Quidditch World Cup 11 - IC thread

[Zwangzug]

It's time! The Snidgets have fled in fright, anthems have been performed instrumentally and off-key, a few words have been said by a few dignitaries ("nitwit! blubber! oddment! tweak!"). Let the eleventh Quidditch World Cup begin!

--

With each cutoff I will be providing some optional prompts you can use for worldbuilding the magical society in your culture. There is no requirement or expectation to use them. Today:

What is the relationship between magical individuals and Muggles/"no-Majs"/[fill-in-the-blank] people without magical powers? Are wizards hidden? Publically known? Bad at keeping secrets and/or misinterpreted? What misconceptions, if any, do either cultures have about each other? (I am assuming there probably isn't anything like a worldwide magical statute of secrecy, but feel free to assume some international governing body if it makes more sense for you.)

Matchday 1 scores:

Group A:

Squidroidia           180
Zwangzug              40

Alchemic Queendom     			360
The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans  	170

Quebec and Shingoryeo  	 50
Sarzonia             	 250

Group B:

Mertagne              190
Gyatso-kai            50

Bears Armed           380
Abanhfleft            260

Darmen                250
Tikariot              340

Group C:

Amenria               240
Paradyce Lost         380

Soldera               		370
Newlandian Dragon Island  	120

Valdiviola            		370
Western Fardelshufflestein  	120

Group D:

Kriegiersien          140
Hebitaka              350

Bollonich             330
Malandrin             220

Ko-oren               280
Eshialand             150

Tables to come on subsequent matchdays. Note that Miscellenator does not automatically generate tables, so you are encouraged to double-check mine for mistakes when they arise!

[Gyatso-kai]

GYATSO-KAI NATIONAL QUIDDITCH TEAM

The Avatarian Republics of Gyatso-kai has formed their second National Quidditch Team, and has sent the team, known as the ‘Flying Bisons’ (飞野牛 , Fēiyěniú , Tra’vheti’nerf) to the great nation of Zwangzug to compete in the Eleventh Edition of the Quidditch World Cup.

Official Name: Gyatso-kai National Quidditch Team / 凯海洋国家飞球运动队 (Kaihaiyáng Guójia Fēiqiúyùndòng Duì) / Gyat’kai Tsad’droten Tra'rugam'geroya Traat’aliit
Country Code: GKI
Officiating League: The Avatarian Collegiate Sports Association
Founded: 1905 (11 ARk)
World Cup Record: 1-0-2 (Second Appearance)
World Rank: Unranked
Nickname: The Flying Bisons

The Roster

When RP'ing, the name of my players in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS AND BOLD are the player's family names. These are the names on their jersey and the name professional commentators would call out when making observations. Also, do not write the names in all capital letters, as this is somewhat annoying when reading; I just imagine someone reading calmly along then suddenly SHOUTING the player's name. For example, if writing about FENG Shaoli making a long shot, one would write "Feng made a long shot..." as opposed to "FENG made a long shot..." If you have any further questions regarding names, please feel free to telegram me.

The Starting Seven has been named. Alternates will be named at a later date.

No.	Position	Name		Age	Gender	Lineage			.
1	Keeper		CHENG Roku	20	Male	Jinjian House	
2	Chaser		TANAKA Koji	19	Male	Huomao House	
3	Chaser		SATO Sachie	21	Female	Mugong House
4	Chaser		ITO Ayaka	19	Female	Jinjian House
5	Beater		Mav'ke BRALOR	18	Male	Shuigundong House
6	Beater		Adlartok AKLAQ	20	Male	Mugong House
7	Seeker		Iviin RAM'SER	20	Female	Tupingbi House

Given that this is only Gyatso-kai’s second national Quidditch team, it is not surprising to find the team is comprised entirely of under-21 players in their final years at the Avatarian primary school, the Mofahuojian Hall of Wizardy and Magic. Also, with no professional league for the sport of Quidditch across Gyatso-kai, for many of these players, the hopes of forming such a league rest on their performance in the World Cup.

When playing on home pitch, the outer robe is black, with red and gold trim. When playing on away pitch, the outer robe is white, with red and gold trim. On the sweater, the blue shield is the House symbol of the Lineage from Mofahuojian.

Style: +3.0 out of 5.0
Choose my goal scorers: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes (even the snitch)
Injure to my players: Yes for minor, one-game-out injuries. I will decide and RP any further inactivity for a player caused by your injury.
Godmod injuries: Yes for minor, one-game-out injuries
Call Penalities: Within reason. This team is young, but experienced. Tempers may flair, but they understand what is at stake.
Godmod Other Events: Yes, within reason. Please telegram me if you have any questions

[Eshialand]

Origins
Ko-oren 280-150 Eshialand

"And Thukahtingen has caught the Snitch! It's all over, Ko-oren wins, 280 to 150!"

Obviously, this loss discouraged the Brightonsea Seven, who had held the lead in the match all the way from Henry Clamian's first goal to the very moment before Tahdi Thukatingen grabbed that tiny golden nightmare that was the Snitch.

"You know who I blame?" Barry Lainsbury asked rhetorically over dinner. "Lara!"
"Why me?!"
"You were right there when that Bludger hit Kevin, and you just let it hit him!"
"If you wanna blame anyone, blame Emily, she's our reserve Seeker for a reason and she blew it!"
"Excuse me? I couldn't find the Snitch, but that's not my fault! That thing is faster than you think, and I didn't get two minutes to look for it before it was caught!"
"Woah woah woah, this loss was nobody's fault!" the coach said reassuringly. "That Ko-orenite team was absolutely amazing, and you more than kept up with them until the very end! You should be proud!"

The team fell dead silent, although that was mostly because they didn't want to anger their coach any more than they already had.

"Um, Dad, may I ask a question?"
"Is it about the match?"
"No."
"Then fire away Barry!"
"Why have we never left Brightonsea before? I mean, we hear so much about the outside world, but this is the first time we've ever been out of town..."
"Well, that's a complicated question with a complicated answer, and I'm not sure I can really explain it over dinner like this..."
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like the answer too..." Jason added.
"Could you?" Steven asked.
"Well, fine, I'll try my best to explain."

"You see, there's been this misconception that the Salem Witch Trials were this horrible persecution of wizards and witches, but that simply isn't true. In fact, most of those killed in Salem were Muggles, since the Muggle colonists didn't really know what they were doing.

"The real reason why our ancestors had to leave society behind was because of what happened during the 1830's... the American President was fiercely anti-magic, and he passed laws that would make possessing magical ability punishable by death.

"At this point, Muggles were a lot better at telling who was magical and who wasn't, so our ancestors had to run, and run they did. They ran deep into what was then British North America, until they eventually found where Brightonsea is today, far, far away from Muggle society."

"But it's been almost two hundred years..." Barry remarks, "...so why do we still have to hide?"
"The powers that be in Brightonsea are just too afraid, and frankly, I am too. Sure, the Eshian king was nice when I met him, but who knows what your average Muggle might be like..."
"We'll never know if we don't try to find out..."
"But if we try to find out, something terrible could happen! Like it or not, Brightonsea is the safest place for us!"

Nobody at the table dared respond to this statement, or even talk to their coach for the rest of the night. Perhaps, after this tournament, they would have to go back to the previous state of things, with Brightonsea being their entire universe, and the rest of the world only existing in TV shows and newspaper clippings.

Ko-oren           280 | Eshialand   150
----------------------|----------------
Dahlakith          60 | Martinault   70
Jinondhen          40 | Clamian      40
Kisihidh           30 | Lainsbury    40
Thukahtingen   Snitch |

[A m e n r i a]

Match Highlights

Goalkeeping

The enemy squad of chasers had the ball, until the passed it to the forwardmost player. Before the Viets could get to him, "Lee, pin him! Both of you, focus on the other two!" Xie ordered. Lee dashed to the enemy player, not with the intention to intercept, but to distract. She knew what her Keeper had in mind.

Xie revved his hoverbike, heading fast towards the enemy player. With no other option but collision, he had to shoot the Quaffle lest he crash into the large, menacing man, with the menacing helmet. At the last moment, the enemy player took his shot, and took a nose dive, then Xie jumped off his hoverbike and passed the Quaffle to Ai, before landing back safely on his vehicle's seat.

Snitch

Amenria was leading by ten points. The Chasers did well, with Ai and An's aggressive, fast-paced playstyle overwhelming the opponents with their Snipe Pass and Bullet Shot, while Lee played a more supportive role to the two men. Tensions were high, and even moreso for Bavalakar. He was chasing the snitch next to his opponent, bumping each other a lot. That was when he felt something approaching to his left - a bludger. "Oh shi-" Bam! The bludger hit him, knocking him off course and allowing his counterpart to grab the snitch and score the 150 points they needed to beat the Amenrians.

Saffron: Spoken in Hindi
Green: Spoken in Chinese

Developer's Insights

When talking about "magic" in R1, the universe where Amenria and Ascion are located, one needs to distinguish between Superpowers, the universe's equivalent of a magic system, or what the universe considers magic, which isn't very different from its IRL definition.

Amenria has the largest concentration of people with Superpowers than any other nation in its Earth, at 2% of its total population. Therefore, Superpowers, and people with them are an everyday occurrence. Superheroes walk, swim, slither, and fly around in patrol often, discouraging evildoers and giving a sense of security to civilians. Generally speaking, Superheroes are seen not unlike idols or other celebrities by the public; some, especially the young, look up to them and try to emulate them, while others, mostly elders, are either indifferent or think they're flashy show offs. When not on duty, Superheroes often use their fame to star in commercials, model for clothing, or expand their social media influence for additional income.

A common misconception about Superpowers is that they're physical abilities. While most Awakened (people with Superpowers) do display physical fitness and abilities above that of their Unawakened peers and Qi, the energy required to use Superpowers can be generated partially by physical energy, Superpowers are spiritual by nature. For example, if one were to dampen or disable Tianshi's powers, he can still throw tanks around.

Magic users, sometimes called witches, wizards, shamans, or magi, are people who have made a deal with a ghost or a demon for power. In exchange, they either surrender their souls, the souls of others, or other dangerous costs. For this reason, Magic is haram and thus illegal. Whether or not they operate secretly depends on the individual and the limitations their ghostly/demonic partner has, if any. Some act as Supervillains proudly summoning their patrons in battle, while others hide and let their inhuman ally do all the work for them. The most dangerous of all, however, are the ones who can hide the magical nature of their abilities and pose as Superheroes, while cooking up nefarious plans.

[Bollonich]

Daily Magic

Albin and Callinicus shine in victory; Banija up next
We are making our first steps in international quidditch and have started off this with a bang, already making our mark in the 11th Quidditch World Cup. Coming into this World Cup expectations were not very high. We were coming into the competition as underdogs I our group but ruling Bollonischian out could be the greatest blunder ever made.
Our first game was against Malandrin, a team that surprisingly hadn’t bothered to even have the names of their players on their robes and neither identified them. This anonymity was something which could potentially take the Bollonischian players by surprise as they wouldn’t know what to expect. The match begun as the Bollonischians immediately started on the front foot scoring two goals immediately. Callinicus meanwhile was working hard against the opposition Seeker to find the golden snitch and finish the game. His attempts very vastly unsuccessful as the snitch kept getting away. Meanwhile Malandrin had made quite a comeback as the score was equally poised at 160-150. The next plays would define the result of the game. And soon the match started becoming brutal as the kludgers started taking out players. However thankfully no player suffered long term injuries. The match saw a great performance from Albin Kozłow as he saved large number of goal opportunities from the Malandrin Chasers. Despite Albin’s attempts Malandrin soon took the lead scoring a large number of goals, however the hunt for the snitch continued. Malandrin were leading 220-180. Bollonich had to come back and catch the snitch if possible. Allowing this lead to widen would be catastrophic for the Bollonischians. And this is when we witnessed the moment of brilliance from Callinicus, he had spotted the snitch with a bludger chasing him. The Malandrin seeker also spotting the snitch went for it. The snitch was falling down at a high speed after going down which is when Callinicus managed to catch it as both the seekers came tumbling down. In a crash, both of them were knocked off their brooms and fell on the ground. However without wasting a moment Callinicus raised his hand to show off the snitch he had just caught effectively winning Bollonich the game.
This win would we crucial going forward and the fact that this was successfully done without succumbing to injuries should be something to celebrate. As we come up against Banija next, a team that have taken part in previous iterations of this competition and have international experience. We have to be careful and perform at a high level to beat Banija.

[Mertagne]

THE KRARGSTEN KELPIE
The Premier Paper for Hedge Warlocks

QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP DAY ONE - UPS, DOWNS, AND ALL ABOUT TOWNS
A report by Wheeler Skinse

Mertagne's campaign in the Quidditch World Cup kicked off yesterday in Zwangzug, as our wonderful witches, wizards and warlocks took to Surairo, in the Nevelis District of the nation, to take on Gyatso-kai in Matchday 1 of the cup. The buzz before the event was palpable, as many Mertagnians have come to Zwangzug to attend the cup, and a large camp of Mertagnian fans has formed in the rainforest canopy thanks to a bit of vine-bending magic. I've got it on good authority that some of the most senior swamp Hedge Warlocks that performed this magic aim to return the rainforest to its natural state once the cup is over, and that no trees or ents have been harmed in the making of our campsite. If you are attending folks, please remember to take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, and make nothing but memories. It's important to be a good guest, especially if a muggle sees you - you're representing muggle Mertagne too, and they really need all the goodwill they can get right now!

Today's first match against Gyatso-kai was an incredible one to watch. The match between the young players from Gyatso-kai and the semi-professionals from Mertagne flew off in a spectacular fashion, with Tanaka recieving possession from the start and making a wonderful play down the middle to score for Gyatso-kai in the first 10 seconds. This amazing play shocked the Mertagnian team into position, and our blinding beater team of Stugaron Quentillion and Stoate Crawfysh, nicknamed Little and Large by some of our fans at home, stopped most of Gyatso-kai's further attacks for the next fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the snitch between Chezra Myst and Iviin Ram'ser took them high to the flights of the stadium, as that pesky snitch kept just out of the two's reach as they whirled around and the action unfolded below. The Quaffle passed back and forth between the chasers, and an early highlight came from Rosseter's quick turn around to Tikmarsh, which resulted in 10 points to the Mertagnian side to equalise.

Tikmarsh made it 20 points, but Gyatso-kai managed to mount an impressive offense that punished Tikmarsh whenever he made it too close to the opponent's hoops. Several bludgers, well aimed by Bralor and Aklaq, really smashed down "Jawbones" and kept him off the Quaffle.

A solid counter-play against the opponent's beaters from Mertagne's own allowed Tikmarsh to start flying true again, but not before Tanaka ran rings around Matilda Rosseter - two rings, to be precise, and scored two quick goals with the Quaffle to bring the score - and Gyatso-kai's lead - up to 20-30.

The snitch in this game was focused on verticality, as after periods of high play from the seekers, It looked like Ram'ser thought she'd spotted the snitch down low near the Gyatso-kai sands, and darted off before Myst had time to spin around on their broom and react. This short second lead didn't amount to much, however, as the tricksy snitch managed to pull away from Ram'ser before she could clasp it.

It would be four more solid goals before the snitch was caught, from players that hadn't yet seen the spotlight - Sato and Fiddlesticks managing to ping-pong points between each other. The rally settled on a 10 point lead to Gyatso-kai, at 40-50, and the fight for the snitch shortly after was weaving on the level of the hoops. Myst and Ram'ser had been battling hard the entire match, with Ram'ser having the greater skill in identifying the snitch after a chase resulted in it being lost. However, the end of this thrilling match proved that you're only as good as the rest of your team, and a thrilling chase between Myst and Ram'ser was cut short as Ram'ser ate a beautiful bludger smacked from below by Crawfysh. Stoate was beaming from ear to ear as Ram'ser took the hit, blowing all of her momentum and sending her skywards, with just a single hand on the broom. Capitalising on the moment, Chezra Myst used their cunning and the confusion to shoot forward and grab the snitch, ending the game and giving Mertagne the win, in a solid start to their campaign here at the Quidditch World Cup.

Ram'ser, seemingly frustrated at eating a bludger from below but unharmed, was seen storming off the pitch in the aftermath as the Mertagnian players and fans celebrated their well-deserved victory.

With thanks to Eshialand for the formatting for the score box.

Mertagne 190          | Gyatso-kai   50
----------------------|----------------
Tikmarsh           20 | Tanaka       30
Fiddlesticks       20 | Sato         20
Myst           Snitch |

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We here at the Kelpie have been recieving many owls from Witches, Wizards, and Warlocks across the multiverse about life here in Mertagne. As this publication will be on sale in the Mertagnian camp over in Surairo, we'd like to provide our magical friends not from Mertagne with a bit of an educational background for you to better understand the fans you'll be revelling with as the tournament continues.

Mertagne's magical community is split into three main groups. We use the term 'Warlock' in this nation as a neutral term for magical folk, and therefore these three communities consist of City Warlocks, Swamp Warlocks, and Mountain Warlocks. Each of these communities has a slightly different relationship with muggles (although nobody's judging), with City Warlocks typically integrating better with Muggles out of necessity. Magic is kept secret from Muggles, especially in the cities, but a lot of Warlocks use magic to perform household tasks, or make their lives easier.

No formal magical training exists across Mertagne. Many warlocks have trained at Starblaydia's famous Percyvale Academy, and have moved out to the western wets of Mertagne either because they are from here culturally, or prefer a magical environment that's a bit more loose and secluded. The Hedge Warlocks of the Swamps and Mountains, two separate cultures that are friendly with each other, have strong oral traditions and some feel a deep connection with their environment, much like druids do. This magic gives them a strong power over their respective environments, and some Warlocks choose to specialise in this magic, able to carve stones or bend vines and mangroves.

Whatever the community, a Mertagnian magical community will have a leader, often the eldest member of the community. Whoever they are, their presence will be required at the yearly Wizardsmoot, a meeting of all community leaders in a secluded location that rotates every year. This multi-day event is both a serious meeting and a bit of a party, and allows for an exchange of magical information, news (though none do news like the Kelpie), and policy. If you're not from Mertagne and you meet a community elder, talk to them about their Wizardsmoot stories, and you'll be sure to have a good time for a few hours.

If you have any further questions for the Kelpie, send an owl our way and we'll do our best to answer them.

[Sylestone]

SYLESTONE NATIONAL QUIDDITCH TEAM

The Sylestone National Quidditch Team has already participated in one prior edition of the Quidditch World Cup - the 10th one in Taeshan. There, they could only secure a single victory; a marathon 720-510 win over Jeckland before losing their other two games en route to a group stage elimination. Whether they’ll be better this time around remains to be seen, but we can only hope.

Unusually for nations in the wizarding world, Sylestone’s witches and wizards live alongside and in relative openness with the Muggo counterparts. At times, Muggo’s have been known to hunt down witches and wizards out of fear for them, but this is so rare that it makes national headlines for days on end whenever it occurs. As a result, Sylestonean Quidditch matches are watched by both magical and non-magical people and have a huge fanbase.

Sylestone have opted to send a 14-player squad to the 11th edition of the Quidditch World Cup, with one reserve for each player on the team. The starters have been italicised.

Nickname: The Hawthorns

Goalkeepers:
Alice Nolan - Age 22 (F)
Joe Jean - Age 33 (M)

Chasers:
Holly Adermann - Age 27 (F)
Dean Spears - Age 20 (M)
Amelie Mosman - Age 20 (F)
Lauren Boxer - Age 22 (F)
Will Fahey - Age 23 (M)
Jett Beadle - Age 34 (M)

Beaters:
Claudia Rumpf - Age 24 (F)
Noah Devine - Age 22 (M)
Katherine Childe - Age 30 (F)
Lachlan Lavarack - Age 17 (M)

Seekers:
Zane Ransford - Age 20 (M)
Katie White - Age 19

RP Permissions: Killing and making these guys cheat in any way is strictly prohibited. If you want to injure them, let me know first. Apart from that? Godmod your lives away!

[Valdiviola]

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Defending Champs Put To The Sword
VALDIVIOLA 370*-120 WESTERN FARDELSHUFFLESTEIN

La Viola must have been confident of causing an upset in their first group game at World Cup XI. Measure for measure the best team in the tournament last time out, Western Fardelshufflestein were an opponent to be feared, but Valdiviola came into the game having never lost an opening match at a major tournament and having defeated previous defending champions Sarzonia in the first match-up of the previous World Cup.

The game started in frenetic fashion with plenty of physical play in the opening exchanges with neither side able to take control. After a strong challenge on Isabella Loretto from Brown Bears Captain Albrecht Brandt, a small scuffle broke out amongst a few of the Quaffle-players which was quickly diffused by the referee. After the game, Loretto claimed to have been called "an embossed carbuncle" by opposing Chaser Frieda Martin which led to the scrum but at the final whistle both coaches admitted the fiasco had been much ado about nothing!

Embossed Carbuncle or no, Loretto opened the scoring as she often does with a nice break on the left, ducking a bludger from Josef Blunt and beating the Bear's young Keeper at his near Hoop. Quaffle exchanges were tense for a while but after a mix-up between Keeper Jagermeister and Chaser Cameron Windhoffer which could only be described as a comedy of errors, Lola Febbraio was left with three open hoops to choose from to take the score to 70-50. From there, La Viola took control and were able to open up a 100 point lead with all three Chasers getting on the scoresheet.

After a number of tight chases between Seekers Leah Warner and Simonetta Nocerino it was the junior of the two who would win the plaudits in the end, with Erasmo Burrasca finding a good angle with a bludger to knock Warner off course during a daring descent that saw Nocerino dive vertically nearly 50 feet and risk serious injury to grasp the Snitch only inches above the Zwangzug turf. Asked about the risky manoeuvre post-game, Nocerino commented that even she thought it might end in disaster but "all's well that ends well".

So another opening day victory for La Viola and some promising performances will please coach Azzardo no end heading into a long group campaign, which will see his team play six games even before any potential knockout rounds. Next up are newcomers from the Newlandian Dragon Island who struggled in their opener, but are sure to be an intriguing matchup for this strong 'Violan outfit.

Player Ratings: Nobile 6/10, Burrasca 8/10, Peloso 7/10, Loretto 9/10, Strazza 8/10, Febbraio 8/10, Nocerino 10/10,

[Sarzonia]

Sarzonian national Quidditch team manager Chris Entwistle laid out the expectations during his opening press conference at Heart's Jaunt after the Stars arrived in Zwangzug for the 11th Quidditch World Cup.

"I will not answer any questions related to the secession from Atlantian Oceania by the Anaian traitors," he said. "If anyone even tries to go there, I'll end the press conference on the spot. I'll only field questions about the sport, my team, or our next opponent. Got it?"

"But Coach, your first opponent is from Quebec and Shingoryeo, which is an Anaian nation."

"I said I would not address that situation and I mean it," Entwistle said. "This press conference is over." He stood up and walked out, ignoring called out questions whether they had anything to do with Anaia or Atlantian Oceania or not. He talked to the team's media relations department and learned the Health and Athletics Department specifically forbade teams from revoking press credentials for asking questions they didn't like unless there was specific reason. And political questions weren't enough reason to forbid a credentialed journalist from entering the press areas.

Entwistle said he had enough to worry about with a team that went 0-0-3 in the previous edition of the Quidditch World Cup as defending champions. He had a team that was the best in the spot in one World Cup and flamed out completely in the very next edition. The Health and Athletics Department cited "irregularities" in host nation Taeshan's administration of the tournament and left it at that, other than declining to send a team to the 10th World Volleyball Expo and withdrawing from both World Cup 87 and the 41st World Cup of Hockey, both hosted or co-hosted by Taeshan.

But still, 0-0-3 was 0-0-3. Entwistle knew Sarzonian patience didn't last forever. Nicola Mentes' less than one World Cup tenure as national football team manager was proof.

After seeker Tommy Entwistle captured the snitch to bring a swift end to what had been shaping up to be a close battle with Sarzonia leading 100-50 when the capture happened, Chris could breathe a sigh of relief. It was Sarzonia's first victory in the sport since their QWC finals victory over Sherpaland. The manager could breathe more easily because his brother did the job he was required to do, one that Chris Entwhistle did himself back in the early days of the tournament's history. He captured the snitch.

As for the rest of it: The geopolitical situation, the other teams in the group, getting out of the group stage, that would be answered later. For now, the Stars emerged with a long overdue victory. And, for now, that was good enough.

[Abanhfleft]

Ask any Fleftic wizard who was in the final of the 10th Quidditch World Cup and they would tell you that it was Western Fardelshufflestein and, after some careful thought and deliberation, some other team. Ask a Fleftic Muggle who was in the final of the 10th Quidditch World Cup and first they would ask you if you mean Muggle quidditch (which is Muggles running around with brooms between their legs and pretending that it’s actual Quidditch) or real Quidditch, and then when you tell them that you’re talking about real Quidditch then prepare to be laughed out of whatever establishment you chose to ask the question in. But try to convince a Muggle that you’re talking about the Muggle Quidditch World Cup and those who actually know the answer would tell you that the final was contested between Western Fardelshufflestein and some other team. Tell either the wizard or the Muggle that the other team whom Western Fardelshufflestein beat to win the Quidditch World Cup was Abanhfleft, and they would look at you with complete shock and surprise. Both wizard and Muggle would vehemently deny that Abanhfleft ever got so far as the final of the Quidditch World Cup and lost because they would most certainly remember such a thing happening because of the inherent disappointment that both kinds of people would feel from such a circumstance.

But that was the truth. Abanhfleft did indeed make it all the way to the final of the 10th Quidditch World Cup, where they predictably lost against the unfancied team from Western Fardelshufflestein. Western Fardelshufflestein simply outclassed and outmatched the Midnightstars of Abanhfleft, leading by as much as 300 points to 0 before the Fleftic chasers finally managed to get the Quaffle through the hoops, and then Yuri Polyakov caught the Snitch in a conscious decision to just end the pain. There was no denying that the match happened, that Western Fardelshufflestein won and Abanhfleft lost, but apparently, as far as Fleftics were concerned the match never took place. At least they firmly believed that it wasn’t their team that lost the final, and even showing evidence of the match occurring would only cause even more confusion from the Fleftics who were informed of this.

And it wasn’t just the average Fleftic wizard who didn’t know that it was their team which lost the 10th Quidditch World Cup Final. Even the esteemed folks at the Kagawaran ng Salamangka (Department of Magic in the Fleftic tongue) and the Samahang Kwiditch ng Abanhfleft (Quidditch Association of Abanhfleft) were completely unaware of their national team contesting and losing this particular Quidditch World Cup Final. Not even their extensive records and archives contained a single reference to the team losing the final. The official records did show that Abanhfleft lost their semifinal match against a team called Salkin Rock, but that was where the paper trail ended. No further records existed of Salkin Rock beyond these scant mentions in the history of Abanhfleft and the Quidditch World Cup alongside the other team who was supposed to actually contest the Quidditch World Cup final, a place called The Liverpudlian Revolution of Ireland. A few news clippings attested to a story about the teams from both Salkin Rock and Liverpudlian Ireland Disapparating on the eve of their final match, forcing the Quidditch World Cup organizers to turn what was supposed to be the bronze medal match between Abanhfleft and Western Fardelshufflestein into the final match, and everyone knew how that turned out. Well, everyone except the Fleftics, that is. Not even those Fleftics who were actually present for that final match, up to and including the players of the national team themselves, could seem to remember the match ever occurring. The last thing that they could remember upon entering the stadium was of a light rain falling down before they had apparently Apparated back home.

The experiences of those who were present at the match itself seemed consistent with a Thunderbird summoning a storm over the stadium which then rained down Swooping Evil venom on the spectators. Thus the team which lost the final, along with its supporters, would not remember a single thing that happened in the game, while the victorious team would retain all of their memories since they were good ones. That was easy enough to explain, especially for an Auror like Augustus Rousseau. That was not why he had been sent to solve this particular mystery. No, the reason that he had been assigned to this investigation was because this event was not confined to merely those at the stadium. Every single Fleftic wizard, and even every Fleftic Muggle, had no recollection at all whatsoever of this game ever happening. And that was what Gus was going to try to solve.

[Tikariot]

The studios of Tikariot Sports TV, two podiums are set up, one decked in red, the other in black, with a logo on the big screen in the background.

On the right side, outlined in red, a rather diminutive man in his 60s, a chock full of white hair to the shoulders, black rimmed glasses, on the left side, outlined in black, a tall, square man, bald, gold earring, black sunglasses. The man to the right speaks first.

Blake Church: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to a new edition of Church vs. State. I'm Blake Church.

Charles State: And I am Charles State. Today we will be looking at a particularly controversial topic: Does quidditch exist?

Blake Church: There have been conflicting news headlines of late heralding a Quidditch World Cup and a participation of a team from Tikariot. Now there never has been any mention of quidditch or a team or magic for that matter in this nation, so therefore Charles, does quidditch exist?

Charles State: Yes.

Blake Church: OK, now that this is settled, thank you for watching tonight and I hope you tune in next time for Church vs. State.

Charles State: Uh, Blake?

Blake Church: Yes?

Charles State: I don't think that's how this is supposed to work.

Blake Church: Oh right, sorry, got sidetracked for a moment. No, Charles, of course quidditch does not exist, in this day and age we would have heard at least *something* about it. I mean, there have been tournaments for competitive grass growing, for the uninitiated, the national championships started about eight and a half years ago and are still ongoing, so something like this would have leaked one way or another, no?

Charles State: That depends. Some people deny it exists simply based on the fact that it would mean they would have to acknowledge magic exists.

Blake Church: Hogwash, again, if magic existed, wouldn't we know about it?

Charles State: Not if they were very good guarding it. Like with magic.

Blake Church: That's-- actually hard to refute. But still, it doesn't make sense!

Charles State: Do you recall the whole slew of surveys that were conducted on if people think magic is real, what if magic was real, if they approved of magic, if it was real?

Blake Church: Yes, I thought that was just another one of those waves of viral joke surveys that we get almost every day.

Charles State: I can see why you, or anybody else for that matter, would think that. But let's pretend for a moment that that wasn't the case and that they actually wanted to gauge things?

Blake Church: Hm, interesting thought. I have never seen any results for any of them, though. Or anybody really taking them seriously either other than kids and teenagers really.

Charles State: You raise a good point here, they were phrased very carefully and vaguely, I can only assume not to attract any real suspicion, but at the same time also making it doubtful, if they managed to get any useful information out of them.

Blake Church: So entertain me, since you seem to know suspiciously much about this whole thing, what is this quidditch thing people are talking about?

Charles State: A sport. There is a keeper, three chasers, two beaters and a seeker. The chasers pass a ball called a quaffle between them, trying to throw it through the goalposts, which are guarded by the keeper. The beaters bat another ball called the bludger, actually there are two of them, towards the other team's chasers and in turn try to keep it away from their own chasers. Finally the seeker has to spot a small golden ball called the snitch and catch hit.

Blake Church: Aha. Next thing you're going to tell me is that they all fly on broomsticks.

Charles State: Hah! You *do* know about this!

Blake Church: Say what?

Charles State: The thing about the broomsticks!

Blake Church: It was a joke, obviously.

Charles State: Oh well, either way you are right, it is played on broomsticks.

Blake Church: You're kidding me!

Charles State: No, Blake, you are way too old for kidding, you know that, we've gone over this before.

Blake Church: There is no way this is real!

Charles State: Is there any way for me to change your mind?

Blake Church: Show me a match and I will believe you.

Charles State: What if they don't think the world is ready for the truth?

Blake Church: What if the world won't believe it then?

Charles State: What if we stop with the 'what if'?

Blake Church: Agreed.

Charles State: So to sum things up for our viewers: Quidditch does exist.

Blake Church: No, it does not.

Charles State: Good night.

[Alchemic Queendom]

“Corking good game, wasn’t it!” ejaculated Bailey Brightbumbles. Her brother was too busy stuffing sausage rolls into his mouth to vocalise his assent, but nodded, sending a spray of pastry crumbs over Aurora Brookwhirl, who was too polite to complain but quietly brushed them off.

“Bit of a stinker for old Gunnar. They kept scoring – if good old Scumgore hadn’t caught the Snitch, would have been a tight one.”

“Sorry guys,” moped Gunnar, hanging his head. “I’ll sharpen up next time. But it’d help if you could do a better job of keeping the Bludgers away!” He rubbed his arm, where a bruise as large as the Vdaran Egg he was scoffing away was forming.

“Never mind that old chap, you put in a jolly good show all things considered,” said Jace, as ever the responsible team captain consoling those who’d felt they hadn’t performed. Jace had scored a century, but even his points tally hadn’t been enough for a comfortable win until Scumgore had claimed the Snitch to really put a dent in the margin of victory. “Sandwich, anyone?”

“Cheese and pickle for me!”

“I’ll have a ham salad!”

“Gosh, those prawn mayo ones look absolutely scrumptious!”

“What about you, Scumgore, can I interest you in an egg and cress?”

“Ḯ̵̛̗̝͈̫̗̇̀̿̈́̾̄̃̊͆͛͐̄͝͝ ̵͙̿͋̔́̾̒̽̀Ś̷̨̹͙̼̜̑̄Ḩ̴͕̣̼̰̓̒̇̋̋̄͒͗̎̀̂̾̉͜͠͝Ą̶̧̤͎̖̼̖̪̦̪̣͙̜̭͊̓̈͂̈́̏̊̐͐̈́̿͆͋̿̑ͅḺ̵̢̺̞̣͎̜̪̔͜͜L̵̰̙̲̝̮̝̭̤̞̞͕̑̒͛̐̏̃̈̀͋̔̍̾̃͝͝ ̷̧̩͚̱̪̰̥͑́̆̒͋̽̈́̄̍̒́͘͜F̷̡̯̮̦̮̜̗̦̌͊̾̀͑͋͋̈̏͘͝ͅẼ̴̻̲̲͉̯̃̌̋̋A̵̻̥͔͆͆̀͋̑̚̕̚͝S̴̢̧̧̮͈̬̉̋̍̍̈́͛͝T̵̼͇̘̺̱̞̱̈́̓̓̕͠ ̸̬̲͕̎̾̈́̀̀̉̃O̶̧̭̪̘̯͐͆́̔̈́͊͝͠͠ͅŅ̴͌̿͑̈̃̕ ̴̢̢̲͖͙̺̹̣̙̟͎̲̪̼̬̈̓̍̔͛̅̐̏̉͋̀̐́͑T̴̢̬̤̦̠̤̖̱̖̟̲̂͗̆̿͑͌͘H̶̢̰̬̫̝̥̜̫̥͌͂͑̔̓͠Ë̷̬̠̩́̑̆̎ ̷̢̛͍̞̩̉̌̎̒̀́W̴̛̲̦̻̦̋͆̆͂͛̈̏̌͛͠͝͝A̷̡̧̧͉̟͎͚̪͖̓̉̇͌͑̄̈́Z̶̨͎̫̝̄̀̊̄̈́̃̅̈̍͋́̾͘͝Z̶̠͕̰͓̑͆Ọ̶̈́͂̿̿̉̔͗C̸̘͓̞̠͔̩͈̟̱̳̏ͅͅK̶̛̪͛̈Ś̴̨̟̈́́͂͒̕ ̵̛͈̜̪̇̿̅̑̓̍̒̿Ǫ̵͍̺̬̟̠̠̟̥͗͗̓͆̉F̴̢̳̮̳̬͈͇̦̣̳̼͒̀͝ͅ ̸̲̰̜͈̱̰͍͇̾̈́͂͑̄̚͝͠ͅͅͅŢ̶̨̦̣̌͌̐̑̃͝Ḩ̸̱̻̼̖͈̙͖͉̫̱̙͍͉̮̖̀̊̑͌̊̽͂̊͑̆̚͘͠Ẻ̸̡̫͗̀͋̌̑̓͆̂͘͘̚͠ ̸̲̼̳͆͒͝D̶̘̘̝̣͈̳͇͓̫̒̈Ạ̴̛̩̮̖̬̅͑́̊̅̀̈́̈́̀́̈́̉Ḿ̴͖͓͇͚͇͈̥̰̟͊̽̃̆̾̋̒̅̊͋͘Ń̴̨̨̡̨̧̥̘͚͎͎̱̑̑͛͒̒̈́Ế̸̢̙̝̳̪̟͇̩̤̯̣͓̹̆̒̾͘D̸̳̘̞̈́͜.̸̡̛̙̹̝͖͈̲̬̜̙̬̳̝͆̐̉̊́̋̽̈́͆̊̃͘͝͝ ̴̧̧̢̼̮̝̝̗̣̘̖̺̣͌̔̐̎̏̈́̈́͌̀̃̕̕͝͝Ṟ̴͕͕̯̞͕͍̭̦́͊̈̑̃͆͛̈́͜Į̵̛̛̻̬͈͕̲̜͍̯̮̻̜̟͈̟̰̉͐̂͑̊̑͆͆̒̌Č̶̝͈̫͍̗͇͕͙̪̳̭̞̫͔͂̌̐͘͠͝H̵̱͈̤͓̖̺̳͙̦͖̪̱̰̦̐͋́͒͑̈́̈́̒̌̅̿̈́̓̇͝ ̷̫̥̼͚̻͊͊̀̃́ͅS̷̛͎̟̮̟̰̟̋̑͒̈́̀̈̌̓̈͋̎̕͝͝H̷̢̥̮̭̗̿̎̋͂̈́̆̂͘͜͠Á̶̧̱͖̳̼͍̟̈́̉̈́͒̏͋͛̂̈́̓͠L̷̦̭̮̭̩̯̹͇̙͚̻̖̙͙͍͒̔̈́͗̿͆̌̈́͑̄L̵̫̗̲̗̐̒̐̾͐͛͝ ̴͚̻̹̤̰̞̹̤͖̰͇̰̇̽͗͗͛̽̔̏̋͌̅͠ͅM̷͓͉͓̪̭̊̌͝Y̵̹͙͗̍͑͑̿́̂̐̆̆͊͘͝͝ ̴̗͇̱̬̳̩̫͔͇͚͂̆̅̆͆̋̾͋̚̚ͅͅB̶̡̬̩̖̜͇͍͗̇̄͗̊͐̈̈͋̆̐͗̈́͜͝Ľ̸̼͖̮̟͓̭̙̞̥̪̂͛̽̓̊̒̋̽͑̐̈́̈́͘͝͝Ò̷̢͍̲͚͚͓̞̫̤̖̯͎̜̬̟́̎̿̔̊̊́̒͠Ó̸̧̙̪̼̣͈͎̘̦̯̗̰̀͌D̷̞̤͚̱̥͈͎͒́̓̀́̌͆͒͌̓͋͝͝ ̴̨̛͎̟͇͉̤̤̣̈́̊̔̔́̄̾͂̄̅̽̐͠ͅḦ̴͇̜͚͍̩̝͎̤̀̔̍̈́͊̌̋̀̾̎̚͘͜͝͝A̵̡̧̼͉̪͉̪͉͖̰̯̜͉̖̔̍̇̂͂͛̈́͗̀̇̍̌̑͘͠ͅR̷̨̭̤̃V̵̰͙̣̲̓͊́͆̑̐̉͌̓̋͂̕̚͜Ȩ̶̧͚̠̞͉̫̩̝̹̝̭̻̭̒̀͗͐̓͛̋̒͆̎̇̃̎̔͜Ş̶̥̰̟̫̙̫̳̬̖̭̉̉̉͗̈͂̆̑͛̕͝T̷̢͉͚̩̦͕̙͖̪̖́̇̀̔͒̽̀͐͋̽͘ ̸̢̪̥͕̦͚̏͆̽̂̊̇͘͘͝͝B̶̺̬̞̯̬͓͠ͅE̴̢̧̡̛̻͉̰̣̖͙͇͙̬̲̿̆̓̍̿̂̋͘͜͝ ̵̘͐̌̐͑̃̄͘Ą̷͔̠̰̗͔̠̼̗̈́̔͐͂̂́̈́͋̾̉͘͜͜͠ͅȘ̷̮́͆̌̍͌͛̊̽͛̅̀͋͠͠͝ ̶͕̫̿͛́̃Ȋ̴̢̘͚͎̮͑̆̿̋̃̌̐̿͋͊̀͌̚̚ ̸̢̧̻͇̳̏̓̒̍̏B̴͎̫̍͐̈͗́̏̚L̴̢̰̹͆̌̓͒͛Ǎ̷̢̢̢̟̘̦̻̦̗͕̠̻͔͆͆̈́̒͝͠Ċ̶̡̐͂̊̓͐̄̓̔̚͝K̴͎͕̫̳͐͌͆̌͗̈́̇̊̒Ē̶̡͇̯̬̳̳̖̹̯̍̈́̈́̅Ņ̷͔̺͇̺̭̹͇͆̆͛͠͝ ̵͕̬̭͉̪̘̞̓̒͑̐̚T̷͙͚̪̯̱̦̲̝̎͂̀́͛̂̂H̵̝̝͔̦̤͓͂̍̑̾̈́̑̄͊̂Ē̸̻̠͙̻̖̼̣̭͊̈́̎͛͐ ̶̛̯͈̓͆̂́̀̌̑͆̋̕M̵̡̛̹͔̼̭̘̭͙̗͉̙͌̓̈́̈͆̕Ơ̴̮̩̥̅̾̌̏̂̅̎͆͆̋̕͜Ǒ̶̮̩̖̦̣̬̟̝̦͍͑͂̐̇̂̀̅͐̽͋̇͘N̴̪̟̱̗̼͗̚ ̵̡̛̜͕̙̮̳̹̠̮͗͜Ä̵͚͖̜͒͋̂̊͒̈́̈́̾̽̀̎̚̚͝ͅŃ̴̥͎̈́̅͗̓͑̿͂́̀͘͠Ḓ̶̡̳̫͓͎̜̺̜͖͚̫̐͛̾̈́̑́̌͐̾̔̅ͅ ̸͔̬̼̯͕̜̭̝̲̂̋̈̒̔͝Ş̵̥͛̏͋̾̍Ṇ̷̝̺̥̩͓̘̗̎͐̑͛̓̆̒͂̉͝͝U̸̹̩̪̒͘F̷̧̖͕̲̂̓́͌̂̈͐̎͊̀̃͊̚̚͠ͅF̴̧̨̞͓̻̮͉̹̺͎̱͈̱̅͜ ̴͔̮̖̮̼̖̫͙̰̱̤̟̈́͛̏̓͂͆̿̓̅̍̋̓̓͘͝O̸͚̘̻̝̣̭͈̤̜̼͎̪̭̬͋͒̋͑̽̀̀̂̒͐̕̕͠͠͝ͅȖ̶̡͎̯̩̻̬̯͕̥̱́̿̃͂͊̊͜Ţ̴̪̟͍̺͍͈̣͙̍̓ ̸̢̛̺̙͙̣̻̯̲̩̺̤͖͙́̽̀̇͑̽̀̏̊͜͠ͅẺ̸̛̛̥̬̫͕̠̤̩̗͉̣̗̲͗̊̌̏̈́͆̽́̈́̽̇͠Ȧ̴̢̬̗̹͉̲̬̝͖̪̪̲̻͖̓̍͗̀̕̕͝C̵̰͖͐̈́̍͒̊̉̕͝͠Ḩ̶̨̢͚͖̯̠̩̱̠̘̩̾ ̶̥̞͕̪̘̠͔̜̩̔̆͒̔͒́̒̎̾͐̌̒̕̚T̷̢̛̝̩̪̞̤͉̼͓̟̺̎͊́̀͗́̽́̈̍̚͝ͅẂ̷͎͓̯̼̜̪̯̗͒̽͑͋̅̈̃̎͛̕͝Į̸̙̟͎͎̓̋͗̈͗̈́̕N̴̮͎̼̜̠̰̹͚̙͖̠͈͋̀͗ͅK̸̨̺̖̣̼͚͖͕̖̟̟̲̑̉̊̅͐̈́͋́̚͜Ľ̸̢̠͓͐̔̈̎̄͊́̾̀̀̀̄͠͝Ì̶̛̹͇̮̰̙̑̄̊̅̊̀͂̚͝Ņ̸̢̼̗͔̘̼͇̭̮̹̳̹͇̹̐̓͐̆̀͛̕͝͝G̸͇̙̦̺͎͍̿̈́̊̊̾̽͐̀͊̃͋̕͘͠ ̷̢̢͍̼͍͙͍͖͓̹͍̪̯̾̓ͅS̷̼̪̦̟̖̣͚̗͇̑͊̿ͅT̷̨̯͎̱͚̭̖͑͛́͊Ả̵̡̡̛̘̗̪̀̈́̔̓͌̍̕R̵̨̡̢̛̬͖̲̘͓̠̀̇͛̏͑̒̿ ̴̨̧͔͔̭͎͕̲̠̃̓̇͊̄̓̒̈́̎͆͛̀̓̓͜͝Ú̴̡̡̼̭̞͖̦̈́̄̽̓̉̕Ņ̵̳̦͚͓̪́̅̂͘Ṯ̷͓͔͇̒́͛̄͑͒͘Ḯ̶̢̺̘̪̦̻̪̉̐̔͜͝L̷̨̢̹͓̦̗̗̬̰̭͙̲̪͊̽̎̅̍̄͛͛̈́͘͘͜͝ͅ ̷̡̲̣̐̈̃͒̃̋̃̃Ṱ̸̨͙̯͖̖͇̻̘͂͊̈̅͌̎̋͗̚̚̕Ḩ̴̣͇̳̗̙͍͎̦͚͈͋̿̄̈́̂̎͗̉͝ͅȨ̶̳̥̣̰̲̘̦̳̺͖̙̿̈́̊̌̕ ̴̢̛̗̠̗̗̭̹̟͓̟͛̈̋͒̃̕̚͝L̴̲̗͕͙̫̼̲̖̰͔̲̖̜̭͊̌̄̂͋̀̀À̶̬̞͕̺̙͖̈́̓̄́́̒͝ͅͅS̵̡͖͕͔̰̻͓̘̩̪̺̘͈̃͛̊̇̋͛͂͂̎̋̎͑̓͘͜͜͠Ț̸̢̨̬̹̥͙̙̖̞͈̰̘̦͑́͐̊͒̾̔͊̓̏̈́̈́̕ ̶̡̺̹̙͈̾̆̄M̴̢͕̊̄̓Ơ̴͕̱̠̞͖͈̲̮̳̑̎̑̂͛̄͗͋̓̆͠Ù̸̧͉͍̺̪̮͓͕̂͋͑͆̓͜͝͝ͅR̸̛̤̭̓Ṋ̷̪̬̥̜̥͙̫̠̱̾̔̋̉͆̒̀̽͋̓͊̿͆̕͠F̴͕̗͐̿̐̚ͅƯ̵̢̡̭̥̼͕̟̭̲̜̑̎̈́̂̂̀̂̍̍͑͊͝͝L̷͉̱̝̤̖͌̃͒͌͜ ̸̞̥̬̬͔̤̗̲̰͚͖̼̃̀́͛͜ͅͅM̸̟̟̃̈́̋̑̊̍̈́̆̈́͐̈̾͠Ǫ̵̭̿͂̓̈́͑͂̍̑́̾̀͘͝M̴̛̻̤͚̫͎͓̣̬̫̤̮̦̔̀̑̀̌̄͋͐͘͜͜͠ͅĘ̸̨̛̭͇̺̜̼͎̑̊̈́̉̎̅̌̀̃̈́̇͘̕̕N̴̢̿̂͑͛̍̑̽͊͐͂̄͂̋̀̚T̷̛͕̭̃̑̀̉̈͋̍͘̚̕ ̸̳͍̭̮͇̎̈́͌̊́̓̀̒͝͝O̵̢̢̰̻̟̮̟̦̊̋͊́̾̋̒͐̓̚͘̚̚͝͝F̵͚͎̟̈́̈̿̋̒̎̓́̕͝ ̴̻̗̭͚̙̲̹͊̇̅̽̈́́͛͂͌̾̂͋̈́̕͝Ą̷̥͓͐͐͌̈͊̄̋̔͌̓̍̓Ĺ̸̛̻̹̺̟̥̙̗͍̳̗̬͎̟͆̀̉̀͂̅̍͆̀̓͠Ĺ̴͎̼͇̭̟̮̼͔̱̺̜̃̓̃̏̀̕͝ͅ-̸̢̖͚̭̦̥͍͉̝̐͐̽̌̑̓̏́͘̚ͅB̴̨̧̮̰̺̞̞̳̳̙̻̠̓̇͗͋͌̒̄̈́̕L̸̗̖͉͍̟͉̇̒̆Ą̸̨̢̤̗̜̰̣̝͍͊͗̄̋̀̍͐̊̐̕͝͝C̸̡̝̟͈̤͍̞̰̻̦̫͖̔̓̕K̴̯͉̙̦̟̟̰͇̯͈̝̳͐̇͋ ̸̡͍͈̜̞̣̪̆̒̽̈́̿͂́̇̊́͝D̸̢̨̪̗̪͎͈̓͂͌̇͒̐̈́̇̽̕̚Ė̸̛̟̹̬͐͂̏̔S̷̢̭̹̗̫̗͙̖̺̫̭͍͖̎͛͆͋͂̽̈̀̊̾̕͘C̷̛̛̗͆̅̂͗͗̓͛̂́̀̾̂Ë̸̗͕̤͈͈͍̲͗̽̈́ͅͅN̶̝͌̀Ḑ̶̩̘͆̌͘S̸̻͕̳͇͗.̴̡̛̜͉̞͕̣̟̫̤̰͈̤̋̔̄͒̽͊͂͝.̴̤̘͕̖̠̫͚͙̰̳͍̱̑͝”

“Hmm, not sure I can help you there. Turkey and mustard?”

The team happily toasted their victory, washing down their picnic with lashings of ginger ale.

---

A tiny minority, fearful of having revealed their status, which would be seen by everyone else as weird and incomprehensible, if not downright dangerous. They hide from wider society. Children – mostly descendants of parents just like them, but sometimes plucked from the obscurity of families who could not possibly understand them – learn at secret schools, carefully hidden away from being discovered by those in power. There are special trains, special newspapers, even a special government ministry, all catering to them. Only in times of great turbulence and strife do they reveal themselves to the outside world, fading back into the shadows as soon as possible once evil as abated.

Thus is the status of non-magic users in the Alchemic Queendom.

[Darmen]

★ Darmeni ★ Ministry ★ Of ★ Magic ★

Don't be Fooled Muggles! Know our Law Tooo!

Distributed by the Muggle Liaison Office

Although we Wizardkind tend to keep a low profile, the fact that we are not bound by the 1689 International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (or any other international agreement to keep magic secret), puts our community in close contact with the non-magical population of Darmen. As we strive to maintain good relations between the two communities, the Public Information Services of the Darmeni Ministry of Magic has decided to produce this document detailing the relationship between the wizarding and non-magical (or as we affectionately call you, Muggle) communities. It is our hope that this will ensure a better and more proper understanding of our community, government and laws and alleviate any misconceptions the Muggle community may have.

The Wizarding Government's Relationship with the Muggle Government
The wizarding government consists of two primary bodies: the elected Wizengamot, which is the 13-member legislative and judicial branch; and the Ministry of Magic (or simply The Ministry), which is the executive and bureaucratic branch of our government. Both bodies are headed by our Minister of Magic, who, as provided for in the Darmeni constitution, is concurrently a member of the muggle Parliament.

At least in constitutional terms, the wizarding government of Darmen is subordinate to the muggle central government. The wizarding government has no intention of ever supplanting the muggle government of our great nation and we will continue to always defer to the judgement of the muggle central government, particularly in non-magical matters. However, as is allowed by the 1695 Treaty of Friendship, the muggle government permits the wizarding government to exert total authority over all matters of magical law and regulation, deferring to us in large part due to their lack of understanding the complex intricacies of magical law and ethics.

In legislative matters, the Wizengamot operates under the premise of parliamentary sovereignty, meaning it can pass any law that it desires. This is limited however by the 1695 Treaty of Friendship, which limits the Wizengamot's parliamentary sovereignty to solely magical matters. The muggle central government can at any time call into question a law which the Wizengamot has passed and declare it in violation of the 1695 Treaty of Friendship if it believes the law covers a non-magical matter and is in violation or contradicts with muggle law on a similar matter. A period of negotiations will typically follow, wherein both the wizarding and muggle governments will attempt to decide if the law truly is in violation of the 1695 Treaty of Friendship and if so, what changes are necessary to be made. This is an extremely rare occurrence however as the Wizengamot is always a well behaved body.

In judicial matters, decisions of the Wizengamot may be appealed to the muggle Supreme Court. However, judicial precedent dictates that the Supreme Court will not rule on matters of magical law, only on matters of proper judicial process. Once again, these are extremely rare occurrences, as the Wizengamot is always a well behaved body.

In executive and bureaucratic matters, the Ministry of Magic largely has free reign to do as it wishes within the confines of magical law set by the Wizengamot. However, the 1695 Treaty of Friendship still allows for the muggle government to call into question any action of the Ministry which it believes falls outside the purview of the Ministry's legal remit. Just like the Wizengamot however, the Ministry is a well behaved body, so this is a rare occurrence.

When discussing the relationship between the wizarding government and the muggle government, two specific agencies of the Ministry of Magic must be discussed. The first is the Department of Defense, which, just like the muggle government department of the same name, handles matters relating to Darmen's... defense. There is no wizarding standing army, nor any organized magical militia, however, wizarding wars of the past have occurred and it is the responsibility of the Department of Defense to keep the muggle government appraised of any matters relating to ongoing or potential wizarding conflicts. The Ministry of Magic will not involve itself in any muggle armed conflicts, except when Darmeni territory itself is at threat and the muggle government expresses its inability to deal with the situation without the help of the nation's wizarding community.

The second agency is the Muggle Liaison Office. This agency is the go to place for all muggles who wish to inquire about magical matters. The Muggle Liaison Office also handles all communication between the wizarding and muggle governments.

Interacting with Wizardkind
Relations between Darmeni wizardkind and muggles are primarily regulated by the Muggle Relations Act of 2042, which itself is an updated version of the Muggle Relations Act of 1948.

Muggle-baiting is strictly prohibited and the legal definition of the term is broader in Darmen than it may be in other countries. While some magical communities see only magical pranks played on muggles as constituting muggle-baiting, in Darmen the term also covers incidents where wizards charge inordinate amounts of money in exchange for magical services (which often are either not actually provided or it is illegal to do so) or entertainment. The use of magic for monetary gain from muggles is strictly regulated by the Ministry: where it is permitted, strict price ceilings are in place.

Magic may not be used for the healing of muggles except in exceptional circumstances where the muggle's life is at immediate stake or when the injury or ailment experienced by the muggle is one of magical cause. The prohibition on the use of magic for healing has been instituted primarily for the following reasons: we don't want all the muggle doctors and nurses to become unemployed and end up living on the street; it is possible that those who use magic for the healing of muggles might charge extraordinary amounts for the service; or that they might begin to use their magical remedies in ways which perpetuate wizarding supremacy.

Muggle access to magical means of transportation is heavily regulated by the Department of Magical Transportation. Only the Head of Department may grant passes to muggles for the use of magical transportation. Emergency instances of side-along apparition involving muggles are permitted in life threatening situations.

The sale of magical items to muggles is strictly prohibited, excepting any gastromagical foodstuffs which have been approved by the Bureau of Gastromagical Affairs for sale to muggles.

Although not strictly prohibited, the use of magic in the presence of muggles in other circumstances is strongly discouraged.

As a muggle, it is your responsibility to understand those elements of magical law which deal with the limits placed on wizard-muggle interactions and avoid illegal behaviors when interacting with wizards. DO NOT pay wizards for healing or other magical services unless you are certain such services are permitted by magical law. Make sure when attending wizarding entertainment events that the Ministry of Magic Seal of Approval has been granted to the event to ensure that it complies with Ministry regulations. DO NOT buy Floo Network Passes solicited by wizards, only the Head of Department of the Department of Magical Transportation may grant such passes and this is done free of charge. DO NOT buy or eat any gastromagical foodstuffs unless it is properly packaged with the BGA Seal of Approval.

For a fuller understanding of prohibitions in wizarding-muggle interactions, please request from the Muggle Liaison Office a free copy of the 1093 page The Many, Many, Many Rules and Regulations of Darmeni Wizardkind, which goes into far greater detail than this short pamphlet.

As always, the Muggle Liaison Office is available to answer any questions you might have. We can be found at No. 16 Pilliwickle Drive, Scott City. Please do not disturb the mandrake patch in front of the office.

★ Darmeni ★ Ministry ★ Of ★ Magic ★

[Bears Armed]

In their hotel's banqueting hall, having been assured by the management that nobody who does not already know about the existence of both Ursines and wizards will be allowed close enough to see them and possibly have a bad reaction of some kind, the 'Bearrzards Bright' and their companions are relaxing over a generous meal after the game against the 'Fleftic' team... which had been not only the game with the highest combined score on that matchday but also -- by nearly two 'watches' [i.e. three hours ] -- the lengthiest one.

"They were playing Quidditch out there like the 'Bear-Belles' originally played Football, with everrything on the attack," commented physiotherapist Krystal Bruin. "I wonder hwhether that was hwhat got them all of the way to the Final in the prrevious World Cup?"
"Maybeso, maybeso," replied reporter Florise Fane. "Anyhows, I have been asked to put together a brief article for the local 'wizarding' community's private newspaper about the relationship between wizards and non-wizards back home, and I need to get my hrrough draft checked for accuracy by some of ourr wizards before I sit down to type up the final verrsion, so..."She looked at her notes.
"Hokay, here's theirr original set of questions:

What is the relationship between magical individuals and Muggles/"no-Majs"/[fill-in-the-blank] people without magical powers? Are wizards hidden? Publically known? Bad at keeping secrets and/or misinterpreted? What misconceptions, if any, do either cultures have about each other?

"Hr'rmm..." She began to write...

What is the relationship between magical individuals and Muggles/"no-Majs"/[fill-in-the-blank] people without magical powers?
Almost every Wizard in the country -- all of them except Grimdark hmself, about whose background nothing is publicly known, I think -- has at least some relatives who are ordinary, or 'Mundane', Ursines if that is what you mean: They aren't a separate 'People' from urrs like the the Brocks or the Ravens or even some 'WyldKin Ursine' groups.

If you're actually asking about 'governance' conditions, then the situation in ourr country is that Wizards are members of the same Clans or Septs or whatever as their mundane kinsfolk -- again, other than Grimdark -- and have all of the rights & responsibilities associated with that membership except that they can't hold any leadership possessions outside of their own occupational groups: They're a profession, not a separate "culture" or "'community". They don't have any overall leadership of their own, but the heads of of those various professional organisations sit on a council -- along with certain others of 'the Wise', and representatives of the mundane authorities as well -- to prevent & punish mis-use of their abilities. In exchange for their renouncing the right to seek wider leadership roles in society, any of them who will accept this are guaranteed employment by the national government in specialised useful roles that most often involve either assisting the armed forces or manufacturing specialised equipment for other government agencies: Selling 'magical' items to the 'mundane' public is only legal for types of goods that have been tested for safety and then placed explicitly on an 'allowed' list --with specified maximum prices -- by one of those "mixed" committees, and is mostly limited to toys or to devices that fill similar roles to some types of electronic gadgetry.

And if you're actually asking about how wizards and non-wizards generally get on with each other then the answer is that they generally do so more of less like any other combinations of people. Some mundanes are still prejudiced against wizards because of that profession's early history among urrs, but the length of the period since those days during which they have behaved hokay -- or, at least, been kept in order by Grimdark and Sermharn and others of 'the Wise' -- has definitely weakened this tendency. The fact that ourr wizards are not set apart as a separate community as is the case in some Human-run lands has probably also helped to make their presence among urrs more acceptable, too.

Are wizards hidden? Publically known? The existence of wizards other than Grimdark was more-or-less hidden from the general public, other than from some of the wizards' own 'mundane' relatives (who were often sworn to secrecy about this), until quite late in the 'Wulfen Wars' -- to a point in what users of the 'Gregorian' calendar call the 'fourteenth century A.D. -- when Grimdark brought a force of wizards to aid the Royal Army in a crucial stage of that fight. After that they became an increasingly open secret, especially as far as both regular military personnel and the country's civil leadership were concerned, The existence of their own school, 'Hogwings Academy', wasn't publicly confirmed until a few years ago, though, and its location is still kept secret with the national government's approval.

[Zwangzug]

MD2 scores below!

Today's RP prompt: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Are there any magical animals or beings prevalent in your country? Are they dangerous? Adorable? Endangered? Used for potionmaking? Do they seem related to more mundane creatures, or are they clearly something surreal?

Group A:

The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans  	390
Quebec and Shingoryeo		  	190

Zwangzug              330
Alchemic Queendom     200

Equestria             180
Squidroidia           340

*                                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Squidroidia                             2    2   0   520  220 +300     4
2 Sarzonia                                1    1   0   250   50 +200     2
3 Alchemic Queendom                       2    1   1   560  500  +60     2
4 The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans    2    1   1   560  550  +10     2
5 Zwangzug                                2    1   1   370  380  −10     2
6 Equestria                               1    0   1   180  340 −160     0
7 Quebec and Shingoryeo                   2    0   2   240  640 −400     0

Group B:

Abanhfleft            230
Darmen                380

Gyatso-kai            80
Bears Armed           210

Starblaydia           210
Mertagne              70

*                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Bears Armed             2    2   0   590  340 +250     4
2 Starblaydia             1    1   0   210   70 +140     2
3 Tikarot                 1    1   0   340  250  +90     2
4 Darmen                  2    1   1   630  570  +60     2
5 Mertagne                2    1   1   260  260    0     2
6 Abanhfleft              2    0   2   490  760 −270     0
  Gyatso-kai              2    0   2   130  400 −270     0

Group C:

Newlandian Dragon Island  	10
Valdiviola            		180

Paradyce Lost         200
Soldera               320

Sylestone             110
Amenria               210

*                             Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valdiviola                    2    2   0   550  130 +420     4
2 Soldera                       2    2   0   690  320 +370     4
3 Paradyce Lost                 2    1   1   580  560  +20     2
4 Amenria                       2    1   1   450  490  −40     2
5 Sylestone                     1    0   1   110  210 −100     0
6 Western Fardelshufflestein    1    0   1   120  370 −250     0
7 Newlandian Dragon Island      2    0   2   130  550 −420     0

Group D:

Malandrin             170
Ko-oren               260

Hebitaka              380
Bollonich             220

Banija                70
Kriegiersien          240

*                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Hebitaka                2    2   0   730  360 +370     4
2 Ko-oren                 2    2   0   540  320 +220     4
3 Kriegiersien            2    1   1   380  420  −40     2
4 Bollonich               2    1   1   550  600  −50     2
5 Eshialand               1    0   1   150  280 −130     0
6 Banija                  1    0   1    70  240 −170     0
7 Malandrin               2    0   2   390  590 −200     0

[A m e n r i a]

Match Highlight

Coordinated Strike

The loss in the first match made the Amenrian National Team switch gears. This time, they focused more on the Snitch than scoring. To this end, the chasers of the team flew in an eschelon formation to maximize the team's field of vision most of the game. With a whopping 50 point difference between Sylestone's 110 and Amenria's 60, the team hoped that the change in plans was worth it, and boy was it worth it.

While trying to intercept Dean Spears, Lee had a glance of the snitch. She took a quick look at Bhavalakar's position, sparing no time in telling her Seeker. "Ravi, Snitch, 3 o' clock!" The Indian instantly took a sharp turn towards where she told him the Snitch was, locking at the target with his eyes, then catching it while Ransford was too far away to have gotten it.

Green: Spoken in Chinese

Developer's Insights

For practical reasons, the creatures will be differentiated by sentience and defined as "beings" for the purpose of answering the prompts and spoilers will be given for each species, while the word "magical" will be defined as anything unlikely to he encountered in an MT RP.

Animals

In R1, "Kraken" is a designation given to large sea creatures with limited, arguable, or no sentience. Krakens are not necessarily cephalopods; the existence of a seahorse Kraken has been confirmed. Whether the size of the animal is caused by deep sea gigantism, mutation, or other factors is unknown. The actual rarity of Krakens is difficult to determine due to their habitat and they are rarely encountered by sentient beings for the same region. So far, all sightings have been in the Pacific.

The existence of the Mongolian Death Worm has been confirmed since long before the current version of Amenria, at around patch 1.5. However, none has been appearing in any RPs nor will appear in any in the near future. The IC justification is that they're both elusive and dangerous, with the ability to "dive" into sand and "swim" in them, as well as the ability to spit venom. So far, they have only been mentioned for comedic purposes.

The mrip is a common pet in New Eden. It's name is an onomatopoeia of the sounds it make. Visually, the mrip looks like the combination of a Pomeranian and a cat. While they can survive on Earth, it's ill-advised to bring one to Earth because their urine could damage local plant life. Feeding them Earth-based food could mitigate this, however. They first came to Amenria when they were brought in by immigrants from the distant planet.

The first ideas for this animal came from a dream RMD had. One followed him around in that dream.

Beings

Dragons are wise, primordial creatures older than humanity. Due to their low fertility and unwillingness to mingle with humans, dragons are rare and often reside in mountains, deserts, or underwater. Transformation to humans are a common superpower they learn, despite their general and recent contempt towards humanity. In ancient times, dragons have been known to marry humans while they take human form and interbreed with them, resulting in dragonfolk, an entirely new species.

The non-human sentient species with the largest population in Amenria, vampires live comfortably as average citizens. Vampires of both genders are more often than not beautiful, with tall, willowy frames and pale skin and an entire subculture dedicated to celebrating them. The reception from vampires differ, with some consider them weird for fetishizing their species, some being indifferent, and some actively capitalizing from them.

Vampires often make use of their beauty by working as models, actresses, idols, social media influencers, and online streamers. Another common career choice for vampires is in forensics and law enforcement, as vampires can gather information on a person by tasting their blood. At worst, one can tell blood types by taste. At best, one can also discern person's age, gender, alcohol/drug levels and any illnesses they might have.

Camilla, Heiress of the Miao Coven, a Ramadhan Family subsidiary

The werewolves of Amenria are concentrated in the South Asia province, with emigration being uncommon. Unlike the werewolves of other works, most of these werewolves can switch forms at will and maintain perfect control of themselves in their werewolf forms. Many are in the government, with the Poornachandra Pack being a mostly werewolf Noble Family. Outside the Pack, many werewolves work as athletes, labourers, bodybuilders, and other physical jobs, as their strength benefits them in such jobs.

Another innate ability they share is the ability to better coordinate their movements with fellow werewolves. With only subtle cues, a squad of werewolves could change plans and act accordingly to changing situations. This helps them in sports, military, and law enforcement jobs.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

"We're done for." Leah leaned forward and rapped her hands on the coffee table. "We're done for. We go from tournament champions to sixth out of seven in our division."

"There are seven games in this round," Blunt reminded her, his attempt at optimism feeble. Then again, he hadn't singlehandedly lost them the match, so of course he was not as bitter as she.

Beside her, Jagermeister shook his head forlornly. "'Twas the worst game I've played in awhile--I should have caught those Quaffles--I was playing like some sort of flaying beetle." He was forlorn, more so than he was yesterday but not as much as he'd been the moment they'd lost the match. He was too hard on himself; he was just a kid, a kid on a national Quidditch team. Of course he was bound to make mistakes. His Quaffle scuffle with Windhoffer was normal for unseasoned players, and 'twas remarkable he'd gone so long without making such an error.

"Thou didst the best you could," Windhoffer intoned. She was lounging on the couch opposite theirs with Martin and Schaffer.

Leah scowled, replaying in her head the moment she'd lost the match. She'd had to dodge that Bludger. If she had not, she risked ending up like Smythe, and then where would the team be? Taking an evasive maneuver had been, at the time, essential for staying on her broom. She'd found herself cutting off sharply to the right, a basic enough tactic, only for the opposing Seeker to use that split second to dive downward and snatch the Snitch. Even if Leah had seen the Snitch in time and chased after her, she'd have been too late.

Idiot, idiot, meat-for-brains. She knew better than to fall for an elementary diversion. Looking around at their defeated team, however, she saw they were all blaming themselves in some way. This was no way to spend a bye day; they needed to train, shake off the cobwebs. Ja, they'd practiced earlier today, but to what end? Everyone had been so despondent that ridiculous mistakes were made and Brandt had called off the practice after thirty minutes. They'd gone out several more times to similar avail.

Brandt was in a corner, pacing back and forth and muttering to himself. No doubt formulating a speech that was supposed to uplift their spirits. Well, no matter; they needed to get back out on the practice field and get their heads back into the game.

Leah stood, then approached the team captain. His eyes darted upward slightly at the sight of her, his right hand still pressed into his mouth. His hair was in disarray, his casual clothing disheveled. Anxiety seeped from his every pore.

"Captain," Leah began, tilting her head to the side. She was several centimeters shorter than he, but no matter. "If thou hast inspirational words to say, now is the time. We need to go out on the practice field."

Albrecht was taken aback from her words, snapped away from the convoluted inner workings of his mind to the present, where the Seeker was standing before him with pleading eyes and pining desperation. He considered them for a split second before responding, "Ja, 'tis a good idea. And my words are...well, not my words, per se. I was repeating something from Shakespeare."

Leah smirked a bit, pleased with the idea. "Let me guess: Henry V?"

"Well...ja, 'tis a good monologue for this situation. I don't think any of Hamlet's would fit. So I've been reviewing the speech from Sutter's copy of his complete works because all of my Shakespeare is at home."

"Sutter brought the complete works of Shakespeare. To a Quidditch tournament."

"I believe he brought it for 'winter reading,'" Albrecht explained, jokingly using air quotes. "But he agreed to let me borrow 't so quickly that I suspect there is foul play." He shrugged. "He never told me what he had to read. Presuming he has to read any of 't at all.

"But I concur with thy idea, Warner. We need to get in a quality practice. I'll go rally the team, and we'll meet on the field in twenty minutes. In our practice gear, of course," he added as an afterthought.

Leah nodded and departed immediately, presumably heading to the team locker where all their gear was kept. Albrecht, for his part, drifted to the center of the common room of their living quarters and clapped his hands thrice for attention.

"Listen up, everyone. I know thou'rt all disheartened over Saturday's match, and some of you art still jet lagged, but we need to get in one good practice today so we are more motivated tomorrow. Thou hast twenty minutes to get to the team locker, change into your practice uniforms, and meet me and Warner out on the field we've been using to practice." He paused, surveyed the expressions of his team, and gave a brief nod. "Those of you who can Apparate, feel free to do so. Those of you who cannot--Sutter and Jagermeister--will go with Meltzer. He's the best Apparator on out team. Anyone who does not feel like Apparating should depart immediately with me." Signaling the end of his speech, he started for the common room door. Several team members, mainly the ones on the younger side, got up to follow him.

The team locker was bustling when Albrecht and his crew arrived, filled with shouting, articles of clothing and gear strewn all over the place, their regular clothes cast aside. Albrecht made his way to his locker, opened it, rummaged through to find his practice robes and broom.

For the returning members of the team, practice gear was the same as the practice gear they had used the previous season. Many of them regarded this gear with immense pride. They'd all wanted to use the same playing uniforms this year, but they'd been overruled by the needed for consistency and a budget increase that meant they could get gear of higher quality. Albrecht did not mind the newer gear, though he knew some of the veterans did, with the Beaters complaining the loudest. No matter. They at least got to use the old gear for practice, if that was any consolation.

The sky was dim with the beginnings of night as they headed out as one to the desolate field, Albrecht in the lead with his broom in hand. The stands were empty, the Zwangzug air silent save for the faint chirping of insects. Unlike in WF, summer was burgeoning here, the throes of winter but a distant memory as the world was bathed in heat and humidity. Back home, the nights were long and the days short, the wind carrying sharp notes of ice and chilliness as it cut through the gray sky. Cold rains would fall, miserable showers that even wizards could not best, and, on the rare occasion, snow.

All of that belonged in another world, a world that faded into the background din as Albrecht felt the adrenaline kick in. The thrill of being in a stadium had never faded, even after over a decade of playing; there was just something about the fields that was magical, but not in the wizarding sense. 'Twas a softer, subtle magic, grand in stature, yet discernible only by those who knew how to look for it.

He swiveled around so he was facing the team. They all wore stony expressions, which was better than the crushed, resigned countenances they had been trading and passing along to one another these past two days. They were expectant, anticipating him to say something grand, mayhap quote some Shakespeare. Though he had planned to do so, Albrecht found himself doing neither of those things and addressed the team directly.

"I know you are disappointed by how the match went on Saturday." He let his first sentence hang in the air, for 'twas an empty thing, one that would be quickly disregarded. He expected rumblings from within the ranks, but there was only silence.

"I get 't. I know. Believe me when I say I am crushed." He flung his left arm outward, his arm not holding the broom, in a sweeping gesture. "But this? Being here? We earned this. We deserve to be here. We fought and fought and rose to the top, and we can do so again. Our new team members, thou hast worked hard to get here. Thou wast instrumental in our victories that led us to qualify for this year's tournament. Never forget that. Never forget how every single person here is vital to making our team run.
Reserves, we could never do this without thee. We do not say this enough, but thou art essential to keeping this team running."

His words still sounded hollow, so he backtracked, searched for what he could say that they would know was the absolute truth.
"Letting one loss define our whole tournament is pathetic. All of us are behaving like we've already lost. If we keep 't up, 'twill be a self-fulfilling prophecy. And we cannot have that." Steeliness entered his words, a steeliness the team must have notice because they all seemed to snap to attention, their eyes wide as they struggled to hide their surprise.

"We are the returning champions. We are, not Valdiviola, not Zanwgzug. Nobody else. So get yourselves into that mindset and start thinking and playing like champions, or we might as well go home right now." He felt intense, a surge of ferocity that only came when he was into the chaos of a brutal match. "So pick up thy brooms and get into the warm-up circle. Leah's leading the stretches, and I'm going to notify the coach and the committee to make sure we are allowed to practice."

He stepped away and began briskly walking to the side so he could message the tournament committee and explain why they needed to practice. He wasn't going to take no for an answer, but he did not want to do anything that could risk disqualification.

Once he was given the go-ahead, he signaled the team to get on their brooms and lift off the ground. When he returned to his spot, he did a bit of stretching so as to decrease the risk of pulling a muscle. He then boarded his broom and gently pushed off the ground, sailing into the the air a few meters off the ground.

"Now that everything is set, we're going to work on some drills ere we divide into a scrimmage. Coach Mueller will be down here anon to oversee our practice, and an official is already in the stands." He gave a brief nod toward a dark, fuzzy blob in one of the towers. Apparition really was a wondrous thing.

Windhoffer already had the Quaffle tucked under her arm, and DuPont and Blunt were wrestling with the Bludgers. Albrecht directed Windhoffer to put the Quaffle away for now, as all of them clearly needed to practice Bludger-dodging.

"How this is going to work is that DuPont and Blunt will hit the Bludgers toward us, and we're going to have to elude them ere they're hit at us again. We'll go in groups, with the groups who are not actively dodging Bludgers working on their technique for various feints. I'll switch out the Beaters so that everyone has a chance to work on their skills." He quickly divided the team into three groups of seven, making sure each position was as evenly distributed across the groups as possible. He put the two main Beaters in Group 1, along with Warner, and then stuck Jagermeister and Windhoffer in Group 2. He and Martin would be Group 3. This way, the top players were not concentrated in one group. It simulated actual gameplay, too, since people were often subbed in in shifts instead of all at once.

They practiced for a little over two hours, at which point Leah caught the Snitch. As they were packing up for the night, Albrecht noted that everyone was sweating, the Beaters were joshing amongst themselves, and the two younger players, especially Jagermeister, looked relieved.

Mueller came up to Albrecht after they'd changed back into their normal clothes, offered him a contrite smile. "Nothing like a little night practice to lift your spirits, hey?"

Albrecht let out an exhausted exhale. "Ja. Something like that."

"Wilt thou be ready for morning practice bright and early?"

"Of course."

His spirits significantly lifted, Albrecht grinned, then amended, "I shall. I cannot speak for the rest of my team, however."

"Hast thou moved on from our hiccup on Saturday?" Mueller arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"I think...I think we have. Ja. Ja, we're ready for Wednesday's match."

"I hope so," came Mueller's response, but the twinkle in her eye let Albrecht know she was full of pride and certainty.

[Valdiviola]

DRAGON TAMERS
Nocerino Snatches Victory From Under Dragon's Noses
NEWLANDIAN DRAGON ISLAND 10-180* VALDIVIOLA

Coach Benedetto Azzardo made two changes to the 'Violan line-up for the game against the World Cup newcomers from Newlandia. Delfina Savoia made a return to the international scene in an attacking change at Chaser, and Serafina Fiorentino made her debut, taking the bat to give Erasmo Burrasca a rest. The flyers from the Dragon Islands which struggled in their opening game were surely worried ahead of what on paper looked like an even tougher assignment, but lined up as expected nonetheless.

The Islanders opened with possession of the Quaffle and quickly found themselves with a guilt-edged chance to take the lead. Alan Fast broke past La Viola Chaser Isabella Loretto, and having ducked a Bludger from Teodoro Peloso found himself in a two-on-one situation with only the Valdiviolan Captain to beat. As Nobile came out to narrow Fast's options to shoot, compatriot Henry Wandman was left alone unmarked in front of the hoops, but Fast bemusingly ignored his teammate and attempted a wild shot which missed all three Hoops, but managed to strike his own Seeker, Jenny Magico, in the back of the head, sending her spectacles spiralling to the ground.

So it would be Valdiviola who would draw first blood, with Savoia showing early intent by beating Wandman to his left without so much as an attempt to turn for a challenge. Michelle Matchstick of the Dragon Islands dumbfounded onlookers by failing to spot Savoia and instead blocked off her own Keeper, Hedwig Flowerholder to leave Savoia with an easy goal. Flowerholder was rightly furious by this stage and was red in the face and screaming obscenities at his teammates shortly after as Loretto was allowed to attack freely despite the attention of Beater Jack Firecracker, who ignored the instructions of his coach, despite said instructions being written in capital letters on a large blackboard by the Islander's dugout.

Simonetta Nocerino, just 17 years of age, was clearly the Seeker more likely to end the game, as her opposite number Magico seemed to be an easy target for Fiorentino and Peloso with the Bludgers. Having spent a fair amount of the early game searching the turf for her spectacles before giving up and attempting to tail Nocerino instead, with the score at 30-10 in favour of la Viola, the Snitch paused right in front of the Dragon Islander's face. At no point in the ensuing confusion did Magico make an attempt for a snatch, nor in fact did she even seem to acknowledge the existence of the Snitch despite the vocalisations from Flowerholder some 50 feet away. Nocerino had spotted the glint of gold however and took a neat catch just inches from her opponent's nose and with it secured a second Group Stage win for her nation.

Next up for the Volatori Viola are the unknown quantity from Paradyce Lost who scored a strong victory against Amenria in their opener but have since lost to Soldera, who currently challenge Azzardo's team for first place in Group C.

Player Ratings: Nobile 6/10, Fiorentino 7/10, Peloso 7/10, Loretto 6/10, Savoia 8/10, Febbraio 6/10, Nocerino 10/10,

[Abanhfleft]

There were many magical creatures roaming the lands within the borders of the nation called Abanhfleft, most of them small enough to escape the notice of the vast majority of the Muggles living in the country. There were some bigger creatures such as dragons and Kelpies in Abanhfleft, but the wizarding community in the country was more than content in letting the Muggles believe that these creatures were nothing more than legends and to chalk up sightings of actual creatures as nothing more than “mis-identified” animals. Kelpie herds living in the Drake Passage, where the Capital Islands of Abanhfleft lay, were responsible for the legend of the Makélé-Mbappé, a plesiosaur-like creature that preyed on fishermen. And two breeds of dragon were known to originate specifically from Abanhfleft: the Myleishi Midnightstar, an inhabitant of the dry desert plains of the north, and the Santiago Skysweeper, denizen of the frozen Antarctic territories.

But neither of these fantastic beasts was what Augustus Rousseau was after at the moment. He was on the trail of a Thunderbird who could have gone to Taeshan in the previous Quidditch World Cup and caused a rainstorm laced with Swooping Evil venom to make everyone from Abanhfleft forget about losing the Quidditch World Cup final. Thunderbirds weren’t endemic to Abanhfleft, but at least thirty were known to live in the Myleishi Plateau after three illegally caught specimens escaped from their captors back in the 1920s. The Thunderbirds had been able to carve a niche for themselves in the western part of the plateau, far from the hunting grounds of the Midnightstars.

Gus’s destination was a natural preserve established by the Kagawaran ng Salamangka around the area where the Thunderbirds were known to roam. To Muggle eyes, the place he was visiting looked like a ghost town with dusty abandoned buildings scattered around the cracked two-lane highway that had long since been left behind in favor of a faster and more efficient expressway. But to a wizard like Gus, the place looked like a very well-run natural park staffed with rangers and researchers. Gus showed his credentials to the receptionist, and then when he was informed that the man in charge of the park was ready to see him, Gus was Apparated to the proper location.

“Ah, Mr. Rousseau,” said Alberts Courtesy, the man in charge of the Tellabek Thunderbird Nature Preserve. “I had received an owl from the Kagawaran telling me that you were coming, but I wasn’t expecting you to come so quickly. Surely an Auror such as you would have a lot on your plate.”

"On the contrary, Mr. Courtesy," Gus said. "As it happens, the memory wipe of the Quidditch World Cup final is the only thing on my plate at the moment."

"A memory wipe? At the Quidditch World Cup final? Whyever would someone even want to do such a thing?" Courtesy asked. "And which World Cup final are we even talking about now?"

"The tenth one, Mr. Courtesy," Augustus replied. "It was between us and Western Fardelshufflestein, apparently. I had to look at the archives of Taeshan and Kriegiersien to confirm that this match actually happened."

"Abanhfleft losing a final? Oh, I'm sure that a lot of Muggles would love it if they could just Obliviate the memory of certain games," Courtesy sniggered. "Anyway, what has this to do with me? I don't even recall Abanhfleft ever having gotten as far as the final of a Quidditch World Cup."

"Well, Mr. Courtesy, I am here because the Kagawaran has reason to believe that someone with access to both a Thunderbird and a Swooping Evil for this mass Obliviation," Gus said. "The last memories reported of those who were in the stadium at the time that the final went broomsticks up was that a light rain had started to fall on them. Now, of course this doesn't explain how or why the whole nation was affected by this memory event, but this should hopefully be a stepping stone to solving this mystery."

"Wait, you don't seriously think that I did it, do you?" Courtesy asked again. "Aside from the fact that there are laws strictly prohibiting the taking of even a single Thunderbird out of this reserve even for research purposes, I also have absolutely no way of sourcing a Swooping Evil. Yes, I would love to have one for examination, but as you can see, this place is not exactly well suited for the Swooping Evil to live in, isn't it?"

"But do you know someone who does?" Gus asked back. "Do you know someone who has access to both a Thunderbird and a Swooping Evil, and who has a reason to remove the memory of losing a Quidditch final from the minds of an entire nation? A Magizoologist, a collector of exotic animals, a poacher even?"

This question made Courtesy pause to think. "There may be someone," he finally said. "Someone with both Thunderbirds and Swooping Evils. But he is as far away from Tellabek and the Myleishi as you could possibly get. He's in the Fhulghamous Peninsula, somewhere in the Great Marble Desert."

"Does this someone have a name?"

"Yes, of course. His name is Porfirio Aguas."

"Thank you," Gus said. "The Kagawaran thanks you for your cooperation."

"But of course," Courtesy nodded. "Oh, but before you leave, a word of caution: Mr. Aguas doesn't appreciate anyone dropping in on him unannounced. It will do you well to remember that."

"Understood, sir," Gus nodded, and then he wrote down this new piece of information on his notepad. "If you will excuse me," he added, and then he Disapparated back to the entrance of the nature preserve.

[Tikariot]

A TV studio of TTV2, the large screens in the background cycling through images of fantastical beasts, some of which are clearly photoshopped together.

Stacy Helmond: Next up on 'A Deeper Look' we set our sights to something that seems to be cooking up every now and then, but right now seems to be on an all time high: Fantastical Beasts - do they exist, myth, reality or plain hogwash? Rumours about a so-called Quidditch World Cup and the subsequent question if magic really exist has brought all kind of theories back to the fore about mysterious beasts and monsters, some hidden away, some living deep underneath our cities, some in the forests and jungles. One cryptozoologist, whose only intent seems to be to disprove the actual existence of cryptozoology is Bernard Hergenschwein, who has been one of the loudest voices in denying that owlephants are true, even though we can in fact see them in several zoos and even in the Owlephant Sanctuary out west in Acrassia as well as South Newlandia, claiming that they are one of the biggest hoaxes of zoos to draw in the masses to make more money. Just before the show we received footage from him and his expedition into the deep forests of Taeria, a region that has not had a single owlephant sighting ever, throwing instant doubt over the reliability of Mr. Hergenschwein's research methods bot look for yourself.

The picture switches to a small clearing in a dense, lush, dark green forest with a pudgy middle-aged man in a beige safari outfit that looks horribly out of place in the forest setting.

Bernard Hergenschwein: We are here deep in the forests of Taeria, where legends have placed large numbers of owlephants throughout the ages. We have been here for the last good hour and have not seen any sightings of owlephants or any other animals really.

Suddenly a shaking hand comes into view from behind the camera, pointing at behind Bernard. An owlephant is sitting on a low branch, eyeing the scene in front of it curiously, its trunk slowly creeping towards the reporter's hat. Bernard is clearly annoyed by the interruption as he shoots an angry glare at the person behind the camera.

Bernard Hergenschwein: All of my research had indicated such already and the very clear absence of even the slightest sign of owlephants is further proof that owlephants do not exist and neither do any other of these fantastical creatues. They are called 'fantastical' for a reason - fantasy.

In this moment the owlephant picks up Bernard's hat with his trunk and the ruddy man freezes momentarily, slowly reaching up and only finding his balding scalp instead of his hat. He turns around and comes face to, well, trunk, with the owlephant. He lets out a piercing shriek that is in complete contradiction to his pudgy exterior and runs off, knocking over the cameraman in the process. The camera rolls a few times on the ground before coming to a rest sideways. The owlephant can be seen flying down from its perch, curiously touching the camera with its trunk. The picture cuts back to the studio.

Stacy Helmond: Well, I guess that Bernard's claim can be filed under 'firmly debunked.' He had also promised us footage about the lack of existence of the-- One moment please--

She look through her papers.

Stacy Helmond: Fabroogan, Sarprlski and Hamagum, but given this clip here I think that we will pass, especially since neither of these three creatures have ever been mentioned anywhere, not even in the most outrageous theories. So in the end we unfortunately have not really been able to prove or disprove anything but Mr. Hergenschwein's credentials and are no step further concerning fantastical beasts, but I guess having debunked his claims and credibility was likely worth it.

[Bears Armed]

(Minnurrva Barrister): "So, next up against urrs is Starblaydia? Got quite a record in international sports, alrready, hasn't that nation?"

(Bark Brent): "Ayyuh, for true, and they've sent entrants to the Quidditch World Cup beforre this too, but at least their roster for this contest seems to be an all-Human line-up... None of the Dwarves, who live long enough that they might have over a yonkh's-worth* of playing experience, let alone any of the Elves who might have been active alrready for over an eightYonkh**, so at least there's that point that we don't have to worry about."

(Minnurrva Barrister): "Hokay...."

(Lurrsee Fane-Urrsen): "They're one of the nations whose Football teams perform a pre-match 'challenge-dance' like our own team's 'harrdiharrr', hrright? Do we know hwhether their Quidditch team does that as well?"

(Bark Brent): "Ayyuh, that's them, but -- No -- Sermharn sent a Raven to enquire, and their manager says that their Quidditch team does not perform that 'Raiigar'. Apparently that's why ourr team hasn't been doing the 'harrdiharr' here, neither, even though they rehearsed it, because the Bureau decided that we'd follow hwhatever precedent Starblaydia had already set in that matter."


Meanwhile, Florise Fane was looking at the latest question from the local "wizarding" community's newspaper...

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Are there any magical animals or beings prevalent in your country? Are they dangerous? Adorable? Endangered? Used for potionmaking? Do they seem related to more mundane creatures, or are they clearly something surreal?

"Hr'rmm, I wonder hwhat definition they'rre using for "magical beings", there? All of the various 'Ancient Peoples' I suppose, such as the flock of a dozen Bennu Birds or the more singular 'MouseMind' or -- if the stories of its existence hrreally are true -- the Dragon that's thought to be sleeping under the 'Sleeping-Dragon Hills' ... The Ravens, with their 'travelling' ability, whom many "mundane" Ursines like me interact with on a fairly regular basis? The 'Talking Trees'? Nature-spirits or other spirits that sometimes take embodied form, and the various 'Wyldkin' Peoples who count certain of those among their ancestors even though the Wyldkin themselves often appear simply either as Ursines who might have some mystical abilities or as 'Talking Beasts''? The 'Talking Trees', who are presumably themselves also in one or another of those latter two categories? The various Chaos-tainted monsters that come from the 'Hazardous Wastes' out east?"***


----------------------------------------------------------------

Footnotes
* "a yonkh's-worth" = sixty-four [ years].
** "an eightYonkh" = five hundred & twelve [years].
*** Yes, there are a LOT of beings that might qualify for inclusion here... especially since I had so long offline during lockdown to put together my thoughts on some of these matters, although i haven't yet found time in which to get all of my notes typed up...

[Zwangzug]

Coming soon: Matchday Three.

Optional prompt: what is the status of other transportation technologies in your country? Are flying carpets legal or regulated? Who are your leading broom manufacturers? Are your dwellings connected to the Floo? Magic trains hidden among mundane platforms?

Group A:

Alchemic Queendom     330
Equestria             200

Quebec and Shingoryeo  170
Zwangzug               30

Sarzonia              		     260
The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans 110

*                                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Sarzonia                                2    2   0   510  160 +350     4
2 Squidroidia                             2    2   0   520  220 +300     4
3 Alchemic Queendom                       3    2   1   890  700 +190     4
4 The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans    3    1   2   670  810 −140     2
5 Zwangzug                                3    1   2   400  550 −150     2
6 Quebec and Shingoryeo                   3    1   2   410  670 −260     2
7 Equestria                               2    0   2   380  670 −290     0

Group B:

Bears Armed           290
Starblaydia           140

Darmen                400
Gyatso-kai            210

Tikariot              290
Abanhfleft            120

*                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Bears Armed             3    3   0   880  480 +400     6
2 Tikariot                2    2   0   630  370 +260     4
3 Darmen                  3    2   1  1030  780 +250     4
4 Mertagne                2    1   1   260  260    0     2
5 Starblaydia             2    1   1   350  360  −10     2
6 Abanhfleft              3    0   3   610 1050 −440     0
7 Gyatso-kai              3    0   3   340  800 −460     0

Group C:

Soldera               280
Sylestone             130

Valdiviola            300
Paradyce Lost         160

Western Fardelshufflestein 100
Newlandian Dragon Island   270

*                             Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valdiviola                    3    3   0   850  290 +560     6
2 Soldera                       3    3   0   970  450 +520     6
3 Amenria                       2    1   1   450  490  −40     2
4 Paradyce Lost                 3    1   2   740  860 −120     2
5 Newlandian Dragon Island      3    1   2   400  650 −250     2
6 Sylestone                     2    0   2   240  490 −250     0
7 Western Fardelshufflestein    2    0   2   220  640 −420     0

Group D:

Bollonich             210
Banija                70

Ko-oren               20
Hebitaka              170

Eshialand             170
Malandrin             20

*                       Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Hebitaka                3    3   0   900  380 +520     6
2 Bollonich               3    2   1   760  670  +90     4
3 Ko-oren                 3    2   1   560  490  +70     4
4 Eshialand               2    1   1   320  300  +20     2
5 Kriegiersien            2    1   1   380  420  −40     2
6 Banija                  2    0   2   140  450 −310     0
7 Malandrin               3    0   3   410  760 −350     0

[Eshialand]

Over in a Blink...
Eshialand 170-20 Malandrin

"Wait, is it already over?" Steven asked, barely seeing Kevin catch the Snitch.
"YEP, IT IS!" Kevin yelled.

The match started with REDACTED taking the Quaffle past Steven for two quick goals before being hit in the head by a Bludger. Then, Henry took the Quaffle to the Malandrian goalposts and got two goals of his own, and Kevin caught the Snitch. It was all over in 46 seconds, a score of 170-20 for Eshialand.

"Uhh... I knew Malandrin would be easy, but this? Uh... I..." Coach Albert Lainsbury is simply lost for words.
"Wanna watch Bollonich vs. Banija?" Barry suggests.
"Uhh... why not son... I just... don't... what happened?"
"I think we just won..." Josephine answers, "but I'm not really sure..."

Eshialand    170 | Malandrin   20
-----------------|---------------
Clamian       20 | REDACTED    20
Serakis   Snitch |

Two days later, in the King's office...

"Hoo! Hoo!"
"What the, what are you doing here silly owl?"
"Hoo! Hoo!"
"I'd shoo you out of here if it weren't the most unpatriotic thing to do right now."
"Hoo! Hoo!"
"Oh, wait, what is that?"

The king notices a package that the owl is carrying. There's a letter on it that says, "Just wanted you to know how we were doing! -AL"

In the package is an issue of the Brightonsea Journal, "Eshialand's only wizarding newspaper". He opens it up, and turns to the sports pages. There, in between all of the news about Muggle sports, is an article with the headline "How quickly can you win a Quidditch match? Apparently, 46 seconds." He reads it for a while, and lets out a small smile. Eshialand might be a magical place yet.

But another thing that catches his eye is a full-page ad for Eshialand's next match, which is certainly an interesting matchup to say the least.

HEBITAKA - ESHIALAND

A tale as old as time...


SOCCER

World Cup 88 Qualifying, Matchday 8
HTK 1-2 ESH
Saturday, July 17^th, 2021
REDACTED, Hebitaka

World Cup 88 Qualifying, Matchday 17
ESH 1-2 HTK
Friday, October 8^th, 2021
Eshialand City, Eshialand

CHESS

Elephant Chess Cup 1, Matchday 1
HTK 1-3 ESH
Friday, December 3^rd, 2021
Newport, South Newlandia

QUIDDITCH

Quidditch World Cup 11, Matchday 4
HTK ?-? ESH
Monday, December 27^th, 2021
Gifogodi Demyok, Zwangzug

Three sports, one rivalry. THIS. ENDS. NOW.

Watch on Brightonsea TV, Monday night at 8!

The owl takes one last look at His Highness, who is silently reading the paper, and flies back to Zwangzug, back to Coach Lainsbury. She gets there at sundown the next day and "tells" the Coach something she noticed.

"What do you mean Rachel?"
"Hoo! Hoo!"
"The king does not have a 'magical aura' about him, okay? You must be going crazy or something..."
"Hoo! Hoo!"
"No, he's a Muggle, plain and simple. Crazy old bird..."
"Hoo!" She flies away, obviously offended by this comment. She can't be convinced that there isn't anything magical about the king.

[A m e n r i a]

Team Amenria basecamp

Mizushima walked in, lifting the men's tent flap, with hair and skin wet from ablution. Following right behind him was Xie, still wearing his helmet, as he always does. "Oh hey, you're back." Ai said, without glancing away from his phone as he scrolls Instagram. The Japanese walked closer to him and stretched his arms and groaned. "Met some people from the Balkans today. A Balkans, to be precise. It's interesting to see white Muslims, we don't get those a lot in the mainland."

Ai looked up to his friend and replied "There's probably lots in the colonies, I don't know for sure. Never been there. I heard it's gotten more dangerous lately. Nothing the Imperial Army can't handle though. Just lunatics who can't get over the third war. Hey Minho, what's that?" he turned to his captain. "This?" Minho asked as he raised a drink in his hand for conformation. "It's a local potion. They said it'll increase your stamina. Tastes pretty good, like grape juice. I got you guys some over there." he pointed at some containers on the other side of the room. "Sweet, thanks!" "Make sure you save some for Jiwon."

Green: Spoken in Chinese

Developer's Insights

For the purposes of answering the given prompt, "broomstick" will be replaced with "hoverbike", and "flying carpet" will be replaced with "hoverboard", while "floo" will be replaced with "portals".

Hoverbikes are perfectly legal and available to anyone above the age of 17. However, they aren't very prevalent for civilian use in the north, mostly used as delivery vehicles and law enforcement transport. In the south, hoverbikes are very popular as they're much cheaper and more maneuverable than cars. Their popularity in the south is part of the reason why Tata Motors is the leading company in hoverbike manufacturing.

[Mertagne]

The Krargsten Kelpie
The Premier Paper for Hedge Warlocks

BROTHERS BEFORE THE PITCH, RIVALS BEFORE THE SNITCH
A report by Wheeler Skinse

A tough game for the Mertagnians in the Quidditch World Cup in Surairo this afternoon, as they faced off in a messy match against neighbours and brothers Starblaydia in an electric game that saw Starblaydia edge out a win from behind. The tension at the stadium was palpable, yet cordial between the two nations, who in the muggle-centric world have enjoyed jolly co-operation as neighbours and members of the latest up-and-coming region in the multiverse, Anaia. Anaia, as many warlocks know, is an ancient term that carries with it some power, being a key word in the Mertagnian version of the Bonding Charm, a weaker (and much less deadly) version of the rarely used 'Unbreakable Vow'. The only vow in place here at the Quidditch World Cup, however, was that of fair play, and both the Mertagnian and Starblaydi teams stretched that to its breaking point during a rainy aftertoon at the stadium.

Several of our readers will know that Mertagne and Starblaydia share a common magical history out of necessity - few magical schools match that of Percyvale in terms of academic merit. Those warlocks that are not trained in the ways of Hedge Magic and have instead sought out formal training from people other than the members of their community have flocked to Percyvale en masse, and in return, warlocks that are pre-disposed to a more wild way of life move to Mertagne's 'wild west' magical communities. It's as such that the style of the Mertagnian game of Quidditch mirrors Starblaydia's at a basic level, but with a bit of a wild twist. This was seen at the start of the game, as both teams took a similar formation, but Starblaydia took the Quaffle and Vekkinen began to weave his way through our players. Interceptions from both sides alike saw fiftenn minutes pass before the first goal was scored - a brilliant play from "Jawbones" Tikmarsh as he shot down low towards the muddy grounds, dipping his broom into the muck and bringing up a spray of mud that obfuscated his exact position from those chasing him, allowing a strong arm to throw the Quaffle just past Eposito to score the first points of the match.

Another thrilling point of the match included a staunch defence of Vaklief from some honed bludgers, as the hulking figure of Crawfysh managed to bat the Bludgers off of Vakleif's path, and subsequently back and forth between himself and Huxtable. The high-speed whacking back-and-forth was similar in scope to the muggle game of "Ping-Pong", except played at 100km/h, with a poor Quaffle-clutching chaser in the middle.

Mertagne and Starblaydia carved the field up between themselves, with points scored back and forth across the next hour. Progress on identifying and catching the snitch was slow - this snitch liked to hide, and found it easy to with the Mertagnian players favouring a low game in these conditions and using the mud to their advantage. The spray of the mud clung to the air, giving the whole stadium an earthy taste.

After some time to make some substitutions, during which the score was locked in at 50-50, both teams felt invigorated and continued an assault. Mertagne managed to put two more points past Enrique Esposito in six attempts, after a flurry of Bludgers sent Starblaydia's way from Shudley Ocks and Stugaron Quentillion really let Mertagne press the assault.

The most thrilling part of this Quidditch match was by far the final seconds. A bad gaffe from Rosseter when trying to block a shot attempt from Rumplebottom caused a penalty to be given to the Starblaydi side. All eyes were on it to see how it'd fare - except the keen eagle eyes of Xantian, who had cleverly spotted the snitch trying to taunt the players while their attention was turned. In an incredibly clever move, Xantian soared towards the snitch before Chezra Myst had time to react, and while the crowd was cheering the success of Starblaydia's penatly coming good, the roar erputed when it had been reported that Xantian had caught the snitch for the Purple Peril.

If Mertagne thought the roar of Starblaydia was bad, that's northing compared to what we've got to face next. It's Bears - Armed! A formidable team that I'm sure the Quidditch team will have to bring their best bravery against on the field. It's going to be one heck of a match, and hopefully our team can recover from a touch match against Starblaydia while the Bears get chopped down by the Purples from Percyvale.