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr20tq1qQD8

[Drawkland]

Round of 16

Chailanka 0–1 Soltsteed (Kayo)
Loynn 0–0 Thesi Erevnah (0–0 AET) (4–3 pen.) (Bellator)
Acapais 4–2 Frejo (Archifel)
Kyrjasmark 1–0 Gegernia (Cove Port)

Quarterfinals

Soltsteed vs Loynn (Archifel)
Acapais vs Kyrjasmark (Cove Port)

[Acapais]

Acapais Football Players Ill in Drawkland

ARCHIFEL CAPITAL - About thirty minutes after Acapais' Round of 16 Win against Frejo, six of Acapais' starting eleven came down with illnesses. The players affected are Alice Baird, Laura Palmer, Aaron Luevano, Irving Healy, Walter Holt, and captain Matthew Watson. Assistant coach, Chuck Macklin is also ill. Symptoms of the illnesses indicate food poisoning, but Drawkland medical professionals have yet to verify the claims. The Manager, Andrew Jennings stated in a quick interview with The City Journal that an alternate lineup will be posted Monday morning, and that they "have a lot of work to prepare for Monday's match." Jennings also commented, "We're fortunate that we don't have to travel again."

Other players in the Drawkland side of the tournament are rumored ill as well but, as of this writing, there are no confirmed cases.

Sports apparel company, ediraf, were blamed and questioned initially to see if there was a substance in the new Acapais kits that could make the players sick, but it is now clear since not all Acapaisian players were affected and other tournament participants are allegedly affected, that the ediraf kits are not the culprit. Acapais had been given the kits for the tournament's knockout rounds. An ediraf employee that wished to remain nameless mentioned that "it should be the last time we do anything nice for another club. They were a gift remember."

Updates:
2103 GMT - Bonesea official and out-spoken critic of Acapais' eligibility, Atticus Cothric, has said publicly, "Acapais have gotten what they deserve as far as I'm concerned, They shouldn't be where they are anyways."

2152 GMT - Jennings has confirmed that the six infected Acapais players will miss Monday's match.

2216 GMT - Defender, Lucio, indicated that "it could be sea food related, because [he] remember[s] Laura, Aaron, and Matt all having salmon and oysters for lunch before the game [against Frejo] today"

2235 GMT - Bonefolk, Atticus Cothric has release a written statement withdrawing his previous comments about Acapais' eligibility.

2311 GMT - A leaked copy of the lineup for the match against the unbeaten Kyrjasmark has been provided to The City Journal:

[Kel Assuk]

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 4: The Good News and the Bad News

Eric jumped up and down after Kel Assuk advanced to the quarterfinals of the Baptism of Fire, definitely good news for his team and for the nation of Kel Assuk in general. Football was not the most popular sport in Kel Assuk, but they were proving themselves nonetheless and making it past many obstacles, including the last game against Löptsegl. One goal was the difference between victory and defeat; one goal was the difference between jubilation and disappointment. Kel Assuk had scored that one goal, and had moved on; Löptsegl had conceded that one goal, and went home. Eric thought back to his team's Round of 16 loss to Abanhfleft in the Independents Cup; this victory had almost avenged that loss, and it certainly made up for that disappointment. Now Kel Assuk was in the quarterfinals, and the excitement of its national team and their manager was palpable.

Löptsegl had put up a good fight, to be sure. Thormodsson had made several exquisite saves, and Ragnvaldsson had controlled the midfield from start to finish, denying Kel Assuk the option of attacks through the center; Valthjofsson and Svartlingrsson had stymied Kel Assuk's chances on the wings. It therefore rested on Seyni Ait Ahmed and Saden Khalej to break the Löptsegl defense - something that proved to be very hard throughout the match. In the end, the breakthrough came not with a regular goal or a set piece - it came with a penalty after Svartlingrsson carelessly attempted to tackle Isula Azellay in the penalty area. The referee blew his whistle, and Ait Ahmed sent the ball flying into the goal with ease past the goalkeeper Thormodsson to send Kel Assuk up 1-0. The match did not see any other goals, however, as Löptsegl parked the bus and Eric's team was not particularly inclined to spend their energy attacking the opposition's defense, seeing as they were in the lead.

It was a fairly boring victory, by most observers' standards, but the old statement went a win is a win is a win, so Eric was fairly happy about the fact that they were advancing. There weren't any obviously gaping holes in the team's strategy exposed in their Round of 16 match; although Eric was disappointed with the team's lack of attacking vigor, it was something that had a decent enough of an excuse, and Eric knew that they would continue to display firm attacking strength throughout the rest of the games that they played. Speaking of that, the team would face a familiar foe in a familiar location... in two days, Kel Assuk would be playing Elgenstad in the Paatukar Football Stadium, almost a near exact rematch of their earlier group stage contest; only this time, the teams would not be playing for points. They would be playing for the chance to advance to the Baptism of Fire semifinal, and possibly the final.

Eric was confident of victory over Elgenstad, considering that Kel Assuk had won that group stage encounter two to zip. Plus, Tveidalen, a nation which rather unconvincingly won their group, took three goals off Elgenstad's rather stingy defense and forced the team to extra time; Eric wondered if the team's quality had dropped off since they faced Kel Assuk. However, he did remember Han Solo's advice to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope: "Don't get cocky, kid." He mulled over that piece of advice before deciding to run some drills that would help the team get past Elgenstad once again. Although he was confident in himself and his team, he didn't want to tale anything for granted here. It was the Baptism of Fire quarterfinals, and Eric didn't want to take too many chances against dangerous opposition.

Then came the bad news, While Eric was pondering the match against Elgenstad, his team was pondering a contest of a different kind. Omar Feraoun and Tariq Arazi had contracted a violent food poisoning from the last night's meal in the Paatukar Night Markets, and the team was trying to figure out what to do. They called the team doctor to the hotel and asked hom for advice, but were told that the most he could do was advise them to wait and drink as much fluid as possible. Luckily, since the team had large quantities of Pedialyte at the hotel to prevent dehydration from the football matches, they could take action, immediately and effectively, but they could not relieve Omar and Tariq's frequent diarrhea and vomiting, as well as their lack of sleep. When Eric found out that the two had food poisoning, he demanded to know everything that the two had eaten in the last 24 hours; it eventually emerged that the two had shared a meat chili dish in the Night Markets, and the team surmised that the chili dish had caused the poisoning, considering none of the other team members had eaten from that particular stall. Eric grumbled about the stall's lack of food safety, but there wasn't anything he could really do, besides tell the afflicted team members to follow the doctor's advice.

Despite his sympathy for Tariq and Omar (Eric had once gotten food poisoning after eating a contaminated burger in Handon, and it was not fun), Eric wasn't particularly worried for the match against Elgenstad. He was leaning toward starting Isula and Ashur Ben Hassi again, and putting them out on the wings, and this development only gave him a further excuse to do so. He hadn't exactly been enamored of their performance during the games against New Danican and Achesznya, and Isula and Ashur had simply performed better. The only downside to this food poisoning was that Eric didn't have all that many credible options up front in case of an injury or something like that; he supposed he could shift resources to the midfield, with Badis Al-Ouaer perhaps his most reliable option, but Eric wasn't sure how much Badis could add to the offense in the event he was needed. All Eric needed to do was cross his fingers that Saden, Isula, or Ashur didn't have any injury, and his plan would be secure; if they did get injured, though, he would be in deep trouble.

[Loynn]

LBC Sports News
Loynn Scrape Victory

Match Overview

Loynn 0–0 Thesi Erevnah (0–0 AET) (4–3 pen.)

Returning to the Pitch of Plains once more, Loynn failed to capitalise on what some would consider a "home" advantage. Having played 3 games there already many thought that Loynn would have the upper hand. This was not the case however, in a surprisingly boring match which ended as a goalless draw.

Possibly due to fatigue, Patrick Day fielded a weaker team, with Richard morris and Phil Aniston starting on the wings, and Andy Tucker replacing Haydn Sands. Key man Ace Waterson was also left on the bench, and was replaced by Tristinia midfielder Mark Jonson. This meant a 4-5-1 formation was adapted, limiting Loynn's attacking ability. There were a few chances created, with some accurate crosses from Morris and Aniston reaching Jonny Nash, but the attempts were thwarted by the competent Thesian keeper. One advantage of having so many men playing in midfield was that Thesi Erevnah struggled to gain and keep possession, and by the end of the first half they had only managed 4 chances, one of which was on target. The first half ended uneventfully, and groans were heard from the stands.

The boys seemed a little stressed as they made their way back to the pitch, fielding a weaker team at this time really seemed to have an effect not only on the game but on the players' morale. However the boys pushed on, trying desperately to score. A number of controversial decisions marred the second half, with two Loynn goals being disallowed for being offside. Later replays disproved one of the offside calls, but, as the boys well know, the ref's decision is final. At around 60 minutes in Jonny Nash was substituted after a rough challenge that left him with a dead leg. His replacement George Waters seemed to be the fresh set of legs that would find a goal, but Thesi Erevnah's keeper managed to keep the young striker at bay. At the 80th minute Mark Jonson was sent off after a tackle, a punishment many thought was incredibly harsh, especially since it had been his first foul of the game. In an attempt to create more chances Ace Waterson was subbed on for Ben Rich, and James Owen replaced Phil Aniston. The tactical changes, however, were in vain as Waterson was playing in an unfamiliar position and he failed to present himself as a real threat to the opposition. The final whistle blew and the game continued on to extra time.

The sheer length of the game took it's toll on the boys, and they soon found themselves unable to sustain their signature attacking play. Luckily for them though the Thesian team was suffering the same fatigue, and the chances in extra time were few and far between, with no team managing to break the deadlock. The final whistle blew after 120 minutes, and the game would be decided on penalties.

Ace Waterson was the first to take the kick, and finally being given a real chance at goal he delivered, placing the strike clean through the middle. The Thesian strikers however fought back, and soon the penalties were 3-3. Morris had the unfortunate fate of being the one to miss his chance at goal, hitting the crossbar with his shot, but much to his relief, and to the relief of everyone watching, Thesia Erevnah missed their next chance. George Waters was the last man to step up to the plate, the young striker nervously took a deep breath and composed himself before striking directly into the top corner. Silence then consumed the crowd, as the final Thesian player put the ball on the spot. He shot the ball with some power, but Karl Weir punched the ball straight out of danger. He stood up to the roar of Loynnian fans, praising the keeper for saving not only the goal, but Loynn from leaving the competition.

Now Loynn face an old enemy, Soltsteed, in the quarter finals. The boys have been tipped in favour to win thanks to their 2-0 victory the first time they met, but Patrick Day will be sure to make sure they are ready for the fight of a lifetime.

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BREAKING: Loynn Players Catch Food Poisoning

We have heard from Patrick Day that a few players have caught food poisoning as a result of eating a "really, awfully, terrible" meal at their hotel. The affected players are centre-back Haydn Sands, winger Richard Morris, and midfielder Mark Wilson. It is believed that they will all have to miss the quarter-final match against Soltsteed. Their replacements have been names as Jonny Carter (DC) and Mark Jonson (MC). It is currently believed that the illness has not spread to the rest of the team, much to the relief of Loynnians, as fielding another weakened team would surely spell disaster for their campaign.

[Elgenstad]

This was a new feeling. You could suppose that this feeling was new for everyone on the field, seeing as this is the Baptism of Fire. After one hundred eighteen minutes of soccer that had been particularly ferocious for the last forty-five or so, there was a moment of eerie calm. Just in extra time, each time had already scored a goal after scoring two each during the regular period of play. Tveidalen had pushed the Elgish defense to its limit. Normally stoic and sturdy, the Elgish style of play had to increase the tempo lest they be left in the dust. Tveidalen’s onslaught had paid dividends in the form of two balls past Ole Sandvik and into the netting. The price they paid was a weak defense that succumbed to two goals from the counterattack.

The frantic pace had cooled. Jon Omholt stood with the ball thirty-three meters from the goal. He had been awarded a free kick after a Tveidalen midfielder, Petter Solberg, had been a little too liberal with force in trying to force Omholt off the ball. The only players ahead were Lauritz Ostenstad and Torgeir Salomon. Ralf Gulbrandsen and Oliver Paulsen, the other two midfielders, were more off to the wings than they were up ahead of the ball. This was the style Elgenstad was playing. It was no issue if the whistle blew in two minutes and the score was still tied. The coaching staff had confidence in Ole Sandvik to carry them through penalty kicks.

The stadium in Highbay was like no venue Jon had seen before. The field was floating out on the waters of the bay. To his left were the stands filled with onlookers, and to the right, was the bay. The waters were so still and calm. The setting sun bathed the bay in warm orange light. Wisps of purple floated across the sky. This was unlike the waters in Elgenstad. The sea is choppy and rough as it crashes into the rocky coast in Havnen. There is no bay to shelter the coastline there. The Storelven is no different. The river runs from Byen up in the mountains down through the center of Havnen before merging with the sea. The change in elevation makes for a swift current that is controlled with a system of locks.

It felt as though there was a rock in Omholt’s stomach. He wasn’t sure if it was the nerves or Highbay’s chowder. He grabbed hold of his mutton chops and rubbed his face with his hands. He wiped the coal dust onto his light blue shorts. At this point, the game was in the 119th minute. He had delayed long enough. Inhale. Keeping his eyes on the ball, he took a few steps back and to the side. Exhale. Jon took a look up at the goal ahead. Inhale. Once more, he returned his gaze to the ball. Exhale. He rushed forward and took a big kick at the ball. It shot off of his foot like a laser. It lifted as it rocketed towards the goal, seeming as though it would go high. It reached the apex of its arc and broke downwards and to the left. Not expecting an attempt on goal, Asgeir Olhouser was playing up from the goal line. He watched the ball come in and did what he could to run back to the line and up the meet the ball. Unfortunately for him, there was hardly a thing he could do. The ball flew in just under the crossbar and inside the left post. Omholt simultaneously felt exhilaration and exhaustion. The Elgish players celebrated their unlikely goal with a level of energy and exuberance that would look more in place at the nineteenth minute and not the one hundred nineteenth. Seconds later, the referee blew his whistle for the end of extra time, sending Elgenstad through to the quarterfinals.

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

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Your plug for all things sport.

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AGGREY-FYNN LAND EKES OUT 1-0 WIN IN ROUND OF 16 AND LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

GOAL: Johnson (82')

(Skagenes, SPAAM) Aggrey-Fynn Land traveled over to the city of Skagenes to play their Round of 16 match against Kecrazia. Kecrazia finished atop Group D with 7 points. Aggrey-Fynn Land barely moved on, needing a big 5-2 win against Miloscia in order to slide into second place in Group C with 4 points. Nilemas and Skagenes are not far from each other, so the Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans' trip was not too difficult to make. "We're glad to be here cheering the boys on", said one fan as she entered the stadium. "Personally, I'm glad that the flight wasn't long, but make no mistake, I wouldn't have missed this game for the world." From the size of the crowd in Skagenes and the amount of people watching the game at home, it appeared that this sentiment was shared.

A nasty surprise

The team touched down in Skagenes two days before the game took place. Their manager Simmons allowed them to sightsee the day they touched down. The players did not waste this rare break from training and went about the town. They all went to see the statue of Margaret. They also got some food. Most of them just got some plain stew with a loaf of bread to stay on the safe side. However, most of the attackers and midfielders were feeling more adventurous and ordered the Surprise stew. However, they had the misfortune of choosing a rather sketchy establishment to order it from. When they got their stew, they ate their fill. Unbeknownst to them, the meat that was put in the stew was infected with bird flu. That night, they became so sick that they could not even report to training. As a result of the tainted food, all the starting attackers and midfielders got sick except for Roman Kendrick and Ronald Johnson. "This is a very unsettling turn of events. With most of our offensive firepower out for the time being, we will have to rely on our defense tomorrow", said the manager Simmons.

A tight game

As the manager promised, this game was very tight. Most of the play was found in the middle, as both team's back fours smothered any activity in the offensive third. As a result, a battle for possession ensued in the midfield area. This was a battle which Aggrey-Fynn Land found themselves losing, due to the fact that two of their starters were out. Aggrey-Fynn Land did not have the majority of possession by any means, so the Kecrazian attack had some opportunities to get a goal. The Aggrey-Fynn Lander defense was the saving grace. They stopped every inquiry the Kecrazians made in the attacking third. The game was 0-0 at the half.

A lucky strike

The second half was very much like the first. The action happened in the middle of the field, and the defenders made the stops they needed to. However, there was one main difference. Ronald Johnson and Roman Kendrick stepped it up. They used their strength- passing- to their advantage. Whereas before the Aggrey-Fynn Lander attacks would break down when they lost the ball, this time they were more clever. They distributed the ball more efficiently, and were able to give Aggrey-Fynn Land an advantage in time of possession. Another byproduct of the midfielders smart play is that they were able to get some shots on goal. Late in the game, the Aggrey-Fynn Landers got the game winner. In the 82nd minute, they got their game winner. Johnson and Kendrick were passing the ball back and forth as they went up the pitch. Finally, as Kendrick neared the end of the box, he threaded a through ball to Johnson, who hit a sweet shot into the bottom right corner. When the ball went in, the Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans lost their minds. There was lots of joyous shouting and even some tears shed as the fans shared hugs and high fives with each other. After this goal, the game was more or less over. Kecrazia lost steam, and was unable to mount an efficient attack. Soon enough, the final whistle was blown. Aggrey-Fynn Land got the crucial win, 1-0.

[Soltsteed]

Note: the only change for the quarterfinal will be Camille Daley’s replacement by Ann-Elisabeth Smid for reasons that will become apparent below.

|national football | club football | basketball | rugby | volleyball | sevenball|

chailanka 0–1 soltsteed: stallions excise some demons, but leave others be
soltsteed overcome illnesses to narrowly advance to the baptism of fire quarterfinals

KAYO, Drawkland — Soltsteed have overcome a rocky tournament start and several cases of possibly crab-induced food poisoning to book a place in the Baptism of Fire quarterfinals.

After a less-than-ideal road to the knockout stage, Soltsteed were paired up with Chailanka. But despite winning their group, they hardly did any better than the Stallions: seven points versus six for Soltsteed and one goal conceded instead of two. Nevertheless, the promise of a closely-fought match packed the Kanyo Pitch, one of Drawkland’s largest sporting venues and the site for the fast-approaching final.

Soltsteed were at somewhat of a disadvantage after several players fell ill with food poisoning after a celebratory feast in a local restaurant—which is suspected, though not confirmed, to be caused by rancid crab—leaving Emmet Ferdinand, Lily Webb, Joanna Morris, Clement Kolen and Emma Gryndhout to be replaced by Roger Gaius, Otto Frederickssen, Martin McKenzie, Matthew Baker and Carle de Marcht respectively. Meanwhile, Chailanka, who were not facing food-related illnesses, were able to field their strongest starting eleven.

With Chailanka kicking off, Soltsteed almost immediately got off on the wrong foot: McKenzie was booked three minutes into the match for a poor tackle on Lukács Geza. The ensuing free kick, however, would go poorly for Chailanka, as Rosie Foley wrested the ball from the Blues and cleared it out to Carle de Marcht, who tried for an early sixth minute goal only to see his long-range attempt go over the crossbar.

The ensuing rain would signify a change in fortunes for Soltsteed, who began to wrest control the match from Chailanka. Fazekas Pál’s booking after a bad challenge on McKenzie gave the Stallions the opportunity they need to mount an effective attack, taking the ensuing free kick uncharacteristically short and lying in wait for a chance. Receiving the ball on a cross from McKenzie, Marvin Hilton wouldn’t have to wait long, though, finding an opening to Carle de Marcht, who found himself unchallenged as he put the ball high in the corner and Soltsteed on the board nineteen minutes into the match.

Chailanka wasted no time in seeking an equaliser, but found attack route after attack route shut down by a disciplined Soltsteedish back five, despite Frederickssen attempting to help Chailanka by taking down Nemes Márkó in a poor challenge. 33 minutes in and desperate for a chance, Lukács Geza took a corner long and high, only to see Boros Jakab head the ball over the crossbar. After the ensuing goal kick, Chailanka found the ball and put themselves on the front foot yet again, with Matthew Baker’s shirt tug against Király György and subsequent booking providing ample opportunity.

The rest of the first half would be dominated by Soltsteedish time-wasting. Marie-Ann Änderssen got to the ball ahead of Kiss Szabolcs, only to put it out for a throw-in, taken by Fazekas Pál. Camille Daley would get to the ball first, but would this time put it out for a Chailankan corner.

With the end of the first half approaching, Szabolcs would manage to get the ball to Nemes Márkó, who saw his on-target attempt punched away by Roger Gaius. Bryan McBride quickly cleared the ball from the box as stoppage time began, ending any hope of Chailanka levelling before halftime.

With no changes at the half except for substitution of rain in favour of some sunshine, Soltsteed kicked off the second half and proceeded to go out of their way to infuriate the Chailankans by not even bothering to make a move. Passing the ball about among the midfielders, it would take a bad pass from McKenzie to Cobus Brygge to give Chailanka a chance, albiet one coming with a lot of tackling from Brygge and Matthew Baker.

But in a matter of minutes, Boros Jakab found an opening to Szabolcs and a prayer. Szabolcs quickly moved the ball up to Lukács Geza, who teamed up effectively with Nemes Márkó to push the ball closer and closer to Gaius’s goal, only to have an old pull-on-the-shirt trick from Daley stop them.

Daley would see herself sent off and cede a critical penalty to Chailanka, leading to the spectacle of Roger Gaius arguing with the referee and three of Soltsteed’s remaining defenders futilely attempting to pry him away before he landed in the book for dissent. Managing to delay the penalty a few minutes with his antics, though nearly at the cost of getting sent off, Gaius pulled off a save in the 61st minute, keeping Soltsteed’s lead intact and putting the ball over the line for a Chailankan corner.

Manager Jan-Peter Wietdal quickly used the opportunity to take De Marcht off for defender Ann-Elisabeth Smid, playing the last half hour without a striker. And Smid would quickly prove her usefulness when she cleared Szabolcs’s corner from the box and put the Stallions back in the driving seat.

It would take another fifteen minutes for Soltsteed to be threatened again after a wayward attempt by Geza. Eight minutes later, Bács László’s risky pass up to Boros Jakab paid off, catching the Stallions off guard. Jakab put the ball over the heads of the entire Soltsteedish back line and Geza finally got his chance to celebrate if not for his offside position, putting the ball past Gaius for naught. The last five minutes and stoppage time were therefore reduced to an exercise in time wasting that successfully saw Soltsteed through to the quarterfinals.

“It was far from pretty,” Wietdal said in the post-match press conference, “but we got the job done. It’s the result that matters and to get that result despite several of our players being out thanks to food poisoning is quite great. It’s a positive sign for our next match, which will be tough no matter who we are facing.”

Captain Marie-Ann Änderssen was less amused. “There were definitely more shameful moments than I would consider ideal in that match. The result matters, but so does fair play. I consider it a duty to lead by example and this match was a bad example for the children of Soltsteed, who are apparently supposed to learn that anything goes when you want to win.”

The status of Emmet Ferdinand, Lilly Webb, Joanna Morris and Clement Kolen is currently unknown, though rumours hold that Ferdinand and Kolen may be well enough to compete in the upcoming quarterfinal; Emma Gryndhout, who is known to have not eaten any crab, has been confirmed to be well enough to play in the next match. The only confirmed change is that Ann-Elisabeth Smid will fully replace the suspended Camille Daley for the quarterfinal.

Soltsteed now return to Bellator to face a rematch against Loynn, who knocked Thesi Erevnah out on penalties. •

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In other news:
Co. Berry: Cherrygrove and surrounds face a flood of the century after rainstorms
Port Michael: Bank headquarters “TPed” and egged in mysterious vandal attack
#SoltPoli: SDLP-introduced no confidence motion heavily defeated on the Senate floor
SPAWK: How low can Soltsteed sink for a football trophy? The quarterfinal will provide the answer

[Kyrjasmark]

Hello, I'm Freya Torvaldsonn, and welcome to The Crown. This week I'm in Ust, the grand capital of the Mark at the start of the 9th century.

From Ust, the Kingdom of the Mark stretched across Thundvangr and into the southern-most parts of Kyrjasgard. To the south though, Jalor had set itself up as a rival kingdom.

The first king of Jalor was Osvald the Younger. His father had met an untimely end right here, along with several hundred of his best warriors, after a failed attempt to capture Ust.

Osvald the Elder had been the Jarl of Kon, but Queen Asta of the Mark revoked the title in response to the lord's treasonous attempts on the throne. Osvald the Younger decided to not just ignore the royal edict, but to create one of his own. He declared himself King of Jalor, and also the rightful ruler of the Mark, through his descent from King Harald.

In the year 809, one year before Osvald the Elder's unsuccessful attack, Asta married Jarl Svend. That gave her direct ownership of new mines to the west, and assured the loyalty of a large group of fighting men. More importantly, the marriage meant the possibility of children, and with it the assurance of a continued line. Asta fell pregnant the following year, and her son Terje was born in the early months of 811.
For Asta, it must have seemed like the answer to her prayers. Here was an heir which would ensure Osvald would never become king. However, the Queen's pregnancy had had a fatal side-effect.

For the last seven months of her pregnancy, Asta remained cloistered in Haraldhalla, the royal residence. During that time, she left control of the war to her husband Svend. After Osvald's attack on Ust, Svend has the opportunity to attack Kon. Rather than press forward immediately though, Svend instead issues a call for troops.

His own soldiers he orders to the west, to defend his mines. Raids on iron mines were common during the Iron War, and Svend is more concerned about protecting his own assets then in ending the threat.

By the time the replacement troops have arrived, the initiative has gone. Osvald the Younger has been informed of his father's death, and declared himself king. He's also ready for an attack.

That attack came here, at the ford of Synfjorth. The army of the Mark had less men then Svend had hoped for, about 300. Osvald had a similar number. This hill would have been here in the 9th century, and as you can see it overlooks the ford. It's the perfect place for slingers and throwing axemen to lay in wait. The soldiers of the Mark never made it back from this battle, and in the battles that followed Osvald would fight a war of attrition, slowly forcing Svend's forces back.
By the summer of 812, the border provinces had been surrendered to Jalor. Osvald's army had camped near Vana, a town near the border that is probably underneath modern-day Irminja.
Osvald's presence so close to Ust required action from Asta, She removed Svend from his position as commander, and recalled the troops from the west. She lead her troops out to meet Osvald in battle.

This stone stands near the field where the two sides met. It was discovered in the early 20th century by a farmer who was going to break it up for building material. When he moved the stone, he discovered this wonderful carving in ancient Kyrjasmarkian. The text commemorates the Battle of Vana. It helped lead archaeologists to the site of the battle, which is just down there.

Osvald's army was probably camped closer to Vana. Asta's army came from the west. The battle was long and bloody.
Artefacts recovered from the site show the gruesome effects of the war. This is a human femur - it's been cut through, probably with an axe. Something like this. Both sides would have wielded these - this one's blade is chipped, indicating it struck something metal. A shilled boss, or perhaps a helmet, which was often the only piece of metal armour the common soldier was given. Only the nobility could afford chain mail, like this. This is a replica, and you can feel how heavy it is. It's hard to imagine Queen Asta riding into battle wearing all this weight. The sagas suggest she was a small woman with a light frame, not to mention she'd recently had a baby. But this was a battle she had to win if she was to keep her throne. She'd been brought into this situation by the failure of her husband to win victory at Synfjorth.

This section of the stone tells Asta's story.
"Asta, Queen of the Mark, of steed disowned,
By axes of Ulfsark, and many spears,
Was the Queen to Odin's Hall sent."

Asta's death marked the end of the Iron War. Her army was routed here at Vana, and Osvald marched triumphantly to Ust. Svend surrendered, and signed the treaty of Ust, recognising Osvald as King of the Mark.

The reign of the Kyrjasmark's first queen was bloody and marked by division and war. We don't know what happened to her son Terje, or to Svend after her death. They disappear from the record. For Osvald, the victory meant he was the undisputed ruler of all of Valheim. He returned to his capital of Kon in celebration. His reign however was short-lived. Just 5 years after becoming King of the Mark, Osvald left Kon on a great raid. He was killed at sea, and his son Oddmund became king. For his military prowess and victory, Osvald is remembered in the sagas as Osvald the Warrior, a name far more generous than the one given to his son.

Oddmund was born in 810, the same year his grandfather died. He was just 7 years old when he became king. Oddmund's mother Grethe ruled the country on his behalf as regent, while the young Oddmund was waited on hand and foot by an army of servants, who catered to the young monarch's every indulgence. By the time he came to rule in his own right, he was already described as being overweight. The king had a passion for feasting and hunting, and would spend most of his time engaging in one of the two pastimes.

When he wasn't killing animals or eating them, Osvald spent much time engaged in another indulgence of his: sex. Despite his appearance, which even his own historians described as ugly, Osvald's power must have been a powerful aphrodisiac. He gave his first wife, Hilda, ten children, and had numerous mistresses.

At some time during his life, Oddmund developed a joint problem, causing his gait to be unsteady. This earned him the nickname Oddmund the Unsteady. It was probably arthritis as a result of gout, brought on by the King's excessive lifestyle. Amidst all this success, it's hard to believe he had time to run the country.

Oddmund managed it by expanding on the feudal system that was already in place. He drastically increased the number of Jarls, drawing from favoured friends and his own bastard children. The Jarl's became almost all-powerful on their own lands, able to do whatever they liked as long as they provided tribute to fund the king's lavish lifestyle.

One of the first things Oddmund did was have a new palace hall built at Ust, and he moved his court there in 831. He died at the palace he built, Kongshalla, at the age of 50. In what might be seen as a fitting end, he probably died of food poisoning. The King and his second wife, Alva, had just downed a meal that included a deer stew, two stuffed boars, a brace of meatbirds, eighteen fruit pies, and four full barrels of ale. Alva probably matched her husband for eating - the sagas record her as Alva the Stout - and she also reported being sick the next day, leaving scholars to believe the food was the culprit. Wether or not the king was assassinated, or the meal was poorly prepared is unknown. Assassination is certainly a possibility, as we'll soon see the death of another monarch and the start of a century-long conflict. That is the subject of our next episode of The Crown.

[Spaam]

Quarterfinals Cutoff (Spoon)!

https://youtu.be/94IdL3djJVU

[Spaam]

Quarterfinals

Kel Assuk 2–0 Elgenstad (Paatukar)
Aggrey-Fynn Land 2–0 Furbish Islands (Skaganes)

Semfinals (Paatukar)

Kel Assuk vs Aggrey-Fynn Land

[Drawkland]

Quarterfinals Cutoff (Fork)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jJkdRaa04g

[Drawkland]

Quarterfinals

Soltsteed 3–2 Loynn (Archifel)
Acapais 2–2 Kyrjasmark (3–2 AET) (Cove Port)

Semfinals (Bellator)

Soltsteed vs Acapais

RP Challenge #6
Your team's supporters decide that, with all this food business going down, that they want to make a new unique dish to represent your team and/or nation.
What do they end up crafting? How does everyone react?

[Acapais]

Camille's Diary:
Entry 6/12/17
I SCORED THE WINNING GOAL!!!!! Holy crazy mother of monsters! My first match where I started for the senior team and I bag the game winner! 104th minute goal! I am simply elated! There were probably 50 supporters that found their way to the dressing rooms and surprised us all and covered us in cheese. I'm going to elaborate that point because I may or may not remember later. So there is this Forkdog thing you can buy on the streets of Drawkland (all it is is a sausage on a fork). Apparently they mass produced them but match goers were't buying them probably because it's a sausage on a fork and priced too high. Anyway, again about 50-60 supporters had cheese from Acapais that they combined with the Forkdogs to make essentially a cheese dog on a fork, but ended up just dumping the vat of cheese Forkdogs on all the players in an act of celebration. It was a blast. Cheese got in Matt's eyes in the moment of insanity, so he was furious, but it was karma after being a dick to me AGAIN. Coach put him in his place. Andrew likes me I think. Probably even more now! Haha

I really hope I've earned a permanent spot on the starting XI. But only time will tell on this one. I recognize nothing is guaranteed, and Walter could get over his illness at any moment. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't get food poisoning. Matt can suck it as far as I'm concerned. The only reason I don't end it now is because we're still in this thing, and I don't want to ruin it for the team. I really want to start again though! Bed time for the semis against Soltsteed.

Oh before I forget, Laura mentioned that if she met Atticus Cothric, she'd punch him in the face. She makes me pee my pants, she's so funny!

[Kel Assuk]

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 5: A Repeat Victory and A Food Craze

Before Kel Assuk's match with Elgenstad in the quarterfinals, Eric's stomach had played host to a butterfly circus, and even his tried and true method of going to the bathroom to relieve nervousness had not worked. Sweat was pouring out of his pores like a rainstorm, and his head felt like the Energizer bunny had been stomping around in there playing the drums as loud as he could. He was quite insecure, feeling that perhaps Elgenstad had learned something in their last match and could apply that to their match in the quarterfinals, easily more important than their trifling by comparison group stage match. Eric grumbled a bit about the Baptism of Fire organizers choosing to have group stage rematches so early, especially in a tournament such as this, but his protests were to no avail and the tournament continued on with the Elgenstad versus Kel Assuk rematch in the quarterfinals.

Kel Assuk's win against Elgenstad put the butterfuly circus to a stop and silenced the Energizer bunny. The outcome of the match, once it started, was never really in doubt; Elgenstad had not made any tactical changes to their lineup, and they continued to park the bus and turn the engine off in the defense, basically refusing to take any chances with the ball by taking it forward. Kel Assuk made them pay for that mistake. Eric was forced to play Isula Azellay and Ashur Ben Hassi up front due to Omar Feraoun and Tariq Arazi's food poisoning, and since he felt the two worked well together off the wings, he duly placed them on the wings. That lineup seemed to work as Elgenstad didn't place as much emphasis on the wings as they should have, and Saden Khalej and Seyni Ait Ahmed took advantage of that fact to score a goal apiece, one in both the first and second half. Despite those goals, though, Eric felt that Elgenstad's overwhelmingly defensive playing style frustrated him eminently; you never knew when such a defensive team could shut you out and shut you in with one single goal. That was not a feeling that any coach liked to see for his team, their looks of utter desperation as each and every one of their shots failed to make a dent in the opposition's defense.

Kel Assuk would face another such team in a couple of days. Aggrey-Fynn Land plays a fairly conservative 4-4-1-1 that should be hard to get through, yet again. Their route to the semifinals has exactly mirrored that of Kel Assuk, at least in the elimination; they eliminated Kecrazia with a single goal before dispatching Furbish Islands by the same scoreline that Kel Assuk defeated Elgenstad, the opposite result to their group stage matchup with the Islands. They only barely made it out of their group stage, however, easing ahead of Legatorum and Miloscia with a thumping 5-2 win over the latter side after losing to Furbish Islands and drawing with Legatorum. Eric looked over footage of the team's matches to see where there could be any defensive inconsistencies or areas where Kel Assuk could penetrate; Eric thought he spotted one when he noticed the 33-year-old left back Gee Francisco running up and down the pitch to help out his teammates in the midfield. Eric almost screamed out loud in joy as he thought he had found the team's weak spot; his match-day strategy would rely on Ait Ahmed and Hasnaoui drawing Francisco out of position before relying on Isula and Ashur, now Eric's first choice strikers, to deal the crippling blow. Eric knew that the semifinals of an international tournament would be a hard nut to crack, but then again, Elgenstad and Loptsegl were hard nuts to crack, and Kel Assuk came away from those encounters unencumbered and only more confident. Kel Assuk had talent, both on the offense and defense; Eric only had to nurture that talent even further to get them to go places, and it looked like they were going places already. Fourth place wouldn't be that bad, but Eric knew his team wanted to go for the trophy, and they would give their all against Aggrey-Fynn Land.

Eric wondered to himself whether the team could give their all for a straight fourteen weeks in World Cup qualifiers, juggling the demands of criss-crossing half the world every other week while managing the struggles of being away from their families, and the jet lag that had affected them at the very beginning of this Baptism of Fire tournament. If they won here, they would be confident, but probably end up disappointed; if they lost here, they would be disappointed now but only work harder into the future. Whatever the result in Paatukar or Keyo, Eric wasn't sure about the team's readiness for the World Cup, which was a totally different ball game than the Baptism of Fire. When they got back to Kel Assuk, then, Eric resolved to redouble his efforts to get the team's stamina and conditioning up, as well as their technical ability. Mistakes might be forgiven here in the BoF, but they would not be forgiven against teams such as Eura or Nephara.

While all of this football drama was going on in Spaam, back home in Kel Assuk, some enterprising food vendor in Araouane had come up with a way to capitalize on the team's Baptism of Fire success as the football team was drawing more and more attention. He came up with two interesting foods, modern takes on the traditional Amalen cuisine, that brought in some of the food of Spaam, and Paatukar especially, into Kel Assuk, to provide his customers with a "taste of the team's success." He first took some merguez - traditional Amalen spicy sausage - and chopped it up before placing the pieces in between two waffles, and ladling syrup on top of the waffles; he then made an adaptation of the traditional chakhchoukha, which normally consists of small pieces of flatbread mixed in a thick soup called a marqa. Instead of the traditional semolina flatbread, however, he put Spaamanian waffles into the dish. Both foods proved immensely popular; before the vendor knew it, lines started to snake around the winding streets of the old Araouane medina. Soon enough, some of the fancier restaurants in Marandet had co-opted the dishes and sold them to foreign tourists. The two commemorative foods proved to be smash hits in Kel Assuk.

[Soltsteed]

The Walland Daily Press
Northern Soltsteed’s premier news source

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VOL. 117 NO. 116

11 SHILLINGS & 0

Proudly printed in Cherrygrove

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Our Opinion: As long as we win medals in SPAWK, we can be proud of our campaign
The Stallions’ comeback sets up a foundation for future generations of Soltsteedish football

Bellator, Drawkland — The result in Archifel was the product of a back and forth battle between two sides all too familiar with each other. Soltsteed fell to Loynn on the first matchday, but hadn’t flinched since. Loynn, meanwhile, got through to the knockouts with a perfect record, but only made it to the quarterfinals on penalties.

Aided by several Loynnian players falling ill and missing the match, the Stallions quickly took the lead in Archifel with a beautiful 11th minute strike by Emma Gryndhout. Ten minutes later and Loynn had responded with a fantastic header from vice captain Ace Waterson, who would bag another goal just before halftime to put Soltsteed in a state of déjà vu.

The second half saw the substitutions of Lily Webb, Joanna Morris and Clement Kolen—still somewhat unwell from a food poisoning incident—for Otto Frederickssen, Martin McKenzie and Matthew Baker. They would prove all the difference: after a cagey start to the half, Kolen equalised in the sixtieth minute for Soltsteed, who ultimately gained the upper hand in the match. By the 82nd minute, Soltsteed were able to find one more opportunity, winning a corner and converting it via the left foot of Gryndhout, making the final scoreline 3–2.

And as the old Soltsteedish saying goes: “a one-goal win is still a win”. The Stallions have set up a date with destiny, facing former Cup of Harmony winners Acapais in Bellator. Acapais was the challenge that the Soltsteedish manager said he would love to face and divine Providence has now granted him his wish.

“We have no qualms over Acapais’s participation in the Baptism,” manager Jan-Peter Wietdal had told reporters before the tournament started. “We have not found record of Acapais contesting the tournament, nor do Acapais have a current ranking. If the World Cup Committee want to change the prerequisites, then that’s fine, but Acapais are eligible under the current rules and we welcome whatever experience they can bring.”

It will be a tough battle: despite needing extra time to advance over Kyrjasmark, Acapais are tipped to advance, while Soltsteed are projected to take a long trek to Spaam for the third-place play-off. And even if the Stallions do win their semifinal, their final opponent is tipped to be Kel Assuk, who have gone undefeated thus far. Ultimate victory remains within the realm of possibility, but nonetheless seems unlikely.

But we submit that the only way our campaign could go wrong in the final stretch is to lose both of our last two games. An appearance in the final, let alone a win, would be a magnificent comeback story that would inspire future generations of Soltsteedish footballers. A third-place finish, though disappointing to most, would demonstrate Soltsteedish tenacity in the face of adversity and provide the Stallions with a huge morale boost going into World Cup qualifying.

In addition, more points would be a minor, but still notable, improvement to Soltsteed’s long qualifying odds. Every point we pick up in SPAWK is a point that counts towards our KPB, the World Cup Committee’s official ranking system. The higher our KPB and our ranking, the better pots we get placed in and the easier draws we get, though qualification will still remain a long shot.

More likely, an easier draw will help Soltsteed rack up more points in qualifying and improve our standing in a potential Cup of Harmony draw. A good showing in the Cup of Harmony immediately after a strong Baptism of Fire would be the foundation on which the Royal Soltsteedish Football Federation can build a reputable national side and give Soltsteed the chance of breaking into a tournament which sees almost glacial turnover of major powerhouses, mostly through long-established nations leaving the international scene like the Unified Sunrise Islands of late.

And most fundamentally, medals would be the physical embodiment of an achievement that Soltsteed accomplished as one united nation. Soltsteeders from all walks of life and all over this realm have united behind the Stallions through thick and thin. The tributes have run the gamut from songs to flowers to “Stallion Cakes”, vanilla-flavoured horse head cakes decorated with chocolate and strawberries to represent the national team colours and served with sporks as a reference to this Baptism of Fire’s nickname of “Spawk”. The Stallion Cakes have even become a viral sensation on social media in Soltsteed under the hashtag #Hingstenskoken, going so far as the Prime Minister posing with one of the baked goods.

The Stallions’ progress has been the work of every person on the squad, in the staff and behind the scenes in the Royal Soltsteedish Football Federation who made our appearance in SPAWK possible; each and every person—man or woman, black or white, Anglo or Soltsteeder or whatever—has played a critical role in getting Soltsteed where it is and it would be a goddamned shame not to get something out of it.

“We’ve seen a unity among Soltsteeders that we haven’t seen in ages,” Stallions medical lead Vittoria van den Plazen told STN in a phone interview. “I think we needed this. Everyone can see a piece of themselves in this larger whole and everyone has someone they can relate to in this team, who have come back from a bad opening loss to have a real chance at winning it all. Our story in this tournament ties in so well with our history of rising up and standing together against tremendous odds and even if we don’t win gold, we’ve still accomplished something amazing.”

But of course, Van den Plazen, like all the other Soltsteeders in Drawkland, wants the Stallions to lift the trophy in the end. “I think it would be the most fitting end. We’re all in for that one goal.”

We sincerely hope we will be the champions, but, for us, anything other than fourth will do. ❧

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

LANDER SPORTS NETWORK

Your plug for all things sport.

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SPECIAL REPORT: SEMI FINALS: A GLANCE AT KEL ASSUK

(Paatukar, SPAAM) As the Aggrey-Fynn Lander team and their fans travel to Paatukar in anticipation of the semifinal, we thought it would be a good idea to profile Aggrey-Fynn Land's opponent, and how they got here. Kel Assuk finished atop their group. After drawing their first game, they were seemingly unstoppable, grabbing two wins and getting first. In the Round of 16, they won a closely-fought match against Löptsegl. In the quarter-finals, they got a seemingly more comfortable win, beating Elgenstad 2-0. They play a 4-3-2-1 formation with an attacking style, clashing with Aggrey-Fynn Land's more conservative 4-4-1-1. "I think the key to the win here is to stifle their attackers by putting on more defensive pressure than they are used to", said Simmons in a pre-game interview. "Feraoun's passing and dribbling skills are still developing, and Arazi's strong suit is long distance passing. If we can pressure them into uncomfortable plays and situations, then we will have a chance to neutralize this threat".

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AGGREY-FYNN LANDER SHOWS HER SPIRIT AND CREATIVITY

(Paatukar, SPAAM) This campaign in the Baptism of Fire has produced many firsts for the fan and the team. For one, this is their first international tournament. "This is a completely different dynamic from the domestic league!", Tanner Grammy told us. "The fact that the whole country comes together just to cheer us on is honestly mind-blowing. Millions upon millions of people have been paying attention to our every movement for weeks on end." But through the tournament, another first has been produced, a more unexpected first. This was one fan's rendition of a West Spaamian favorite, the Flobberworm Fritter. "After we were able to advance to the knockout round against all odds, I thought to myself, 'We're here to stay, we made our mark, and we've come a long way from the beginning of the campaign. I wanted to commemorate that.'" The fan used the same method to fry it as they do in the communal food halls of Nilemas , but instead of just flobberworm being inside, the fan added some Aggrey-Fynn Lander cheese and some Spaamian vegetables. She then called the creation "The Winner's Fritter".

This concoction was an instant hit among the Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans, who took it wherever the team went, and became somewhat of a novelty among the locals when it came to their city. It started to be served at some of West Spaam's communal dining halls in an attempt to drum up business among the visiting Aggrey-Fynn Lander fans, and then in Skagenes, where curious locals clamored to try the hybrid between West Spaamian and Aggrey-Fynn Lander cuisine. It's final stop was in Paatukar, where the dish worked its' way up from being served in the food stalls to being served at some of the more upscale hotels. Even though the fritter made its' rounds around Spaam, the dish did not have the same buzz in Aggrey-Fynn Land until Renato Milan posted a video to social media of him eating one and subsequently singing its' praises. Once Aggrey-Fynn Landers at home realized that the team was also eating this new food, it really started to catch on in Aggrey-Fynn Land. You could order this dish in every conceivable place, because it seemed like literally everyone who could was selling it. Restaurants tried to get their hands on the original ingredients of the dish, but because Spaamian vegetables or flobberworm is not readily available in Aggrey-Fynn Land, some people ended up putting their own twist on it depending on what was available to them. This food went from being the brainchild of one spirited and creative fan to not only becoming a mainstay in Aggrey-Fynn Land, but also earning a seat at the table with regards to Spaamian cuisine.

[Spaam]

Kel Assuk 0–3 Aggrey-Fynn Land

Kel Assuk will be staying in Spaam for the 3rd Place Match while Aggrey-Fynn Land will fly to Drawkland for the Grand Final!

RP Challenge #7:
No matter what happens, your journey in the Baptism of Fire has been a successful and eventful one. How will you or your supporters celebrate this? How does food play a part?

[Drawkland]

Soltsteed 3–3 Acapais (4–4 AET) (3–1 pen.)

Acapais will be facing Kel Assuk in Spaam for 3rd Place in Paatukar, while Solsteed welcome Aggrey-Fynn Land in Kayo, Drawkland for the Grand Final of Baptism of Fire 65!

[Acapais]

Jenning's postgame speech:
Penalties are always tough, but I'm proud of each and everyone of you. You've brought your country much honor. Tomorrow we're not training but please report at 0600 for our flight to Paatukar in Spaam, once we're there, please do some on-your-own stretching to stay loose for Friday. See you in the morning. Congratulation on a great tournament! Let's win third!

OOC: Thank you, Spaam and Drawkland for hosting and running a great tournament! I had a blast!

[Kel Assuk]

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 6: The Team Stays in Paatukar Because They Lost

Well, it was bound to happen sometime. If not now, it was bound to happen in the World Cup qualifiers. But it happened in the Baptism of Fire semifinals, to the nation of Aggrey-Fynn Land. Eric had to shake his head and admit defeat to the Aggrey-Fynn Landers; they had simply played better, from head to toe, as they outclassed Kel Assuk in all areas, from the defense to the offense. They scored three goals against an admittedly tired defense led by Anaruz M'Hidi and Karim Khattabi, while preventing Isula Azellay and Ashur Ben Hassi from scoring out on the wings. Eric had at least thought the match would be a lot closer than it was, but then again, he wasn't counting on the lethargy of his team and the activity of the Aggrey-Fynn Landers. Ever since they did quite crappily in the group stage, they had put in the extra effort necessary to survive in the Baptism of Fire, while Kel Assuk had only grown more complacent.

At least Eric thought of one way that the team benefited from losing. Actually, two: one short-term, one long-term. The short-term impact was that the team would not have to fly all the way to Kayo, in Drawkland, which was located on another planet altogether, in the region of Sonnel; they would have to fly from Spaam to the Isles of Avon through the portals in Stratosphere City to Drawkland... it would have made for a long flight in only a few days and a lot of jet lag for Kel Assuk. Eric remembered the jet lag his team suffered before the first day and shuddered; they probably would have lost the final if they had had to fly all the way to Kayo. Instead, they would be playing in their home in Spaam, Paatukar, which had become quite familiar to the team. They had figured out where the subway was, where the attractions were, where the crowded restaurants were and where the local treasures were. They knew what to eat and where to eat it, and they were satisfied with their playing in Paatukar, having played all their matches there.

The long-term impact was that Kel Assuk would be searching for ways to improve their game to face the big boys in World Cup qualification. They were smart players, and Eric was a smart manager, and he knew that if the team could lose to an unranked team by this badly, they could lose to a ranked team by a much larger margin. He knew the team would work harder to improve and take stock of where they were to learn from their mistakes and learn from their flaws. Aggrey-Fynn Land exposed those flaws in the defense and in the offense, and Eric now knew where his team stood on a lot of matters so that they could prepare even better for the World Cup and World Cup qualifications. An old Amalen proverb said that you learn more from a defeat than a victory, and this match certainly proved that saying true.

Kel Assuk would face Acapais, a veteran of the World Cup scene, in the third-place playoff. The team had won the 32nd Cup of Harmony and had qualified for the 35th World Cup, feats that Kel Assuk could only dream of at this moment. But those achievements were more than 60 years ago, and their national team had declined to be totally unranked before the start of this tournament. In fact, they took advantage of a World Cup Constitutional provision to take part in this Baptism of Fire, since they had apparently not ever competed in one before achieving the success that they had had. The team was heavily aggressive, and Eric thought he could use that to his advantage, if the defense held up; he had a feeling that it wouldn't, though, and that it would be a third-placed game with a lot of goals. He reckoned that the defense would only need to hold on in the tight moments, remove Acapais's advantage by keeping the goal fairly secure, and take advantage of Acapais's tendency to move forward by launching quick counterattacks. Eric trained his team for the counterattacks and told them explicitly that he believed in them and that whatever the result of this match, he still had faith in them and still trusted them. He thought that he had assuaged their nerves, but you could never be sure without telepathic powers.

Back in Kel Assuk, the Amalen people were putting on a festival to celebrate their national team's success in the Baptism of Fire, whether they lose or win in the third place playoff. Although it was not the usual time to put on a festival, Kel Assuk recognized their team's accomplishments in an international competition and wanted to celebrate the fact with special ceremonies and performances. They would be practicing their traditional dances and rituals, and cooking the special festival dishes, and making the traditional festival drinks, all in preparation for the Kel Assuk national team's arrival back in Marandet, win or lose, rain or shine. Eric and his team would be feted as heroes, thanks to their efforts to bring Kel Assuk onto the international stage and into the international consciousness. Kel Assuk would put on a show for them to celebrate, with all the traditional foods, from lamb barbecue to the sweet eghajira, with dates, milk, and sugar making up the traditional favorite. The team would finally be able to relax after two weeks of stress and pressure while eating as much as they would like.

Eric would be taking a personal celebration, by himself, in Paatukar as well. He would treat himself to a glass of champagne, or maybe a beer, a treat that he would not be able to get in Kel Assuk (thanks to that country's Muslim faith - and the consequent ban on alcohol). He didn't plan to get drunk - but he would certainly be having a couple of glasses, as well as a nice stack of ribs - again, something he could not procure in Kel Assuk, a country he recognized would be his home for the next couple of years. These were treats, and something to be savored in Spaam before he would head back to Kel Assuk and its Islamic laws and restrictions. After a hard two weeks, it would be time for Eric to celebrate, too. He could not ignore himself; he deserved a treat after the long campaign. Ribs and beer it would be, Eric decided, and he set a date with himself: dinner, the day of the Third Place Playoff. He silently wished good luck to his team before turning the light off and going to bed.

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

LANDER SPORTS NETWORK

Your plug for all things sport.

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OOC: I was informed by Soltsteed that I mispelled Drawkland and Soltsteed in my RP. Thanks for telling me.

SPECIAL REPORT: THE TEAM CHILLS OUT EN ROUTE TO DRAWKLAND

After Aggrey-Fynn defeated Kel Assuk, they had to take the team spaceship to Drawkland immediately in order to get to the game. As a result, they did not have a celebration in Spaam, but rather on the way to Drawkland. "I felt kind of bad that we really haven't recognized what we have done in this tournament, so we planned a party on the way there" said Donny Tremors, the team's assistant manager. According to members of the team, the occasion was fun, but not extravagant. "We drank water. No alcohol or soda, because The Fox wants us to stay in form." said Jahseh Twins about the event. However, there was some food, including Aggrey-Fynn Lander cheese and Winner's fritters. The food and drink was not the centerpiece of the occasion. The team sang and danced all night long to celebrate. "It honestly was pretty fun!" chirped Quintavius Tracy. "We just danced around and listened to some music. It was lowkey, but it is a break from all of the football, and I for one appreciate that." Although the team had a fun day traveling to Drawkland, the fun will stop once they get there and it will turn to business: namely, the game against Soltsteed.

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AGGREY-FYNN LAND PREPARES FOR FINALS TILT AGAINST SOLTSTEED

(Kayo, DRAWKLAND) Tomorrow, Aggrey-Fynn Land plays Soltsteed for the Baptism of Fire championship. "The boys have come a long way during this campaign." said the manager Simmons when we caught up with him outside their team hotel. "They have evolved from being a group of talented players to really being one unit, and it's starting to show in our recent results. I think we can pull off this win and bring glory to ourselves and country. Win or lose, however, I think we already accomplished that." Soltsteed plays in a conservative fashion, even more conservative than Aggrey-Fynn Land. They have a 5-4-1 formation. "This will be a breeze!" exclaimed Justin Green when we interviewed him after a training session. "We defenders have been analyzing the Soltsteedish gameplan and it seems to be heavily defensive, kind of like ours. However, their offensive tactics are extremely one-dimensional. It seems like whenever they go forward, they play through the lone striker, Emma Gryndhout. So if we can stop her, their attack will stop." he stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "We are capable of winning this, but we should still proceed cautiously." said Roman Kendrick during a press conference. "The tactics they use are basically staying back until they get a good chance, so it won't matter as much when they slip up on offense, but they will make us pay when we slip up on offense. As a result, we have to play smart, and maximize every chance we get." Gordon Whitlick also gave his two cents during the press conference. "Roman is right, but I don't think that's our biggest worry right now. We just had to travel to another planet just to get here, and Soltsteed have been in Drawkland the whole tournament. This is basically a home game for them. We are the underdogs, and we have to play smart and hard to come up big with the win."

[Spaam]

Final Matchday Cutoff (Spoon)!

https://youtu.be/6yy6qICUTe0

[Spaam]

Third Place Match
Kel Assuk 3–1 Acapais

Thanks for all the fantastic roleplaying! It has been an absolute pleasure to host this tournament, and we look forward to facing some of you in the World Cup qualifiers. Now, let's hand it over to Drawkland for the thrilling conclusion to the Baptism of Fire!