World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

by **Chromatika** » Tue May 11, 2021 7:31 pm

This is the first step on the long road to Chromia. Will your team start undefeated or down in the dumps? This is your MD1 Cutoff.

Results

by **Kelssek** » Tue May 11, 2021 7:48 pm

Big names call time on Kelssek careers

Kelssek goes into the qualifiers for World Cup 88 with two big absences as goalkeeper Kai Poirier and captain Ruslan Demetriev have both announced their decisions to retire from international football.

Both have been key parts of the the national team’s revival, marked by a return to the World Cup finals and equalling Kelssek’s best-ever performance when they helped the team reach the quarterfinals at World Cup 87.

The statements each player posted on social media were standard boilerplate, thanking the fans who have supported them and expressing “awe” in Demetriev’s case and “honour” for Poirier at having represented the country on the sport’s biggest stage. Demetriev ends his international career with 127 caps and will continue to play for Workers Union in Eura. Poirier, who plays for 1812 Stelburg in Siovanija and Teusland, collected 92 caps in his time.

It also leaves Kelssek manager Andrea Crowe with the task of choosing a new captain. While Rémy Dionne was deputized for three matches when the football federation suspended Demetriev last cycle over a social media infraction, Crowe is understood to be consulting with key players and the Football Kelssek brass before making a final and longer-term decision.

Poirier's retirement will also renew competition for the number one shirt. After dropping out of the national team spotlight for a period, Poirier’s return to form saw him earn the starting spot regularly over Cathal Gallagher, who will probably have the first crack at re-establishing himself as first choice goalkeeper. However, following his role in Burnaby’s historic league and cup double, 35-year old Bernard Despatie may also be handed an audition over the course of the qualifiers.

by **Adab** » Tue May 11, 2021 9:25 pm

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

Eastfield Lodge 3-1 Adab
Accardi (28’), Dad (44’), Patton (90’+1) | Yissakar (77’)

NEWS | WORLD CUP
By: Sinahhieriba Husayn

Adab lose at Eastfield Lodge after goalkeeper distracted by appearance of dodo-like object

Adab’s World Cup Qualifiers campaign started with a loss at Eastfield Lodge in a match in which goalkeeper Mohammed Marramzi claimed he was distracted by the appearance of an unidentified flying object (UFO) shaped like the extinct dodo bird.

Traveling to the Tavernia Stadium to face off against Eastfield Lodge, the Adabians were not widely expected to beat the opposition, which is currently ranked 111th, but Adab manager Saad Kaykali stated that his team was nevertheless prepared to “give it all that we’ve got.”

The match started quite well for both sides, with Kaykali relying on Adab’s 4-3-2-1 formation to neutralize the Eastfielder attacking threat spearheaded by Izzat Patton, while the Eastfielders dispatched Cristos Harding and Torunna Soriano to mark Adab’s Enlilbani Yargab and Rebekah Yissakar and stop them from scoring for the visitors.

Eventually, it was the Eastfielders’ experience – as well as a bizarre occurrence – which allowed them to score the first goal of the match.

In the 28th minute, Mckenzie Black met Emma Arthur in the middle of the pitch and wrested the ball away from her, passing it to Craig Girard-Vaillancourt who in turn sent the ball towards Raquel Accardi as she made a dash for the goal.

Adab keeper Mohammed Marramzi was not even looking at the ball at this point, instead jerking his head upwards, mouth agape, looking at a small object shaped like a dodo bird that was now flying above and over the goal.

Following the match, attendees in the stadium claimed that the object had appeared out of nowhere from the clouds and disappeared back into the clouds after flying over the Adabian goal.

“I saw that thing,” Marramzi said after the match, “and it’s shaped like a dodo, the bird. I thought to myself, ‘Why is this bird alone in the middle of the stadium?’”

It is believed that the object was not an actual dodo bird but rather an object that was intentionally shaped like a dodo and remotely flown. The dodo was flightless and is believed to have gone extinct in Mauritius around the year 1662.

Accardi, too, claimed she saw the object and stopped momentarily in confusion, but regained her composure and – with Marramzi still distracted by the flying object – blasted the ball past him and into the net.

The Adabians, some still visibly confused by the bizarre event, regrouped and attempted to tighten their defense, but Faustina Dad added to Eastfield’s goal tally in the 44th minute as the hosts launched a strong attack and crowded the visitors near their penalty box, preventing defenders Yousif Issou and Taymour Frangieh from lunging in to stop Dad.

With the Eastfielders now holding a 2-0 lead, the Adabians retreated to their own side of the pitch for much of the second half, marking their attackers and hoping to exhaust their opponents over the course of the latter 45 minutes. Rebekah Yissakar provided a moment of joy for the visitors in the 77th minute as she scored with an impressive header from Jushur al-Kufa’s cross after zigzagging her way past Dad and Harding.

Nevertheless, Eastfield striker Izzat Patton sealed the win for the hosts in injury time, easily getting past the Adabian defenders before scoring from just outside the penalty box.

Kaykali praises Eastfield; wonders if dodo object an “act of God”

In the post-match press conference, Adab manager Kaykali had nothing but good things to say about the Eastfielders.

“We played our best but they were simply much better,” Kaykali said. “I have no complaints regarding our own performance. I know the players played with enthusiasm and to the best of their ability.”

Kaykali then proceeded to thank the Eastfielders for their hospitality to the visitors.

“Throughout our time here the people of Eastfield have treated us very well and with great kindness,” the Adab manager said.

“I look forward to returning here, as well as hosting the Eastfield players when they come to our country.”

Kaykali also noted that all the scorers in the match were women, and mused what effect this match might have on the participation of women in football.

“I think this is a great thing, and it shows that there is a place for women in football, in women’s football and in mixed teams,” Kaykali said.

“I myself have long supported the participation of women in this beautiful game and I love to see that in Adab there has been an increasing number of female players over the past few decades.”

Asked about the appearance of the dodo-like object, Kaykali wondered if the event had been a divine intervention.

“Perhaps God had not destined for us to win today, and He had decided to give the win to Eastfield,” he said. “And if that is indeed an act of God, then I have no complaints. His will shall be done.”

Adab now sits in ninth place in Group 4, with Eastfield Lodge rising to second. Geektopia is currently leading the group following their 4-1 demolition of The Grearish Union.

by **Bollonich** » Tue May 11, 2021 10:35 pm

Vreton City Journal

The Bollonischians had travelled to Al Qurija, and as they went into the Petro Mohammed Stadium they were aware of how huge a moment this was. This was going to be our first step into international football. We were playing on foreign soil, away against Al Qurija. The Qurijans had placed 4th in the BoF. The match was going to be a hard fought one for both teams. The match was being played at the Petro Mohammed stadium in the Al Qurijan capital. The travelling fans from Bollonich were there, Al Qurijan fans were there. Th match that followed was a tight game. The first goal was scored after the first half at 55’ from the Bollonischian side. The goal was scored after a brilliant play from Hum, who played a one two with Marshall queuing him up to take the shot. Marshall scores a brilliant goal with his right foot. The Tigers led for the entirety of the second half. A win seemed confirmed. At the last minute of stoppage time Carpi breaks through the defence, plays it across to Kang who then goes onto score. The crowd burst up in celebration, while the Bollonischian players ran over to the referee. They couldn’t believe it, they were sure it was an offside. The score had been reduced to a draw, the Qurijan goal was the last kick of the game. The Tigers were disappointed, a win was possible here. They had nearly sealed it, however for an opening game of the campaign this was good enough. Gildiric who commented after the match said that, “The game is encouraging, it shows what our boys and gals are capable of. We could’ve won however there is no need to beat us over it. We face Sannyamathland, next at home. Fermont ism home, and the home of many of our players. We are excited to play our first game at home and hope to win it!”

Bollonich’s next two games are against the teams Sannyamathland and Tequilo. The game against Sannyamthland is to be held in Fermont’s National Sports Stadium. The match against Sannyamathland considering it’s being played at home could be a fabulous opportunity for securing a win.

by **Tumbra** » Wed May 12, 2021 12:12 am

Saltstead 0-1 Tumbra

Saltstead (5–4–1): 13 - Kåler, J.; 14 - Richard, 3 - Michahels, 16 - Hodmaker (4 - Ackerdiħ, 83'), 17 - Van Tilborg, 18 - Kåler, C.; 19 - Geuberts, 20 - Swart (8 - Igesleven, 75'), 21 - Felicianus, 10 - Joxepħssen; 23 - Rothås (11 - Withöüf, 64')

Tumbra (4-3-3): 1 - Lennon; 2 - Hughes, 4 - Henderson, 5 - Brown (14 - Ashburn, 63'), 19 - Carter; 6 - Hicks, 8 - McGrath (10 - Herlinger, 75'), 16 - Morgan; 7 - Fraser, 9 - Vaughn; 11 - Cohen (22 - Sheldon, 45')

Scorers: Neil Fraser (43')

Player of the Match: John Lennon

SPORT: SALTSTEAD 0-1 TUMBRA
World Cup Campaign Off To Promising Start; Protests Planned For Marquee Match Against Kelssek

ASHWELL - Tumbra today secured a crucial win against fourth seeds Saltstead in their opening match, winning by one goal to nil thanks to a Neil Fraser header in the forty-third minute. The Black Eagles faced a tough time against the Stallions, in a match which saw a steadfast, spirited defence go up against a fast, attacking team. Ultimately, though, through sheer individual brilliance and a bit of luck, the Black Eagles came off ahead, which surely will prove to be a morale-boosting result if the team are to look to qualify for the World Cup — especially since their next opponents are Kelssek.

With Saltstead winning the kick-off toss, the first half was mostly played out in the midfield, with the Saltsteadish team loath to go on the attack; on the few times that they did, courtesy of their main striker Edvard Rothås attempting to break through the defensive lineup of Brown/Henderson; it largely came to naught, despite Rothås attempting to pull off some fantastic shots. One attempt in the twenty-second minute was denied by the post, after Lennon failed to grab it in time; the Saltsteadish striker rightly felt aggrieved by the scale of his miss and a key chance to put the Stallions ahead.

On the other end of the pitch, the Tumbrans played a more direct game than usual, possibly to counter Saltstead's tendency to try and dispossess the midfielders whenever possible. Receiving only a minority of possession in the first half, the Tumbrans nevertheless attempted to push on; a thirtieth-minute attempt by Philip Cohen went over the bar from outside the penalty area. The typically rapid and punishing finisher, who thrives off finishing chances created by others, looked repeatedly out of his depth as he was forced to create chances by himself; by the end of the first half, he looked exhausted.

Despite the languid style of play, Neil Fraser broke past the 5-man Saltsteadish defences in the forty-second minute with a marvelous piece of dribbling; perhaps having learned from his counterpart on the right, Robin Vaughn, instead of crossing into a box filled with Saltsteadish heads, he cut in on his right foot, before entering the penalty box and finishing from close range. The strike successfully put the Black Eagles 1-0 ahead at the break; it was a lead they would not relinquish.

The second half saw a half-time substitution of Marcus Sheldon for the lacklustre Cohen. Sheldon, in comparison to Cohen, was generally observed to be more comfortable creating his own chances, and it nearly paid off when Sheldon found himself through on goal close to the hour mark, only to be denied by the fingertips of skipper Julij Kåler. The second half, similarly to the first, was similarly languid; Johnny Brown was subbed off for Ian Ashburn after the hour mark, in a bid to preserve his legs for the match against Kelssek; while Stepħanie Withöüf was brought on for Rothås; a less flamboyant striker, nonetheless, she did provide a more concentrated goal threat.

A late scare from Withöüf was successfully parried by Lennon over the bar; the six saves Lennon made throughout the match rightly earned him the Player of the Match accolade. Other significant performances included that of Vincent Hicks, who made a majority of midfield plays including interceptions and defence-splitting passes; and Robin Vaughn, who successfully managed to occupy the Saltsteadish defences with his threatening runs into channels.

Tumbra next faces powerhouses Kelssek at home and recent Baptism of Fire graduates Marigred at home and away, respectively; the National Stadium is expected to be sold out for the former match. That same match against Kelssek is expected to be beset by protests by the Tumbran Advocates for Sporting Equality (TASE); the group have already made their demands for female representation in sports made well known, and their vigorous fan protests have already reached the ears of the newly-elected Labour government, who are expected to release a Ministerial Statement on their planned course of action soon.

TASE spokesperson Colleen Woods, when interviewed by the Herald, said that "direct action is [...] the only way to ensure the next generation of footballers is free of considerations when it comes to gender; for far too long, the TFF have refused to consider the advances made in sports science that have made the physical differences between females and males when it comes to team sports [...] negligible, meaning that both sexes should be eligible for selection. We will be continuing our fan protests in Straton at every national team match until changes are made; there shall be no rest until we have females on the national team and in the squads of clubs up and down the country."

Straton Police Commissioner Brian Samson commented on the protests, saying that an "increased police presence" would be located near the stadium on match days; the "right to protest would be safeguarded", but regular police deployments would continue "in case of violence". The TFF, bar their original statement that they would not walk back on this path, have made no further comment; neither did they respond to enquiries made by the Herald when asked about the Kelssek match.

The lawsuit TASE vs. TFF, filed with the Straton Circuit Court, is expected to be heard within the next month; there have been reports that the Federal Constitutional Court is likely to exercise their prerogative to hear cases in which there has been a matter of significant public interest; though the validity of such reports is unconfirmed. Should the case proceed to the FCC, however, it would likely settle the matter once and for all.

TUMBRAN SQUAD FOR MATCH vs. KELSSEK @ TUMBRAN NATIONAL STADIUM, STRATON and vs. MARIGRED @ MARIGREDIAN HOME GROUND
Starters: (4-3-3); 1 - Lennon; 2 - Hughes, 20 - Paterson, 14 - Ashburn, 19 - Carter; 6 - Hicks, 16 - Morgan, 29 - Cole; 7 - Fraser, 9 - Vaughn (c); 22 - Sheldon
Bench: 12 - Addison; 18 - Hart, 4 - Henderson, 5 - Brown, 23 - Forrest, 3 - White; 8 - McGrath, 10 - Herlinger, 15 - Aitken; 31 - Hilton, 21 - Cresswood; 11 - Cohen

by **Tequilo** » Wed May 12, 2021 12:13 am

DISLOCATED METATEXTUAL
A Pale Blue Fog Bank This Way Comes

06:33am. Sergeant Eulàlia Segarra of the Eighth Border Command was watching her contemporaries across the river, at the other end of the bridge. At this time of the day, so early in the morning, the Cinchapa Bridge border crossing into their slightly belligerent neighbours Usorno was closed; it was another hour or so before the crossing opened for traffic, largely made up of hauliers with various cargoes headed in or out of their northern neighbour. Some Usornans commuted south to work in the nearby city of Senzapa, a handful of Tequiloa went north to Rockset but far less than coming the other way - few were keen to spend their working days up there. But right now, the bridge was deserted, dawn had dawned, and the command post on the other side of the Rio Tolumac seemed full of consternatious activity. Sergeant Segarra took up her binoculars for a closer view. The Usornan soldiers were in a heated exchange about something. There was a lot of pointing and shouting; mostly gesticulating northward, away from Tequilo and the border crossing; some problem on their side of the river. The comms officer in their windowed post seemed to be yelling furiously down the radio system, but from what Sergeant Segarra could make out, he wasn’t getting anything back - he looked with frustration at his handset, and gave up.

Before calling in with her command back at barracks, Sergeant Segarra sent her two soldiers, privates Massa and Martorell, for a quick patrol around the compound perimeter, switched her radio set to a private channel, and clicked a morse call-sign down the airwaves and across the river.

Nearly ten years on this border, an easy posting without much incident - although considerably more tense during the last four years with President Don Viento running the show up north - Sergeant Eulàlia Segarra had been watching that command post over the river for three thousand days or more, and they had been watching her. Sometimes, they would meet in the middle. Regulars might become acquiantances. An acquaintance might become a sort of friend, though it would be severly frowned upon if discovered by Command. A sort of friend might become an occasional contact on a private channel of the radio system, protected by a morse call sign, and an occasional contact might become a useful source of useless information to break up the monotony of the day. “Private Massa was bitten on the rump by one of the customs sniffer dogs in suspicious circumstances behind the drill hall,” she might tell her friend across the river. “Lance Corporal Smith shot himself in the foot during a routine hill patrol today, because he left his safety off after target practice,” she might get in return. They shared a little soap opera of the characters around them.

“Forget about the command post,” said her secret friend, the Usornan soldier who was standing outside the glass office on his ear-piece comms set, “look up.”

“I just see blue sky and a dawn mist,” said Sergeant Segarra, looking up through her binoculars.

“That’s not blue sky,” said the soldier, “a pale blue fog bank this way comes.”

“No mierda… what is it?”

“For one thing, it’s a comms blackout,” said her Usornan friend.

“Si. See you on the other side then, I guess,” said the Sergeant, anxiously. They closed the channel. Now she looked at it, there was a bit too much blue on the far horizon. The higher ground was beginning to obscure in a cyan daze. Something was coming, interesting times were afoot. Sergeant Eulàlia Segarra was not entirely sure how she felt about that.

OSCAR OFF
TEQUILO 0-1 TROLLEBORG HT: 0-1

Location: @ Estadio Águilar, Cuidad de Pitxi, Tapalupé, Tequilo
Attendance: 81,810
Scorers: Stuart Kerr 33'
Assists: Tom Gulbranden 33'
Booked: José Tavia, Ixtub Tün
Sent Off: Oscar Bienvenida 55'
Tequilo Line-Up: (4-1-3-2) Oscar Bienvenida | Ostando Bertendona, José Tavia (sub: Çenturion 85'), Tol Chicote, Huracan | Ixtub Tün (sub: Tepin Mecatl-Rubió 55') | Vilca Hualla, Niño Pinto, Ricardo Bailén | Tlacolotl, Ecuador (sub: Alexandro Calvoecheaga 78')
Player of the Match: Tom Gulbranden (Trolleborg) Tequilo MVP: Huracan

UNBEATABLE TROLLEBORG SPOIL WORLD CUP PARTY
Los Pitxileros spectacular winning run of 15 games came to a frustrating end as coach Juan Manuel's team - and the nation - came back to earth with a distinct bump, losing the opening contest of the World Cup cycle against a high pressing team that continues to be a stumbling block for the Agave-Blues. In three games Tequilo has failed to score against Trolleborg, and lost twice. Identified as the team Tequilo would hope to overhaul in the rankings if they are to qualify for this World Cup, the match already had an air of a six-pointer about it, but the high-pressing and intense aggressiveness of the Trolls once again proved too much, and this was a stark reminder that recent successes in the IAC and Eagle's Cup count for nothing when it comes to the harsh reality of the World Cup. Make no mistake, this is a setback. Our two most experienced players could not find a foothold in this game and this undoubtedly had a psychological impact - Tlacolotl, so proficient in Liga-TQ right now, couldn't get any time on the ball and had little impact on the game, while Oscar Bienvenida, perhaps at fault for the winning goal and with that playing on his mind, made a huge mistake early in the second half and had to force a penalty to stop a second goal - paying the price with a straight red card. Incredibly sub Tepin Mecatl-Rubió's first job, to stop the penalty kick, was well executed and his save kept Los Pitxileros in the game. Earlier, Trolls strikers Stuart Kerr and Tom GFulbranden had combined to bypass the defence and Kerr put the visitors ahead, scuffing a weak shot past Oscar who perhaps could've done better. The penalty save from Tepin bought some hope of a revival, but then ten men, even when bolstered with attacking substitutions in Çenturion and Alexandro Calvoecheaga, could find no way through a determined Trolls defence, and the game was lost.

With substitute goalkeeper Tepin Mecatl-Rubió taking a knock in the game, and Oscar suspended for two games, young keeper Abas Juanarena will step up to start away in North Japan, while Tepin is expected to return for the following home game in the double-header against Bollonich at the newly renamed national stadium, now the Eagle Stadium on account of winning a permanent membership to the exclusive Eagle's Club. Memories of recent glories must be reignited with some good performances and confidence-boosting wins to ensure Tequilo recover quickly from this disappointing opening defeat of World Cup cycle 88.

TEQUILO STAT SUMMARY
Competition goals: -
Competition assists: -
Competition PoMs: Huracan (1)
Competition cards: Oscar Bienvenida (1 red) José Tavia, Ixtub Tün (1 yellow)

RECORDS WATCH
* Defeat to Trolleborg signals the end of record-breaking streaks for consecutive wins (15) and unbeaten games (18)
* The last team to prevent a Tequilo victory before this match was... Trolleborg (0-0, IAC-12)
* Tequilo have failed to score in three games against Trolleborg (0-1, 0-0, 0-1)
* Oscar Bienvenida's second international red card means he joins Alexandro Calvoecheaga, Isidoro Artechevarria and Milan Lucio in this squad who could potentially become the first player to be sent off three times for their country.
* Ricardo Bailén will win his 50th cap for the country in North Japan, the tenth player to do so. Meanwhile Tol Chicote will win his 40th, and Tlacolotl will become the second player after Oscar Bienvenido to reach 90 caps.
* Minermo Ocamica, Paö, Goio Vigo and Jesús Tasis could all make their debuts in the next two matches; so far 97 players have played for Tequilo, so the third of this group called up will be the 100th.

Confirmed Line-Up for TEQUILO @ North Japan
@ undisclosed location, North Japan
(4-1-3-2)
Abas Juanarena | Ostando Bertendona, José Tavia, Tol Chicote (VC), Huracan | Ixtub Tün | Vilca Hualla (C), Niño Pinto, Ricardo Bailén | Tlacolotl, Alexandro Calvoecheaga

Subs: (GK) Minermo Ocamica (D) Blêxu, Paö, Diogo Junco, Goio Vigo, Noxochinoch (M) Xaime Medal, Çenturion, Tsttanauayui, Jaïr Iscla, Jesús Tasis (F) Pedro Rôa, Ecuador, Milan Lucio
Unavailable: Oscar Bienvenida (suspended) Tepin Mecatl-Rubio (injured)

Probable Line-Up for TEQUILO vs. Bollonich
@ Estadio Águilar, Ciudad de Pitxi, Tapalupé, Tequilo
(4-1-3-2)
Tepin Mecatl-Rubió | Ostando Bertendona, José Tavia, Tol Chicote (VC), Huracan | Ixtub Tün | Vilca Hualla (C), Niño Pinto, Ricardo Bailén | Tlacolotl, Alexandro Calvoecheaga

Subs: (GK:) Abas Juanarena, Minermo Ocamica (D:) Blêxu, Paö, Diogo Junco, Goio Vigo, Noxochinoch (M:) Xaime Medal, Çenturion, Tsttanauayui, Jaïr Iscla, Jesús Tasis (F:) Pedro Rôa, Ecuador
Unavailable: Oscar Bienvenida (suspended)

by **Wight** » Wed May 12, 2021 12:16 am

23 SUBURBICON VIEW

Here’s a nice young woman called Mindy. She’s quite attractive, wholesome and clean. She doesn’t swear very often and she doesn’t smell too bad either, infact she smells quite nice without being too overpowering for most palates. She wears her hair up and she lives in a modern and clean detached house in Upper Cordial, an anytown somewhere not far from where you live; and she is so typical, that might be her surname. Perhaps she’s a bit too typical; you know, suspiciously typical. Or maybe that’s just me because I’m typically cynical of typicals. Mindy Typical is pregnant, too; expecting her first child any time now. She has a wonderful flush about her, and a remarkable curved and heavy bump that reminds us that the human body is an extraordinary machine, truly extraordinary. Life thrives inside Mindy, fully formed, nearly ready to emerge into ideal catalogue life at 23 Suburbicon View, Upper Cordial.

[Personally I find the whole pregnancy thing a bit alien. A bit… unnatural. I know that is not a universally agreed-upon point of view, quite the opposite. When my wife was pregnant for example, she thought it was a quite disgraceful point of view and my son was born into a somewhat strained family unit. Turns out he’s perfectly fine and not at all alien, and he grew up to be an upstanding and inspiring fellow whom I wholly admire. His mother is proud of him too, although she is not very fond of me and my cynicism and my alien views on nature. But this story is not about me, is it? It’s about Mindy.]

It turns out, Mindy’s surname isn’t actually Typical. Because of course, that’s not an actual surname, at least not where you come from; not in Upper Cordial and the surrounds. And also because, as it also turns out, Mindy isn’t quite so typical after all.

[I told you so! Didn’t I tell you so? I did. I told you.]

Here’s a nice young man called John. He lives at 23 Suburbicon View with Mindy. At the moment, in the daytime, he takes a packed lunch and drives his hybrid Toyota to the railway station at Upper Cordial, commutes into The City and works at a call centre for a corporate housing association where he typically helps people to achieve typical lives in their typical houses with the minimal of extraneous non-typical incidents, like blown pipes or broken boilers. And then he gets the train back to Upper Cordial, and the Toyota back to Suburbicon View.

And here’s a nice young man called Hassan. He also lives at 23 Suburbicon View with Mindy and John. I’m not sure what his day job is but no doubt it’s conveniently typical and entirely without noteworthiness. John or Hassan or John and Hassan might be the father of Mindy’s baby. But they also might not. Mindy’s not sure, because she can’t recall getting pregnant. Behind closed doors at 23 Suburbicon View, most things are very far from typical. Mindy’s real name isn’t even Mindy. John’s real name is John, and the letters that come for him are addressed to John Baptiste; but John Baptiste is actually John The Baptist, or John The Actual Baptist to be clear, and he is the voice that cries out in the wilderness. Hassan’s real name is Hassan, and the letters that come for him are addressed to Hassan-i Sabbah; which is the correct address. You might be more familiar with him as Hashshashin of the Order of Assassins - though he never gets letters addressed like that, because what would the postman think?

As for Mindy. Well, for now, she’d just prefer to be called Mindy, if it’s all the same to you. Sometimes she fondly strokes her heavy bump, when the small child wriggles inside of her, and calls him ‘Kurt’.

WIGHT 0-0 LORRANA

Goals: -
Assists: -
Booked: Draecdan Hating, Sam Bansa, Rilo Leash | Lorry#1, Lorry#5 (2 yellows) Lorry#22
Sent Off: Lorry#5
Injured: Archie Røde
Player of The Match: Entan Husky (Wight)

Team: Orm Hinisser | Angund Illchaeld, Entan Husky, Draecdan Hating (sub: Kim Densulene 45'), Oldus Tirvery | Therry Nursa, Archie Røde (sub: Enda Harraway 34'), Servo Kallergha, Sam Bansa | Ivor Uskkima, Rilo Leash


WIGHT @ PRATAPGADH
Orm Hinisser			GK	29	Pitxi-Pitxi 77 (TEQ)		
Angund Illchaeld		DL	24	Old Asyluuminarians
Entan Husky			DR	31	Extramarine
Kim Densulene			DC	17	Haïtiens (TEQ)			
Oldus Tirvery			DC	37	Sporta Ibaeta (TEQ)		
Therry Nursa			DMC	30	G.P.O.	
Enda Harraway			ML	30	Royal Jackdaw
Sammie Rissold			MR	38	Old Pandaemonians
Sam Bansa			AMC	20	Folkness Orchid 
Rodro Dingarran			ST	26	Cisne Senzapa (TEQ)
Rilo Leash			ST	33	Old Pandaemonians

WIGHT vs. KOHNHEAD @ Estadio Juvenil, Ciudad de Pitxi, Tapalupé, Tequilo
Orm Hinisser			GK	29	Pitxi-Pitxi 77 (TEQ)		
Angund Illchaeld		DL	24	Old Asyluuminarians
Entan Husky			DR	31	Extramarine
Draecdan Hating			DC	26	Pelotón (TEQ)			
Oldus Tirvery			DC	37	Sporta Ibaeta (TEQ)		
Therry Nursa			DMC	30	G.P.O.	
Archie Røde			ML	32	St. Bernadine Irregulars
Servo Kallergha			MR	25	Old Myrmecolans
Sam Bansa			AMC	20	Folkness Orchid 
Ivor Uskkima			ST	28	Orwellian Casuals
Rilo Leash			ST	33	Old Pandaemonians

by **Sannyamathland** » Wed May 12, 2021 1:55 am

The Red Terror

Episode 1

"Come on boys, you need to go harder on yourselves!" shouted head coach Sergey Kramnik as he supervised over an intense World Cup training session. Kramnik was determined to qualify for this year's World Cup, especially after last year's debacle. This was one of the few training sessions that the boys had in hand, and he felt that they need to overcome all their problems within this practise sessions, lest they might suffer in the Qualifiers. However, there was one thing that really shocked Kramnik. The absence of his assistant, Donsekty from today's training session. Kramnik knew Donsekty very well, he knew how hardworking a man he is. His hardworking nature was what Kramnik took into consideration before hiring him for the job.

But for the last few days, Donsekty remained strangely aloof. He couldn't concentrate on the tournament, and it appeared that he was under great stress. Being a man of less words, Donsekty had never told anyone the reason of his aloofness, which made it all the more difficult for Kramnik to fathom what is wrong with his trusted deputy. But today, something absolutely weird happened. Today, before the start of the training session, Donsekty had told Kramnik that he urgently needs to visit the washroom, and promised that he will be back within a minute. Thirty minutes had passes till then, but still there was no sign of him. He was still inside the clubhouse. This worried his senior, and Kramnik decided that he needs to check out what his assistant is doing.

"Ok boys, drink's break!" said Kramnik, before going inside the clubhouse to check out his deputy. He saw Donsekty sitting in front of the TV, watching the news. "That's weird!" muttered Kramnik, before going forward and placing a hand on his assistant's soldier and saying: "Hey man! What's wrong? Why didn't you came to the training grounds?"
This sudden intrusion shocked Donsekty, and he jumped up before turning back and seeing Kramnik. He let out a sigh of relief. Kramnik was puzzled by his reaction, and was also genuinely concerned. He asked: "What's wrong?"
"Everything." sighed Donsekty, before continuing in a grave tone: "The situation sir, has gone from bad to worse."
Kramnik looked alarmed. He asked:"Why? What happened?"
Donsekty's face turned pale and he replied in bated breath: "The government has started a New Campaign called the 'War Against Domestic Terror'."

The situation in Sannyamathland had indeed gone from bad to worse. The harsh authoritarian rule of Chairman Kaustuv Rio has been a subject of intense criticism by both domestic and international sources. Moreover, a rumour began circulating across the country that several high ranking members of the Communist Party were gathering funds and support to conduct a palace coup to remove Rio from power. This further affected the already volatile political situation in the country. Arbitrary arrests increased alarmingly over the last few weeks, with over 250 people behind bars due to various fabricated crimes. Chairman Rio has said in a press conference that the number of "enemies of the state" have increased to such an extent that they have now become "omnipresent" in the society. He furthered declared that the new "War Against Domestic Terror" campaign is being launched to protect the society from this counter-revolutionary elements. He further assured that "only criminals will be affected, and law abiding citizens need not worry about this campaign." However, critics and human rights groups have claimed that this campaign has been launched, just like the previous 'War Against Corruption' campaign, to silence opposition views.

There was pindrop silence inside the clubhouse. Nobody had the energy to say anything. The only sound that could be heard was the blabbering of the female news reporter in the TV.
Kramnik spoke after a long time, in an attempt to divert Donsekty's attention, "But we need not worry about this campaign. Chairman Rio has explicitly mentioned that law abiding citizens will not be affected. Moreover, we are sportspersons, offcourse we are a law abiding group of people."
Donsekty gave a dry smile: "Indeed sir, I need not worry about this thing. But my brother needs to, I guess."
"Your brother?" Kramnik was startled
"Yes sir, my brother. He was arrested this morning on the charges of inciting violence."

by **Baggieland** » Wed May 12, 2021 2:52 am

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Wed May 12, 2021 3:03 am

HELLO OK!

Mr Cthulhu Invites Us Into His Lovely Cyclopean Lair

By Irene Ducaso

HELLO OK! magazine is delighted to have been given the exclusive opportunity by Holy Empire World Cup captain Cthulhu to showcase his lovely cyclopean lair.

"It's so unfair", the kindly eldritch horror proclaims. "Descriptions of my lair as a 'monstrous Acropolis' with 'titan oozy blocks', 'crazily elusive angles of carven rock' and a 'polarising miasma welling out from this sea-soaked perversion' are so much base slander".

In truth, Mr Cthulhu's seaside abode, while undoubtedly using large stone blocks for the walls, is neatly kept, with a delightful mix of petunias and begonias adding a Laura Ashley touch to the front garden.

Inside, Mr Cthulhu is quick to show me the kitchen, with the green floral tiling accentuating the green glint of sunlight on sea coming through the windows as well as his gelatinous green immensity. "An Aga is so versatile" he says, "and helps to heat the house as well!"

Next I'm fortunate enough to be shown the exercise room. "I find a few turns on an exercise bike and some weightlifting help accentuate my vast wave-raising strokes of cosmic potency" says the Holy Empire's captain. I note that this was on full display in his recent World Cup qualifier entity of the match display against Siapa ya. "Thank you" he says, in as close to a human smile as his octopoid head can manage. "I have to admit I thought that 'Siapa ya' was some mad cultist cry rather than the name of a nation, and I do find mad cultists so terribly disturbing". He shudders briefly in distress, and leads me to his study.

Mr Cthulhu's study features several portraits of his playful pals. He shows them to me in turn. "Here's Shubby" he says, in reference to Shub-Niggurath, the Goat With a Thousand Young, "and here's Yoggy; this one's Azzy; this one's good ol' Tsatho; here's Nyarly". The affection he feels for his teammates is clear, and from what I hear that affection is entirely mutual.

Unfortunately, our time soon runs out, but it's clear that by showing us his lovely lair, Mr Cthulhu just wants to be better understood. "You know, when someone describes me as 'ravening for delight', I'd like to think that they're describing my pleasure in baking another tasty cake" he says (and I can say from personal experience that he makes a lovely scone), "or that when I 'awaked to claim his own', it was merely because I was up early because I was expecting a courier delivery of quilting parts. People just don't understand the stigma that's associated with being a Great Old One or an Outer God. It's not all waiting for the final apocalypse you know; sometimes we just like a nice cup of tea with some biscuits along with some polite company."

by **Juvencus** » Wed May 12, 2021 3:39 am

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

During The Second Great War of Unification, different factions backed up their claims as to why they prefered a unified Juvencus or if they prefered the region to be a loose confederation of states as it was at the time. The Unionists believed that a unified Juvencus could strengthen their idea of a unified people, which was rising among different populations over Juvencus ever since the Great Attempt and First Great War of Unification. They believed that they division was the main reason of the isolation that had been in duration for centuries and had stagnated advancement in what was once one of the fastest-advancing and fastest-learning people of Sonnel. The Unionists essentially believed that a unified Juvencus could take on not just everyone else in Sonnel, but the multiverse.

On the other hand, the Independetists were content as the things were, a loose confederation that traded within itself and advanced on its own pace without outside influence meant that the traditions of each region of Juvencus would remain untouched and unharmed, as such pure. Contact with the outside world was meant to be limited only to the closest allies in Drawkland through the Revoda sea ports and the people of Oscioru down in the south, which they saw as kin. A unified Juvencus meant the end of their traditions and the start of a series they called as the "cultural massacre of our people", whilst in reality they just held more power over the Unionist states, which is what they really sought to keep and had managed to do with their victory in the First Great War of Unification 30 years prior. The Independentists believed they were strong enough as is.

Drawing of the cavalry fightings of the Battle of Pomena Valley by Evaresto Gia

Chapter 2: The Battle of the Pomena Valley(April 17th 1878)

"The courage of the Pomenienze army was the greatest I have ever witnessed of any group of men. The way they fought was brave, but their efforts futile. -Alessandro Capparota, in his "The Great Myth" writings, circa 1883

The Pomena Valley is a large expanse of flat land that begins in Pomena, Juvencus' largest city and extends westward as always southward. The Battle of Pomena Valley was fought between the Pomenienze 3rd Army and the combined forced of the Federation of the Crescent, the Kingdom of Torona and the Chiefdoms of Cuori near the village of Razza, in the county's southeast.

King Alberto VI of Torona sought to siege the city of Pomena quick and the end the war before it ever even starts, and with a meticulously planned sieging and rushing proposal with Main Chief Juan Souza of the Cuori and President Gennaro Campagnaro of the Crescent agreed on combining forces and crushing Pomena as soon as they could. As such, with a combined force of 50,000 ground troops and 3,000 cavalry led by Alfredo Garifaldi pushed onwards to the Pomenienze capital, only to be met by the Pomenieze 3rd Army's encampment, numbering 28,000 men and 1,000 cavalry which was stationed there in case of an attack.

The initial plan was to split into 2 groups of 5,000 men each to encircle the camp, while the cavalry would raid and disperse the encampment to create confusion and panic while the encircment groups would attack first, with a constant flow of reinforcements coming in at their disposal at any time.

At 5:00 AM on April 17th, the first cavalry unit, the Toronese Spirezi set off to attack the encampment of the Pomenienze, on which they met fierce resistence by the riflemen that were on the lookout, however their first attack was a success killing or injuring tens of Pomenienze troops in a single attack. However this would alert the entire force to organise itself and hold a defensive position.

At 7:00 AM, another cavalry unit, the Hussars of Crescent would cause even more havoc along the Pomenienze lines, however with sustaining heavy losses during the process. They would eventually return to their own camp and resort to mostly scouting for any Pomenienze attacks.

At 10:00 AM, the Pomenienze 3rd Army decided it was time for the counter, a force of 7,000 men would advance, while the remaining troops would stay in the camp in case of a secret attack towards Razza. They would be led by the cavalry force of the Black Uhlans of Pomena which were planned to scout and then attack the positions of the combined forces only to be met by the Toronese Spirezi in the midway point and a fight between the cavalries would commence in the broad daylight and heat of the summer.

The Black Uhlans would showcase their superiority, killing or unmounting plenty a Spirezi before pushing them back to their ranks. With the coast now seemingly clear, the Pomenienze force would now push forward. However, they were ambused by the last cavalry force, the Cuori Camelry which killed or injured a large amount of Pomenienze before the combined forces would encircle them from east and west initially commencing a long-range shooting battle and eventually charging in commencing a melee battle with bayonets. The Pomenienze force would fight with extreme bravery amidst the panic, but with the heavy losses it suffered it was forced back to its camp to avoid complete annihilation. The Independetist combined force chose not to chase them, but during the afternoon, the entirety of the Pomenienze 3rd Army chose to retreat to safer positions inland, which prompted the capturing of Razza, ending the battle of the Pomena Valley.

Battle result: The Independentist Combined Force wins, Pomenienze 3rd army retreat from Razza!

by **Srednjaci** » Wed May 12, 2021 3:46 am

IN QUALIFICATIONS WITH A CONVINCING VICTORY

REPORTED BY IVAN BOŽIĆ

IVAN BOŽIĆ : Our debut in WC88 qualifiers went well. In front of a full national stadium in Katanija, the Ice Bears managed to achieve the highest victory ever in their first qualifying match. The Ice Bears defeated the selected team of Ibixa 5:1 in a great and dominant game. A night to remember in the heated atmosphere at Blue Oyster Stadium! Let's look at the most important details from the match.

KATANIJA , NATIONAL STADIUM : BLUE OYSTER

SREDNJACI vs Ibixa - 5:1

Our team comes out in its strongest lineup.

GK Jure Iveša - 26 y - NK Čelik Raduč

LB Danijela Majić - 23 y - NK Bistua Nuova
CB Ivan Kušić - 26 y - NK Dinamo Katanija
CB Franko Rušković - 27 y - NK Mladost Melarit - Captain
RB Zoran Šutić - 25 y - NK Archer Kula

CDM Heong Min Ho - 25 y- NK Dinamo Katanija

LW Davida Zimmer - 24 y - NK Bistua Nuova ( 1 assist, since 60th minute Matija Čežić in)
RW Takanobu Tavano - 23 y- NK Dinamo Katanija ( 1 goal)

CF Ante Tomljanović - 25 y - NK Čelik Raduč ( 1 goal ; 1 assist)

ST Isidor Matković - 24 y - NK Torpedo Melarit ( 1 goal)
ST Li Peng - 25 y - NK Mladost Melarit  ( 1 goal, since 60ht min. Perica Lozančić in)

SUBSTITUTE

GK Jelena Jukić - 24y - NK Bistua Nova
CB Ivana Žimić - 25y- NK Dormatisi Blue Stars
CB Ninoslav Kutleša - 18 y NK Mladost Melarit
LW Matija Čežić - 18 y - NK Katanija Dalatia Bank ( 1 assist, in 60th minute instead Davida Zimmer)
CM Olga Vuković - 25 y- NK King Stars Katanija
ST Perica Lozančić - 25y - NK Bistua Nuova ( 1 goal, in 60th min instead Li Peng)
ST Tijana Mušarović 19 y- NK Plava Laguna
RM - Vjeran Tukić - 24y - NK Čelik Raduč
DMC Hrvoje Šetkić - 30y- NK Archer Kula

STAFF

COACH : Hrvoje Vezmar
Coach Assistent : Dubravka Šoljić
GK Coach : Filip Jurčević
MD COACH: Goran Tvalić
WINGS Coach : Zoran Tadesić; Hedeharu Takamoto
CF Coach : Lidija Sterilić, Mirnes Dušebašić
ST Coach : Klaudija Rumenić; Vjekoslav Burić, Tomislav Galić
DF, CB Coach : Gordan Hretić, Silvija Šunjić, Hassan Al-Homeini
Doctor : Fran Kostolan, Henry Derman, Julija Kotyarova
Psyhioterapyst : Blagoje Raudić, Martina Steblić

The match started and the guests started first from the center. The Ice Bears had their first real chance in the seventh minute of the match. After Li Peng shot from the edge of sixteen meters, the goalkeeper of Ibixa turned the ball into a corner. Corner kick for the team of Davida Zimmer. Great opportunity, the ball was great and flew in front of the visitors' goal. Tomljanović jumps high, hits the ball with his head, but sends it over the goal.
11th minute, Danijela Majić wins the ball in a duel, and passes the ball to Min Ho, who directs it past to Isidor Matković. Matković gets rid of one guard but another player knocks him down and the referee whistles a foul. Free kick, 18 meters from the goal. The Ibixa goalkeeper sets up a living wall. When the living wall is set, the judge whistles. Matković and Tavano are next to the ball, Tavano skips the ball, Matković shoots. Great sharp shot over the living wall and GOOOOOOOOAL !! Matković scores for a 1-0 lead! Amazing shot !!

In the 23rd minute of the game, the guests have an attack. The guests pass the ball badly and Tomljanović cuts the attack brilliantly. He pulls the ball forward to attack. Li Peng and Isidor Matković open up to him. Tomljanović is looking to whom he will pass the ball. However, he notices an empty space because the defenders of Ibixa tried to block the pass and left enough empty space. Tomljanović shoots with all his might on goal and GOOOAAAAAAL!! Ibix's goalkeeper threw himself to the right side but the shot was violent! Tomljanović scores for 2:0!

42 minutes into the game, the visitors took a corner. One awkward ball in the sixteen meters in front of the goal Srednjaci. Danijela Majić kicks the ball out but only to the Ibixa player who shoots immediately. The ball bounces off another player and cheats Jure Iveša. It’s a GOOOAL for Ibixa! Ibixa reduces the gap to 2:1! Incredibly, the first shot on goal and immediately a goal! With this result, we went on break. The first 45 minutes are over.

The second half begins with the Ice Bears attack. They had a long attack looking for space to pass. The Ibixa players are almost all in their own half of the field defending. Min Ho passes the ball on the spur of Isidor Matković, Matković has two defensive players on his back. Fast Davida Zimmer runs in front of Matković, he leaves the ball to her and runs into space, two defenders after him. Zimmer notices that Tavano ran into the space on the right. With a sharp and fast ball she gives a pass and Tavano shoots from the first without hesitation. And that's GOOOOOOOAL !! 47th minute of the game and Tavano scored for 3:1! Great play action between left and right wing!

58th minute of the game, checkmate in three moves. Min Ho wins the ball, immediately passes Tomljanović, Tomljanović immediately passes the ball to Li Peng in the middle. Li peng runs over his defensive player and breaks out alone in front of Ibix's goal. He enters a space of 10 meters and easily overcomes the goalkeeper. GOOOOOOAL!! Li Peng sets a new score, 4:1!

60 minutes into the game, in Srednjaci team is a substitution. Perica Lozančić came on insead of Li Peng and Matija Čežić came in instead of Davida Zimmer.
It is this duo that will devise the action for the fifth goal. The Ice Bears have an attack pulled by Tomljanović. Tomljanović tries to win as much space within sixteen meters by dribbling, but he does not pass. The ball is cleared off the boot of the defender, but only to Matija Čežić. Čežić cheats her's defensive player with a body trick, she runs on the left side inside the penalty area. The defensive player runs at her leaving Lozančić without defense. Matija lifts the ball from the ground, passing it to Lozančić. Lozančić shot's with a half volley. GOOOOOOOAAL !!! 65th minute and Lozančić scored for 5:1 !!!

REPORTER : A great game in which the Ice Bears showed they had progressed even further. They showed progress in the Baptism Of Fire tournament and now they look even better and stronger. Even more harmonious. The players from the bench were great. Let's also look at a brief statistic.

Srednjaci - Ibixa 

 5     goals   1
       
17     shots   1

 9    on golal 1

64%   possession 36%

428    passes   112 

 0   yelow cards 1 

 0   red cards   0

REPORTER : let's look at other results and the situation in the group. As we can see all three main competitors for the group pass have won. Our next opponent Astograth beat Shreekaristan 5-0 and TJUN-ia and Banija were also convincing against Malandrin and Bongo Johnson.

Group 13
TJUN-ia 6–4 Malandrin
Euran Oceania Territories 2–2 Oberour Ar Moro
Shreekaristan 0–5 Astograth
Srednjaci 5–1 Ibixa
Bongo Johnson 1–3 Banija

Group 13                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Astograth                                   1    1   0   0     5    0   +5     3
 2 Srednjaci                                   1    1   0   0     5    1   +4     3
 3 Banija                                      1    1   0   0     3    1   +2     3
   TJUN-ia                                     1    1   0   0     6    4   +2     3
 5 Euran Oceania Territories                   1    0   1   0     2    2    0     1
   Oberour Ar Moro                             1    0   1   0     2    2    0     1
 7 Bongo Johnson                               1    0   0   1     1    3   −2     0
   Malandrin                                   1    0   0   1     4    6   −2     0
 9 Ibixa                                       1    0   0   1     1    5   −4     0
10 Shreekaristan                               1    0   0   1     0    5   −5     0

REPORTER : Ice Bears will be in visiting to Astograth. Astograth is an extremely strong team and they are far better ranked than us. We haven’t met them so far but they play modern and great football! This will be a difficult mission for the Ice Bears but we hope for a favorable result.

by **Indusse** » Wed May 12, 2021 4:01 am

IFA NEWS NETWORK
Get Set Out!

So that's the start of the next World cup season, It's World Cup 88! The Team is back from a small break to face those new and old opponents out there in the world. The first match was against Independent Athletes from Quebec and Indusse wonderfully lost against them for a score of 6-7. The match was really interesting with thirteen goals been born in a single game. With that the coach called up a meeting of the players after the match, he said "Well, you did well boys! We played well. But luck was with those athletes. We can catch up next time. Let's focus on the match against Damukuni. Damukuni is a really strong team, it's a do or die. We should start our intense training after the hour if we need to win." Is it possible? Can Indusse win against them? Well, even if they win will Indusse qualify for the world cup? For that we need to know whether Indusse has a good bunch of players. Let's visit them, first the Goalkeeper, the most strongest and the best of Indusse.

#1 Steve Leghorn (Goalkeeper)
Steve Leghorn, that name when spoken in Indusse creates a legendary vibe. If anyone asks an Indussean who's your favourite goalkeeper, they would say without wasting a second that it's none other than Steve. Steve is well known due to his performance and his charitable trust. He's a well known figure in the nation who could be a political mastermind. He started his career in Trau de Mongers FC, a local football club in Southbay which soon died after his transfer. His quality performance in the club got him a direct ticket to Southbay Riveria FC B team and soon into the main team. He played for three seasons for Southbay and won the Golden Gloves award in all the seasons. His omnipresent performance got him into the national camp and get him into the best Goalkeeper the nation has ever seen. After this transfer from Southbay to Dhalopura FC, he's been winning all the Golden Gloves in the participated seasons without giving others a chance to snatch them. He's the real saviour of Indusse, saving the nation from the cannon ball like opponent goal shots.

#6 Sampath Singh Aksinwala (Defender)
The Aksinwalas are a well known wrestling clan in Sindvpore. They are those people out there who smash everyone down who stands against them. Sampath Singh Aksinwala could have followed his family customs and traditions and become a wrestling champion smashing all down like a rock. Well, he had started his sporting career as a wrestler back in his 13s but he slowly got interested in soccer and with his fit physique he was a perfect fit for a defender. At his early years, he always got red cards in his matches since he used to throw his opponents away thinking that he is wrestling. The Local Clubs still gave him chance to play and he slowly changed his wrestling in soccer into total defender football. He started to be known all over Sindvpore and he got another call from Sindvpore FC. He still plays for Sindvpore FC and played a major role in their Liga Prima Victory and FFI Cup Victory. He is now the vice captain of Sindvpore FC and is a really important member of the Indussean National Team.

Indusse 6 - 7 IA Quebec
Baskar 7', 22', 55' - Enrico 25', 80'
Mersiás 76', 79' - SY Kim 36'
Grundjee 87' - Huitema 39'
- Hertel 60'
- Hazel 69'
- Litt 88'

by **Atheara** » Wed May 12, 2021 4:25 am

Could There Be Something To Prove?

Type: Game Review
Time: ???? Hours After the Match vs. Valanora

Atheara has officially lost their first match in Group 4 in their first World Cup Qualifiers against Valanora with a score of 1 - 0. The loss was to be expected by the media and most fans, however what most didn't expect was the result of the match. A loss by only one goal against the World's Second Best is not something people see everyday, and especially from third place winners from the Baptism of Fire, whom has only recently today made their debut for the World Cup. But now without too much to say overall, i think we should start analyzing the game, what went right and what went wrong for us. I should also spoiler that this might be a long one.

I think the statistics should be a good place to start for this review. Just from Possesion, both sides were fighting hard, as Valanora had 54% Possesion while Atheara had 46%, and despite us having the lower half, we were the team more dominating in the midfield, as the map heat for the team shows so. Passing Completion is also close, with Valanora having 89% and Atheara having 87%, this means both teams were precise on their foot. There were no cards in this match, as both sides were playing very cleanly.

The first half was literally a throwback to the first Matchday in the Baptism of Fire between Atheara and Galeanna, just passing with a few clear cut chances for both sides. At the 23rd Minute, Luis Frawning almost scored a goal with a volley to the upper left from a corner by Zimmerman Brusteric, but it was barely saved by Vanorian Goalkeeper Julius Miljeteig. At the 42nd Minute Vanorian Striker, Lothas Ludwig had nearly clinched a bicycle kick goal, however Athearan Goalkeeper Mugel Krygorf had also barely tipped the ball away from the net. It seems as if both sides are playing precisely in passing and shooting. When the first half whistle blew, it was 0 - 0.

And as the Second Half starts, both sides were even more determined to win, with both sides defending and attacking prperly against eachother, the fans were starting to wonder who will break the deadlock (and the answer was Valanora). On the 75th Minute, Harlem Saxstrom was running with the ball on the right wing after he made a breakthrough in Atheara's Defense. Mugel rushed up to take the ball, but Harlem chipped the ball over him, which caused Valanora to take the lead, 1 - 0. This score would eventually be the final score of the match, something that was mostly expected. And it was quite embarassing for Mugel at that moment.

Here is something one of our fans made to joke about that.

by **Sarzonia** » Wed May 12, 2021 5:39 am

The opening match of World Cup 88 qualifying was always going to be a challenge for the Sarzonian national football team.

They were facing the top ranked team in the multiverse and the defending World Cup champions Nephara at Parham Arena in Sabrefell. Sarzonia may have been the first team to win a Grand Slam of a Baptism of Fire Cup, a Cup of Harmony, a World Cup and a regional title, but that was a long time ago by any measure. Nephara were the second team to pull off that feat, and they did so much more recently.

Thus, Stars manager Nicola Mentes watched his team get wiped off the pitch with a 5-2 defeat that saw the team lose more than just a match or any sense of confidence. They lost starting goalkeeper Paolo Gomes to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the 33rd minute as he tried in vain to save a bending shot from forward Konrad Lovelace to make the score 2-0. That forced Mentes to turn to the once deposed Carlton Sandt in goal, and the rust from not having played a high-stakes match was evident on the first shot from midfielder Rook Timekeeper, who fired a chip shot that the much taller Sandt might be expected to catch easily, but he fumbled and watched the ball carom off his rear leg and into the net for a 3-0 margin in the 36th minute.

Sandt eventually settled down and the Stars got two goals back from striker Jake Campos and reserve forward Holly Cambrio, but it was not enough as a deflated Stars dressing room sat quietly, patiently waiting for the assembled media to disperse out of the room before the players began to shower, dress and walk to the team bus for the trip back to the hotel room. They would depart for Woodstock in the early morning hours to prepare for their match against unranked Togonistan at Dave Wilson Stadium before an away match to the second highest ranked team in the group, No. 37 Hampton Island.

"We expect Paolo to go into surgery a few hours after we land in Woodstock," Mentes said. "We're expecting a six- to nine-month recovery period before he's potentially available to start playing again. However, team doctor Calvin Bright said the timetable would be more likely on the longer end of that.

"We're looking at him not even beginning football activities for eight or nine months," he said. "The directive from the Department of Health and Athletics is to err on the side of caution for injuries such as this one."

Gomes was not available for comment after the match, as he was being treated in a local hospital prior to the team's departure for Woodstock.

"It's tough," defender Charlie King said. "We have every confidence in Carlton to do a great job, but we all feel really bad for Paolo."

Marcé George becomes the No. 2 goalie behind Sandt. She was also the backup on the women's national team that won the Wonder Cup in Qasden before becoming the starter during the group stage.

by **Ranoria** » Wed May 12, 2021 6:22 am

Inside the television broadcast booth - with analyst Keith Jordan and play-by-play announcer Brock Lawrence
Midway through the first period

"Well Keith, that Adamo Brava for Muralos has the ball again, he's coming down the the field with it. 25 20, 15, 10... Looks like Ranorian defender Chris Jenkins has a clean shot on him. And...Jenkins doesn't even go for the hit! Brava takes the shot..." Brock pumped his fist in the air, "and it's blocked by Vincent Emilia!" That elation was soon checked, however, and he sighed before looking over to his partner.

"Keith, I just don't understand! I mean the guy's right there, a guy who can compete with anyone in the world, and you have a chance to let him know you won't make it easy! And they didn't go for the hit! I'll tell ya, is this even football anymore, what's this sport coming to? If a defensive back has a clear shot like that and doesn't take it, you know it's the beginning of the end."

"Well Brock, let me check my notes here," Keith scratched his beard thoughtfully, and, when he came up unsatisfied, shrugged, "Well, you know how they're not allowed to touch the ball with their hands in this kind of football?"

"Right," Brock acknowledged, "Weird rule, but I guess it's one way to change things up."

"Anyway, that means that the feet are the primary means of transporting the ball, which, if my deductions are correct, would make everyone a kicker."

Realization dawned on Brock's face, "You're kidding! That makes sense, yup, wouldn't want a flag for roughing the kicker. But here we go. Emilia punts the ball back deep, and Rayko Grossman snags it at midfield!"

"Anyway," Keith continued, "You see how the goalie can touch it with his hands? Well, my assumption is that means that you can hit them, which makes rushing touchdown--"

"Goals, remember?" Brock corrected, "They do some weird one point thing."

"Right, goal," Keith continued, "I think if a bigger player has the ball, he could - per our deduction of the rules - go through the goalie. Which would also explain why Vincent Emilia's got a bit more size to him than the rest of our squad at 215 pounds."

"Grossman avoids one defender but he's caught between three of Muralos's players, he laterals it back to Esther Simson," Brock kept up with the play by play, "Simson's sprinting down the midfield, the little speedster's got a lane! No! Nikolaj Granda of Muralos, takes the ball away!"

"Interesting matchup there," Keith filled in, "Both Esther Simson of Ranoria and Nikolaj Grandja are undersized, especially for a guy in the middle of the field, but without the threat of being touched by the ball carrier at risk of a roughing the kicker penalty, these two teams have apparently taken advantage and inserted some speedsters into the lineup."

"Kris Reinhardt gets in front of him! Young Eugene Rimold comes in to clean up, but Grandja passes it back to Johano Abramovich, who's got a knack for a deep curved shot. He's got a window here where he could, and it looks like he's gonna tee up, he takes the shot! And stopped again by Vincent Emilia!"

"Emilia's pass defense is impressive," Keith noted, "But we have yet to see him be forced to hold up against a run. Muralos might start to focus on that aspect of the game if they can't get anything going passing."

Early second period

Brock Lawrence's fervor was palpable through the broadcast "Felix Graf has it! He's taking it right up the gut and he has a lane! Only Muralos's goalkeeper, Rodian Markov in his way! He's gonna run it right in! No!" Brock shot up out of his chair, clasping the sides of his head in his hands, "He kicked it! He kicked it! Why, why would he do that!? Markov has shut us down on kicks all game!"

Keith Jordan was at a loss as well, "I don't understand either, has to be a mental error. Graf has the size for more traditional football much less thi-"

"Barry Chlorid intercepts it on the deflection!" Brock cut him off again, "It's a beautiful arc into the top corner - and he'll score!"

Keith, of course, couldn't hide his own excitement, "Wow! Chlorid is the only one on the field - for the Krauts at least, but likely Muralos as well - who's played traditional football, it's nice to see the two time collegiate All-Ranorian be the one to knock that in."

Post game

"You know Keith, I'm still bothered by the lack of run game from either team," Brock muttered, "What's this sport coming to if teams aren't willing to put their hands in the dirt and go to town? Especially that Felix Graf, he's a big man on that field!"

"I know Brock," Keith sighed, "I know. But this is how most of the world plays the game. I can only hope it doesn't leech into smaller competitions like the World Bowl or, heaven forbid, our precious Ranorian Football League."

Brock shuddered, "No, god no. I don't even want to think about that."

They were interrupted when the producer peaked into the broadcast booth, "Uh hey, guys, I know we said "football" on the papers we gave you, but this is association football, not gridiron. So soccer. Running the ball, hitting, it's not a thing."

"Soccer!?" The two said in unison, "What's soccer?"

The producer facepalmed, painfully from the sounds of it, "God help us. You're a laughingstock even in parts of Ranoria right now, and probably playing on memes across the world."

"Dude, you can't just make up words," Brock shot back.

"Yeah, boss," Keith finished, "This packet you gave me clearly says football. Don't know what you're talking about. You might need to lay down for a bit."

by **The 14 Stars** » Wed May 12, 2021 6:29 am

No win but a great debut

Hello there dear sports lovers, my name is John Hoshi and i'll be doing a live report today from the match we have all waited long for, Eshialand the so-called champions against our Starsian national squad.
Here we have Starsian line-up and even if its a promising match there have been a few changes among the squad to make a slightly more offensive then predicted, without further delay lets look at the line-up of the Starsian team which we all want to see.

Goalkeeper: Dave Carlsson
CB: Gordon Borov (c)
CB: Nicolay Moon
LB: Chewan Osong
CDM: Zeyan Chardan
CDM: Stefano Garcia
RB: Quentin Ramirez
LW: Doran Corson
CM: Morris Valerian
RW: Kyle Wolf
ST: Maximillian Flare

And these are the eleven players that will start the match, as you see on the field now both teams started their warm up with the Eshians having alot of experience but we having the home advantage.
Holy road stadium is packed with a good 65,000 football fans all of them Starsian, we expect today alot from key players Flare, Valerian and ofcourse Wolf to make the game turn into our favor.

-a while later-

Both of the teams are ready and walk up the field, for Gordon Borov its his last international tournament before he will retire and he has been chosen as the prideful captain of our squad with the most experience.
As both national anthems are played the teams shake hands promising eachother a fair match, our team certainly has proved to be not an easy beat and even the Eshians will have a hard time breaking their defence at all.
Borov chooses for the kickoff as the players get in position, there is little time to waste as the ball is at the middle and the teams are ready for kickoff waiting for the referee.
and as the whistle is blow kickoff starts and the Starsian start in possesion

During the first half it goes up and down, both teams do not give eachother an inch, but both teams play a very diffrent style of football and Eshialand has trouble with all special techniques used.
None of the teams really got too much the upper hand, the team were equal and none of them could really play their game without the other team interfering with it as they seemed deadlocked.
however at the end of the first half the Starsian came out with a good counter with a 3 versus 2 situation however the shot hit the crossbar and sadly no goal for the Starsian team however they had been close.
the first half ended with a tied 0-0 score as the teams both played to their fulles ability but there was more needed for both teams to make a sure win happen in this first game.

As the 2nd half starts there are two substitutes made by the Starsian coach Marcus Blade, Chewan Osong a defender will be replaced by a more offesnive player Dylan Diam who only recently entered the squad.
Further also Zeyan Chardan is coming off the field to be replaced by one of the more rough players Troy Rockwell known for his brutal defense and incredible sliding tackle technique combined with an amazing endurance and speed.

The second half did not differ alot from the first one, multiple corner though were taken but each time both keepers made clear why they were there and caught the ball as they started counters.
However slowly but surely the Eshians started to see the patterns in the Starsian defense but breaking through is a 2nd thing and sadly for our team that was exactly what happened in the 84th minute.
After a foul from Nicolay Moon there was a free kick for Eshialand, and ofcourse it was saved by the keeper but in the rebound Eshialand scores with a goal made by George Habisbrauer standing exactly in the right place to shoot it into the net.
with the remaining minutes on the clock they attack with all they have, quickly the ball goes round and within the a few minutes they stand before the keeper passing the ball to Flare.
Flare preforms his special technique the Fire tornado but the keeper makes an excellent save as even now they cant seem to score, and with the remaining time they don't score anymore and it ends in an Eshian victory.

Eshialand wins, but just narrowly escaping a draw in a boring and deadlocked match by two teams who are of similar level seemingly and for The 14 Stars losing by only 1 goal will be seen as a fine result.
thats it until next time!

by **Graintfjall** » Wed May 12, 2021 6:30 am

Suimede – 2 (1)
Sepúlveda (34’), Niyazov (69’)

Græntfjall – 3 (1)
Einvarðursson; Lúthersdóttir (64’ Matteosdóttir ), Björnsdóttir, Jokulsson, Vilbertsdóttir (29’); Tronsson (90+1’), Jvarsson (62’ Dannysdóttir (77’)), Ásvaldursson; Mensdóttir (29’), Heikkisdóttir (55’); Jonathansdóttir (75’ Rögnvaldursson (86’))

Græntfjall could have been accused of arrogance in sending a virtual second XI, missing their three best players entirely, to Suimede, who very nearly made them pay for their presumption. The Snow Wolves looked labored without Amanda Guttisdóttir directing flow, and Eiríka Jonathansdóttir was not suited to the lone striker role with no support behind her. The lack of attacking invention allowed Suimede to dominate possession; when the Snow Wolves took the lead on the half hour mark, it was against the run of play, with Lana Mensdóttir netting her first NT goal with a skimming drive through traffic that Carmelo Peko saw late and couldn’t get a solid hand behind. Plans to seize an early lead and sit on it were then scuppered when Dani Sepúlveda turned in Maurinho’s free-kick.

Justiina Dannysdóttir might have hoped to sit the game out but was forced into an unscheduled appearance after an hour to try to get some offense going, while Elektra Lúthersdóttir’s attempt to prove she was fit ended with decisive proof – that she wasn’t. However, the tactical change that really made the difference came on the other side, with Suimede bringing on dynamic young winger Ýusup Niyazov, who proved too much for Hanne Heikkisdóttir to handle. He made the most of his impact appearance and came away with a fine solo goal to give Kang Guilin a genuine fright. Few would have expected Lyngar Rögnvaldursson, mostly a non-entity through a surprisingly high 28 NT appearances, to prove the decisive factor, but so he proved as he turned perhaps his best game in blue-and-white, all in just 15 minutes. Bigger bodied than Eiríka, he turned loose Justiina with a clever chipped pass for the equalizer, the Crossroads striker making an intelligent finish off the outside of her boot, and then blasted in the winner with four minutes to play. Sighs of relief, rather than cheers, rang out from the Snow Wolf Pack fans in attendance, and unsurprisingly a much stronger team has been named for the coming encounter with Poafmersia.

Opposition names based on BoF roster.

23 player squad for MD2–3 (expected starters in bold): Jorgesson, B. Ernestisson, Einvarðursson; T. Ernestisson, Reynarsson, Bensson, Vilbertsdóttir, Markusson, Kristersson, Thorleifsson, Jokulsson; Ásvaldursson, Jvarsson (c), Guttisdóttir, Grímólfursson, Miansdóttir, Hólmarsdóttir; Mensdóttir, Heikkisdóttir; Þórhallursson, Dannysdóttir, Jonathansdóttir, L. Rögnvaldursson

Child cancer scandal: “Mr. Prime Minister, did you threaten to intervene?”

Old photographs show David Austmannsson sporting a full head of hair. It’s an anomalous memory as difficult to recall as the time when he was considered the bright young thing of Græntfjaller politics, an optimistic reformer bringing hope and moderation to calm the choppy waters of fraught post-Communist political bickering. Nearly two decades on, the ‘Snow Fox’ has evolved in the great survivor of Græntfjaller politics, able to twist and connive his way from one scandal to the next, to master the shifting snowdrifts of fragile coalitions, and to somehow continue to present himself as the voice of ‘change’ despite half a decade in the Prime Minister’s chair. “David is the sort of man,” says Valgeir Tímonsson, former Blue-Green leader whom Austmannson ousted in the ‘bloodless coup’ of 2008, “Who can follow you into a revolving door and come out first. Wearing your wristwatch.” But whatever snide hacks in Hvítursalur whisper about him, voters have always seemed to side with Austmannsson. During the last election, the conventional wisdom among political journalists and party insiders was that the Überolía scandal had broken him. Instead he increased his party’s vote share and entered government as the new Prime Minister.

Austmannsson once again finds himself fighting charges of personal scandal, and once again his relationship with Überolía is under scrutiny. Last time, the question was why his wife, an interior decorator, had received huge ‘consulting fees’ from the oil giant; opponents charged it was a slush fund to circumvent campaign finance laws, but Austmannsson’s emotional – if not downright maudlin – defense of his wife’s privacy turned the issue into one about clean campaigning and the limits of political discourse (all while the Blue-Green press machine churned out vicious attacks on said opponents’ own personal lives, including printing Progressive Liberal leader Kaija Michaelsdóttir’s medical record showing her history of abortions, and running a homophobic smear campaign against NDF leader Sigjón Þjóðbjörnsson). Now, he is being called to explain whether he threatened to intervene to suppress a report linking air pollution to increased child cancer deaths on behalf of his party’s largest corporate donor.

Broken in the last week by the leftist campaigning news magazine Index Græntfjalls, the somewhat callously named ‘Coughgate’ involves a report from the Office of Clinical Health demonstrating a causal link between statistically significant increases in child cancer deaths in Altendalur and air pollution. Consistently registering the worst air quality in the country thanks to the Junction of a Thousand Honks, Altendalur sees heavy passenger and freight traffic in the industrial conurbation, and its air quality has been blamed for spikes in child lung cancers. “Healthy children, growing up in non-smoking households, are coming in with the lungs of 50 year old chain smokers,” writes the grim foreword to the report. But Austmannsson’s Blue-Green government allegedly tried to prevent the publication of the report, and removed the coroner who recorded the first instance of a cause of death being ascribed to ‘air pollution’, replacing him with a new official who rewrote the file to omit any references to pollution.

Grilled by pugnacious political reporter Jeremy Fartslam in the first of five scheduled leaders’ interviews to be broadcast live on GTV, Austmannsson was blindsided by a document, allegedly bearing his signature, ordering the Office of Clinical Health to bin the report. “I did not intervene!” insisted Austmannsson as Fartslam repeatedly barracked a flustered Austmannsson, normally an accomplished interviewee, with the question “But did you threaten to intervene?”. Eighteen times in a row. It made for gruelling viewing. By the following morning, opponents from the left were rushing to stick in their own knife. Zóphonías Juliusson called it “another example of the Blue-Green government selling out children’s health to oil barons”, and Kaija Michaelsdóttir dubbed it a “remarkably cynical admission of just how low this government has been willing to scrape”, bitterly twii.turing “how many oil bucks are our children’s lives worth, Mr. Prime Minister?”, while he did not escape censure from the right. While dodging the issue of air pollution itself, Sigjón Þjóðbjörnsson referred to “yet more corruption, yet more graft, yet more lies” in a speech the next day, while Hlíf Karrisdóttir, who served as Justice Minister during the last administration, became the first prominent Blue-Green to call on Austmannsson to resign as leader.

In this edition:

EDITORIAL: A harrowing tale of a planet on fire: the time is now for real climate action
Planned tidal power plant threatens heritage views of protected coastline
Ignorance and Islamophobia: planning war over ‘mega-mosque’ turns ugly
Obituary: Fr. Sebastian Mariano Ruiz
Short story: The Archdeacon and The Cross-Country Skier

PHORCED-ACRONIM #002

The campaign is heating up with big policy announcements. The…

0: Workers Free Party
1: NDF
2: Progressive Liberals
3: Left-slate
4: Socialist Realm
5+: Hizb ut-Tahrir (Háttmark branch)

…are proposing a new tax on…

0: financial transactions
1: jet fuel
2: drugs (including alcohol and/or tobacco)
3: online activity
4: previously exempt religious charities
5+: windows

PHORCED-ACRONIM #003

…while the…

0: Progressive Liberals
1: Catholic Democrats
2: Liberal-Conservative Alliance
3: Blue-Greens
4: Independent Democrats
5+: Kraken Liberation Front

…are advocating for cutting taxes for…

0: inheritance
1: low earners
2: middle earners
3: high earners
4: corporations
5+: billionaires

by **Queenisa** » Wed May 12, 2021 6:52 am

The First Answers From God

Queenisa 0-0 Acronius
Written By Kevin Chow | 5-12-2021 | Sports Section

[blocktext] Welcome to Queenisan Papers, the best news service throughout Queenisa. Today we going to discuss The First Answers Of God, analysis of the match with Acronius, and hopefully this newspaper inspires you to play for the Queenisa Team. Let’s Get started without more to say.

The First Answers of God

Yes, God has already determined our fate by what we tried on - sports training, preparedness, and other vital factors against Acronius. Though we are very sad that even if Acronius never wrote any Role-Plays and stayed inactive while we were active, the Quality of Our Role-Plays is the one to blame for not getting a clear cut win. At Least God didn’t let us lose, and has determined that we shall be given another chance to write and show our true strength above all. We always have to be optimistic and making complaints about a draw isn’t going to get us anywhere.

Kevin Chow’s Introduction

Hi, I am Kevin Chow, an Asian Sports Fan. You can call me Kevin for short, and I did these sports analysis’s for more then 10 years. My tone of voice in these analysis’s are always positive - optimism is always better then sadness and anger. Though I have experienced with the Queenisa sports team for the downsides and upsides, I always here to give you an viewer friendly sports analysis without diving too shallow nor too deep into the technical details and loves having fun.
Sit Back and Enjoy Me Giving you an analysis ! - Kevin

Analysis of The Matches

While The Result and Rounds signal a draw, this cannot prevent us to see what players scored for Queenisa and statistics.

Players That Scored For Queenisa
1. Grace
2. Alexander
3. Greg

Stats
1. 32.98% Chances To Score Missed
2. 2 Yellow Cards Handed
3. 1 Red Card Handed

by **Tikariot** » Wed May 12, 2021 6:53 am

Walking with Shadows
--- Chapter II ---

Chapter I

He wakes up to the sound of the rain beating down unabatedly, lashed on by the howling wind, making it feel as if Mother Nature was on a personal vendetta against him. He carefully opens his eyes, the diffuse twilight a pleasant surprise. Trying to lift his head slowly, he looks around and finds himself in what looks like a log cabin, the furnishings simple, but comfortable. Looking towards the only window he can see, it still looks dark outside, the low light coming from the embers of the almost burned down fire in the hearth. A dull pain in his skull makes him raise his hand to his head, feeling a bandage wrapped around good parts of it, then a thick gauze pad underneath on the side of his head, which upon touch reveals itself as the source of the pain.

As he puts his head back down, he tries to remember what happened, how he ended up here, followed by a more existential question of who he actually is. Various fragments of thoughts and memories are floating around his brain, but either too quick or too fleeting for him to grasp them and put them into any sort of comprehensible order. While trying to grapple with the situation he falls asleep again.

When he comes to again, a new sound alerts his attention, he is not alone. Sensing a weight close to where he is resting, he decides not to give away that he is awake and casually moves his hand to his side, freezing when the object he finds is soft, cold and humid. His eyes shoot open and he carefully lifts and turns his head to see the head of a giant malamute resting on the couch next to him, unmoving but its brown eyes fixated on him. Ever so slowly he lifts his hand off the huge dog’s snout, which immediately stands up and saunters out of the room. Moments later he hears a voice. “Yes, Nurisema? Stop pushing, I’m going!”

“Hello, sleeping beauty,” comes the melodious voice, a female voice. “You don’t have to pretend you are still sleeping, can’t fool the dog.”

A brief gruff bark acknowledges her statement. He opens his eyes again and looks into the direction of the voice and bark and only sees a silhouette against the dim daylight filtering through the window. All he can make out is long, flowing hair and the sheer size of the dog, which’s head is at the same height has her hip.

“Wh-where am I?” he croaks, his throat dry, causing him to cough. The same moment the dog turns and runs out of the room, returning shortly after with a water bottle between its jaws, dropping it next to him. With a low grumble he returns to the side of his owner. Greedily he opens the bottle and gulps down the clear liquid.

“In my cabin. For the last two days. Nasty cut you have there on your head, do you remember if you fell out there?”

“I barely remember anything, but when I woke up, I was just on the ground in the forest and I don’t think there was anything around me that could have caused this, so I would assume I didn’t fall.”

She looks at him pensively before walking over to the fireplace, carefully picking up a bunch of papers. “This might be why someone whacked you over the head.”

Seeing the papers, a flood of memories came rushing back, together with a sense of panic and suspicion. “Where do you find those?

“They were in your coat. Sown into it and soggy as hell. I tried my best to get them to dry, but some of the ink is completely smudged.”

“You read them?”

“Well, yeah. Interesting stuff. Hidden relics and all.”

She gives him a disgruntled look when she sees the suspicion on his face. “Do you really think that I’d still be here, or you’d still be alive, if I was after those papers and the relics? Nurisema found you out there and dragged you back here. You were out cold and wet. So wet… Anyways, when I tried to dry your coat, I felt something in the back that was all lumped up, so that’s how I found the papers. What are you? A treasure hunter?”

After weighing his options for a moment, he manages a faint smile. “No, I’m not a treasure hunter. I work for a government agency that tries to recover ancient artefacts. Not officially, I’m, hm, what could I call it, a contractor. With all the deniability by the government should something go wrong.”

“Ooh, sounds like a spy.”

He can’t help himself but laugh out loud. “No, I’m not a spy either. Some people at the agency have given me the code name The Shadow, because they say that I work in the shadows where nobody can see me.”

“Well, if you always wear black like this, I can see where that came from.”

He smiles. “I do. But where exactly are we? It’s not as if there were signs out in the forest.”

“We’re about 50 km north of Veriasod.”

“Does he always does this?”

“Do what?”

“Just stand there and stare at you?”

She laughs. “Only until he knows that you’re not a threat to me.”

“And how long does that usually take?”

She shrugs. “Can be anywhere between an hour and a month or so.”

He points at the dog. “You better make up your mind quick!”

In response the dog lets out a grumbly bark and begins to push his owner towards the door.

“He stopped staring, does that mean he trusts me now?”

“No, he just let you know that we’re apparently done talking.”

*****

A steaming mug of tea sits in front of him on the table, together with black bread and cheese, the woman sitting across from him and Nurisema, the dog, standing beside him, still intently staring at him.

“The Ordo Draconi Dhaencunori ruled over most of Eastern Dhaencunor about 400 years ago, occupying several monasteries across the region.”

“Monks ruling over a region?”

He casts a sideways glance at the malamute before continuing. “Yes, they were warrior monks, originally to protect the people that lived in the area, but as time progressed, they began to get more interest in the earthly delights than just the spiritual enlightenment. Their symbol was the lily, and they were the first one to combine the Dhaencunor cross with the lily in the flag that became Dhaencunor’s. This document here—”

He reaches across the table to pick up one of the dried pieces of paper laying in front of her when Nurisema takes a big step forward, taking his hand into his maw and gently putting the hand back onto the table next to him. As he looks at the dog incredulously, the woman starts laughing.

“Nurisema! Leave him be, ok? I’m sure he won’t hurt me. And those papers are his anyways!”

Nurisema looks at her, then turns and grumbling all the way trots over to the fireplace, curling up in front of it.

“I’m sorry, he’s just very protective. Btw, Mr. Shadow, you haven’t even told me your name yet.”

“Neither have you.”

“No, but I live here, you don’t, so I got first dibs.”

“Fair enough, I apologize for my lack of manners. My name is James. James Shawcross.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Shawcross. So you had mentioned a document?

“You haven’t told me your name yet.”

“I know.”

After waiting for a moment and realizing that there was nothing more forthcoming, he sighs. “So, if you look here, this document talks about a decree that grants the holder the power over Eastern Dhaencunor, which is why the government sent me out to try to find it, because it has never been revoked. So, if anybody finds it, they can claim the whole region for themselves.”

She lets out a low whistle. “That would be nice to have. But seriously, that in the wrong hands could be worth a lot of money!”

“Mhm. People have been searching for it for centuries now, but nobody has found it yet.”

“So does it actually still exist?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, but they don’t want to take a chance. “

“So how are we going to approach this?”

He looks at her. “What do you mean, *we*?”

“You know, you and me – we?”

“No, you have no part in this, this could be dangerous.”

She shoots him a sardonic look. “And how are you going to get where you need to go?”

He closes his eyes in realization of the flaw in his plan. “You have a car?”

“Do you think I ride him?” She points at Nurisema.

He can’t help but smile. “I don’t think he’d be happy. Alright, so *we* will have to figure out somehow where to go. The logical place for the decree would be one of their monasteries.”

“How many are there?”

“Nine.“

“That’s not too bad then.”

“Well, it’s not that easy, unfortunately. Only two of those monasteries still exist, two cities that others were in do no longer exist, period, and the rest is either in ruins or has been built over. Do you have a map?”

“Mhm.” She gets up and rummages around in a drawer, pulling out a foldable map that has seen better days and spreading it out on the table.

“OK, the two that still exist are here in Veriasod and there in Anithero. There are ruins of others in Kyethas, Couseir and Ancarea. The ones in Samreach and Ulmiash have been demolished and built over. And then we have Asuran and Tallavia, who were here and here.” He points at two areas east of Tikariot City and in the mountains between Dhaencunor and Paladon to the south. “Nothing of these two exists anymore, not even the cities they were in. From what I gather they were both razed in some war between the two kingdoms.”

She looks at the map. “That’s all fine and dandy, but what’s the plan? Grab a pick and a shovel and start digging?”

He scowls at her. “Ha – ha. No, obviously not.”

“Then enlighten me.”

“Well, obviously we can’t do that. I need to check my email; I’m supposed to get some scans from my contact. The thought is that even if they hid it, they likely left some clues for someone to find it, preferably someone part of the order. Otherwise they could have just destroyed it.”

“Good thinking. But might they not have destroyed it after all?”

“Yeah, well, they may have, but again, the agency doesn’t want to take a chance.”

“Fair enough. You can use my computer.”

“You got internet out here?”

“I might be a recluse, but I’m not a savage!”

“Touché.”

by **Talamia** » Wed May 12, 2021 7:17 am

Matchday 1 - Group 10
match report
Talamia 4-4 Siovanija and Teusland
S. A'apt

23'
S. A'apt

25'
A. Sus

77'‏‏‎
T. Apopatos

83'

Arees Sus in action during the first half.
Epacra Delphis' midfielder scored in his debut match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages.
Here is Auxe Aggelia, accompanied as always by Gian Gianvilipendio, your favourite sports experts! We knew it would be difficult, we knew we would have to fight. But we drew against the formidable team of Siovanija and Teusland. What an awesome result!"
"I told you, Auxe! We would have won!"

"But Gian, didn't you bet a large sum on our defeat?"

"No, Auxe. It must have been Bill from the makeup department."

"Gian, I really remember that you showed me your bet with great pride"

"BUT LET'S GO TO THE REPORT!"

"Let's move on to the report.

Talamia had to recover the result four times. Going behind with a goal scored after just three minutes, the equalizer came in the 23rd minute, with a fine header from Stern A'apt from a corner kick. Siovanija and Teusland regained the advantage after just a minute, immediately grabbed by A'apt's sharp right, closer and closer to the 80th goal scored in the national team. At the end of the first half, the away team managed to regain the lead. The talent of Epacra, Arees Sus, took care of the goal on his debut with the national team, to find the equalizer with a sublime free kick. It took only three minutes for Siovanija and Teusland to regain the advantage. The party, however, turned on when in the 83rd minute the very young Thraskema Apopatos dribbled the entire opposing defense, scoring with a powerful shot.

Now let's hope this first point is the start of a winning streak! But let's not forget the future commitment to the Comrades Cup. Will our national team be able to focus its energies on both fronts? "

"And will I be able to win a bet?"

"Find out by staying tuned to Pro Diorux TV! - are you a sports devote? Pick up your TV remote!"

by **Eshialand** » Wed May 12, 2021 7:59 am

Memories and Wishes... Oh, What Could've Been!
The 14 Stars 0 - 1 Eshialand

It's the night of the match, but you can only think of one thing... or rather, one person.

Rebecca Saunders has been your best friend since you were seven years old, and you've always been close ever since. All through public school, high school, and college, you've been inseparable... but for years, you've wanted to tell her how you really felt.

It started in tenth grade... wow, ten years ago already? There was just something about that day at the fair that made it all so real... but you didn't want to mess it up. You've kept it bottled up inside all these years because, above all, Rebecca was your best friend. Why ruin it?

Boyfriends came and boyfriends went, and you always found yourself wondering "what if that was me?". Again, you said nothing.

That was, until a couple of weeks ago. You finally mustered up the courage to tell her how you felt... your next weekly lunch would be your perfect opportunity... until Coach pulled you away to the Stadium for the impromptu team meeting.

That was okay, you thought at the time, you could always invite her to The 14 Stars and tell her there... at least, until Morris Valerian told you about the nation's ban on foreigners, meaning you'd have to wait until the Lisander match...

You've waited so long, and now, the stress of finally playing is taking a toll on your mental state. Your mind wanders, trying to think about anything but the match... and you start thinking about Rebecca again. The same demons who've haunted you for ten years -- a whole f***ing decade -- are back with a vengeance. After that incident in Electrum, her opinion of you probably ruined already, so why risk making it any worse?

Kickoff: the Storm Wolves win the coin toss, and they immediately set the tone of the game. It's going to be one of those games, with nothing happening 95% of the time, and only one golden moment defining everything. Basically that Atheara game in a nutshell. That game had been a win for Eshialand... could it happen again?

All of the downtime that the Starsian defense is providing you gives you a heck of a long time to think, for better or for worse. Would your life be happier if you hide the truth? Are you willing to gamble away one of your only true friendships in the world on the off-chance that she feels the same way you do?

In the 41st minute, you see something that takes your mind off of your dilemma... is that Maximillian Flare riding a fire tornado?? That must be another one of their hissatsu techniques they were talking about... he launches the ball directly at the net, and there was simply no way Alex Kolek was stopping it... but miraculously, he tips it into the crossbar, or at least that's what it looks like. The score remains 0-0 at the half.

This moment snaps you back into reality: you're supposed to be playing soccer, not worrying about Rebecca! Just focus, and everything will be alright...

You can't sit back in the defense anymore, you have to get into the action. Sure, you're supposed to be a defender, but today, with everything going on in your head, you don't care. You play the rest of the game as if you were a third forward, even though you haven't trained at all.

In the 84th minute, you get a golden opportunity. Nikolay Moon commits a foul, giving Alice Carroll a free kick. This should be an easy goal, you think to yourself, Alice would never miss a free kick... but Dave Carlsson manages to save it, and the ball gets back to you. You then channel all of your energy, all of your fear, and all of your self-hatred into shooting that ball with all the power you can muster. You aren't even really thinking too much about it, just acting on your emotions.

You shoot the ball with all of the power of your emotions, letting out a loud scream as you do so. Inexplicably, despite having no experience shooting on goal in a match, it gets past Carlsson, way over his left shoulder. You've just scored. 0-1.

The final ten minutes tick down, and you aren't thinking about Rebecca anymore. She's as far from being on your mind as she is away from physically being in the stadium. All you're thinking about is what you've just done, and how you can seal the deal. You keep the defense tight, and the Storm Wolves are unable to score. The Owls win 0-1, and you scored the match-winning goal.

After the game, the two teams shake hands, and you make sure to talk to Morris.

"Well, I guess that travel ban isn't so bad after all..."
"How so?"
"Hah hah, you wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Hello and welcome back to ENN Tournament Report, I'm your host Alana Markai. World Cup Qualifying has just kicked off, and I'm going to go through each match in Group 2 (as well as a couple of other interesting matches) and breaking down how I feel about them. Let's go!"

Pluvia and the Saxean Isles 2 - 4 Lisander
"This match was the only one in the group to be won by multiple goals, and isn't it just our luck that it's by Eshialand's next opponents, Lisander. Folks, we have a challenge ahead of us."

Savojarna 3 - 2 Sendhang
"Experts were predicting something along the lines of 3-0 for this one, certainly not 3-2! This tells us two things: Savojarna is far from invincible, and fan favorites Sendhang aren't about to fall apart as they did in the Baptism."

Hebitaka 1 - 2 Devonta
"Devonta managed to prevail in this battle of the independents, though I'm not too sure what to make of it."

Squornshelan Remnant States 2 - 2 Vilita
"The Confederates are the only lower-ranked team in the group to pick up any points, and I'm almost sure Vilita's worried about the threat they may pose."

The 14 Stars 0 - 1 Eshialand
"Thanks to George Habisbrauer's heroics, Eshialand prevails in our first Qualifying match, but don't be fooled: this match has taught us all that the Storm Wolves aren't pushovers by any means."

"Now, there are two games from around the tournament that I'd like to mention briefly."

Valanora 1 - 0 Atheara
"Atheara has done the seemingly impossible: they took the second-best team in the multiverse (and arguably the best of all time), and held them to the exact same score they held us to in the Baptism of Fire. The Valanorans could only score one. Whether the people of Atheara know it or not, their team played the cleanest game they've ever played. And that's why I love watching Atheara."

Indusse 6 - 7 Independent Athletes from Quebec
"Where does one draw the line between a high-scoring match and the stuff of legends? Well, Jeremy Jaffacake would say 13 goals, and I'm inclined to agree with him. This match was absolutely legendary, only the 11th match in World Cup history (to my knowledge) to end with that many goals or more."

"That's all for this edition of ENN Tournament Report, I've been Alana Markai."

by **Txakhaxi** » Wed May 12, 2021 9:08 am

TXAKHAXI IN THE WCQ
BUILDING A PAST
PART 1

^ If this looks broken, zoom out to see how it should actually look ^

Building a functional nation that fits into the universe is not an easy task. All aspects of the daily life of a society are closely related. Each individual is steeped in a long cultural heritage, which is constantly being rebuilt on the foundations of its history. The identity of a nation is manifested in thousands of aspects, which are reflected in each other like a gigantic maze of mirrors. The language, the spirituality, the environment, the countless events that have happened in the past. Everything is in constant feedback. Thus, a society develops as a complex system, in which all facets adapt as a whole to particular changes over time.
Still, it is possible to identify a driving force for historical change; a central axis of the holistic functioning of a society as a whole. The construction of any society starts from a fundamental structure, from which superstructural dimensions flourish. This first pillar is found in the productive nature of a society, an underlying factor in any ideological, political or religious formulation. Great changes of a productive nature are those that have driven the historical development of the revolutionary processes, which led humanity from nomadic hunter-gatherer communities to the thousands of interconnected societies in the modern globalized world.
Thus, starting from a critical analysis of human history, I propose to go through the history of Txakhaxi. Based on the productive development of its peoples, I will identify the hinge moments that marked a before and after, and that forged the foundations of the Txakhaxi culture of the present. This extensive worldbuilding will mark the future of all my roleplays, since all the present will be framed in this history.

THE LANDS OF TXAKHAXI

The Txakhaxi peninsula is divided by a mountain range, the Fixuñi Bumao. Towards the south, extensive forests of low stature make their way, covering most of the territory, reaching the coasts. Extensive grasslands and scrublands extend to the west of the mainland. The islands present a higher humidity, especially the Adaxa Txakra archipelago, in the extreme easternmost of the country. The climate is temperate, with rainy winters and dry summers in which the temperature rises considerably.
The fertile soils supported the inhabitants of these lands throughout history, despite the danger posed by the local fauna for the early settlers. Some regions, such as the eastern archipelago, are densely populated by predators. The different Txakhaxi cultures managed in various ways to prosper and make the most of the benefits of this corner of the world.

THE FIRST PEOPLE

It is estimated that the first inhabitants of the territory arrived from the north of the mountains approximately 5000 years ago, when tribal communities traversed the intermountain passages. From these groups, archaeological finds such as arrowheads, hooks and different tools made of lithic flakes and animal bones are preserved. They moved through the territory following the herds of animals. Everything indicates that these communities had little or no hierarchy, with all their members taking part in the different tasks equally. It was only with the first records of the development of agriculture, some two thousand years later, that the first signs of the division of labor began to appear.
There are three main cultures that have developed in Txakhaxi since ancient times. On the one hand, there is the fast-growing continental peoples, also know as Txakha. This tribes settled on the main islands shortly after colonizing the mainland, giving rise to what would later develop as the island peoples, or Goakha. However, hostile seas kept the eastern archipelago uninhabited for centuries. These remote islands were only inhabited about a thousand years later. It is unknown where the first communities came from, but they are not related to the original inhabitants of the mainland. They are known as Adaxakha in the Txakhaxi language.

THE RISE OF CIVILIZATIONS

Around 3400 years in the past, the first important stone constructions appear, showing that the communities were beginning to settle permanently. In continental territory, Fortresses to the Divinity are established, around which small agrarian communities functioned. Although there are no written records, it is believed that these peoples worshiped an ordering principle of the universe, Hua. This group of beliefs does not constitute a true pantheon, since Hua is understood as everything alien to human understanding. It seems that sacredness does not operate here through ritual cults, but from simple admiration of the alien, inaccessible or hidden. The communities founded around the Fortresses responded to the leadership of a chieftain, generally chosen through physical combat. It is unknown what the relationships between different settlements were like, but it is believed that they would have largely ignored each other for centuries, as resources were abundant and they had no motivations to fight each other.

On the other hand, the inhabitants of the islands constituted warrior tribes that did not abandon the nomadic tradition, but did built rock sanctuaries as they traveled the territory. These shrines appear to have been dedicated to [redacted]*, the divine embodiment of war in ancient island culture, and around them can be found human remains clearly ravaged by various battles throughout their lives. Txakhaxi historians believe that war heroes gave their lives as an offering when they reached old age. Despite the fact that their way of life was mainly focused on fishing and having been excellent builders of small boats, there are few signs of contact between the communities of the mainland and the islands.
A particular case is that of the settlers of Adaxa Txakra, the Adaxakha peoples. The archipelago was sparsely populated by strongly isolationist tribes since 4000 years ago. These tribes moved in small groups, seeking refuge from the hostile fauna that abounds in the archipelago. The harsh living conditions seriously hampered access for western peoples, who had practically no contact with the region. The communities were made up of small families. It is known that different family groups would cooperate if they met, but always prioritizing distance to reduce the chances of succumbing to predators. These groups moved mainly at night, armed with wooden spears and feeding mainly on plants and shellfish.
Agriculture did not reach the Adaxakha until many centuries after its development on the mainland and the main islands. And their lifestyle lasted long after the development of the first continental civilizations. These peoples did not adopt a sedentary lifestyle until many years later.
It was only with the development of the first manufacturing technologies that trade between communities began to appear, mainly in continental territory. By 3000 BC, the major Fortresses were already constituted as city-states, with aristocratic systems of government, functioning armies, and a growing division of labor. As conflicts of interest between different city-states increased, the first signs of capital accumulation started developing. The most powerful city-states took slaves, and used their labor to further outstrip less developed cities. Over the centuries, continental peoples dominated the territory, establishing colonies on the coasts of the islands and maintaining an aggressive stance with their native settlers. Their economic dominance allowed them to invest in armies much better prepared, capable of containing the hordes of islanders, who despite being better warriors, were much worse prepared and did not have access to more expensive equipment. This process of accumulation of power would lead to the appearance of the first Txakhaxi empire.

* I haven't named the god yet because I have to create the Goakhaxi language first. I am extremely sorry, please forgive me.

by **Garbelia** » Wed May 12, 2021 9:16 am

Drawkland (Hunter 21, 38, 60pen, Garnet 85) 4 - 3 Garbelia (Huron 12, Goodotter 35, Kawauso 62)

0 Kickoff taken by Ottoman
11 GOOD SAVE! Goodotter looks to recreate last tournament's electric form straight away, unleashing a stinging drive, only just palmed away by Xander.
12 GOAL! Otter takes the corner, and goes along the line to Findus, who flicks it back to Kawauso on the edge of the penalty area. She looks up, and seems to fake a pass short to Ottoman - with the aim of attracting the defenders - but chips it to Huron at the back post, who ran in from the far touchline to head home.
21 GOAL! Hunter picks up the ball from a frenzied scramble, and lifts it into the net.
35 GOAL! Goodotter hammers home a cutback from Kawauso.
38 GOAL! Kingston picks up the ball in Drawkland's penalty area, and the pace of the Drawkians is just too much. Hunter slides in from a curling cross.
Half Time 2-2
59 RED CARD! Lutrison hacks at Rodney from behind, and it is a clear penalty. It is likely to sideline Rodney for a game or two, but looked more serious than it actually was.
60 GOAL! Hunter makes no mistake with the penalty, sending Otterface the wrong way to pick up his hat trick.
62 GOAL! Kawauso's left foot swings a free kick gloriously into the top corner.
85 GOAL! Garbelia's players are all hunting for a winner, but they don't spot Garnet's run on the counter, and pay the price. Otterface should have done better.
Full Time 4-3

Lutra: Well that was a surprise for everyone. Away at Drawkland, one of the toughest fixtures we've ever had, but somehow... We only lost by one goal!
Vydri: I'd have to agree there Lutra. I thought we'd seen the end of 7 goal thrillers, and conceding 4, when Otterdottir came in.
Lutra: Still, we matched them. That has to be almost enough.
Vydri: I suppose. And Otterdottir will be pleased that her new corner routine worked!
Lutra: Yes, indeed. Opspore [Kawauso] showed she was able to step up to senior football, and surely will cement a place, even if it isn't quite clear if she fits in as a pacey winger or Otto Otter-type player.
Vydri: A conundrum there. And with James Lutrison's 1 match ban, a squad defender will be able to step up to the task! Who would you have, and would you replace under-performing goalkeeper Otterface?
Lutra: At the end of the day, it is all up to Miao Otterdottir, but Snaijer [the squad keeper] has been apparently doing well in training, and Lutra Vydra did work really well with Nutria Huron at keeping a tight ship in the Di Bradini Cup.
Vydri: And your player ratings?
Lutra:

GAB's player of the match: Opspore Kawauso (1 goal, 2 assists)
10: Kawauso
9: Goodotter
8: Huron, Otter, Vydra
6: Blisset, McCat
5: Findus, Otterface
1: Lutrison

Vydri: I have to agree with that Lutra! Before we go, let's just have a look at our prediction league going on.
Lutra: Stats or footballing experience?

Prediction Points:
Lutra: 1
Vydri: 1

Predicted Points Total:
Lutra: 24
Vydri: 15

Vydri: Looks like we are equal so far! This was a fairly easy game to predict, although neither of us predicted we'd stand up... (Lutra's Prediction: 3-0 Vydri's Prediction: 4-1)

Lutra: See you next time, for more Garbelistats!

by **Islands Of Ventro** » Wed May 12, 2021 9:53 am

Islands of Ventro 2-2 Treekidistan

What an exciting matchup between these Islands of Ventro and the powerhouse of Treekidistan. This was a true underdog story with the 239 ranked Islanders up against the offensive powerhouse of Treekidistan who was ranked 132. Though ending in a tie it was a great showing for the Islander's debut in World Cup. Here is how the game went:

0- Game Start

9 - Goal for Treekidistan. An assist from Benjamin Elvis to Henery Dallas who curves it in with a delicate shot from the corner.

40 - Yellow card for Ahmad Aziz off a gone wrong slide tackle

47 - Goal for Islands of Ventro straight out of the half. An assist from Henery Herbert to Kevin Hate for a shot at an open net.

50 - Goal for Treekidistan. An assist from Shahid Nawaz to Kristy Johnson for a strike to the top left corner.

59- Goal for Islands of Ventro. An assist from Scott Jackson to Kevin hate for his second goal of the game.

82- Yellow card for Vik Hampton.

90- End of Game.

Final 2-2

In the end, two great forces clashed and neither was able to get the upper hand in this momentous duel. I a great game for Kevin Hate who scored two goals in his opening debut. Let's hope this trend continues. Also a very lax game with penalties. I accept further games to be increasing in that amount as people get used to the tight shudueale and begin to relax.

Until next Matchday Goodbye.

World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

WC-88q RP#2 MD2-3

WWC-88q RP#2 MD2-3

Garbelistats! Ep. 1: How?

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