World Cup 64 RP Thread

by **Yesopalitha** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:12 am

She awoke from her sleep, troubled and disturbed. Nightmares had troubled her once again, taunting her memories and her dreams. The last time that she had had a good night's sleep, she could not remember; it seemed eons ago.

The hard mattress that she had slept on was unforgiving; her back ached. The room was cold and dark. After putting on her leather boots, she went to the mirror at the end of the hall. The woman who looked back at her through the mirror was a battle-worn one; many scars were across her face and body. Scars from knives, arrows, bullets...

She put on her leather jacket, made sure that she had her weapons, and left the abandoned building that she had spent the night in. It would not be safe for her to stay in one place for much longer. No, she had to leave, and she had to keep moving. Keep moving, she told herself, And you just might stay alive.

Cold wind swept through the streets as she walked down through the darkness. Sunlight could be overhead, but she couldn't tell; it was cloudy as always, and the smoke that rose from the destroyed buildings made sure that there was no chance of much light coming through. No, the only reason that she could see in the darkness was because she was her - and she could see through pretty much anything without much trouble.

From the corner of her eye she saw a movement. Instinctively, she drew her revolver and spun around. There, on top of a wrecked police car, was a huge jaguar. The beast looked at her curiously. Understanding that it meant her no harm - it had the carcass of some animal or another in its jaws - she put the gun away and looked back at it. The jaguar stared into her eyes... And she felt it make contact with her mind.

'Human, can you hear me?' it said to her.

Startled, she thought back to her education. Could animals talk to humans? No. Only Beastlings or Changelings could. And this jaguar, if it was one, was definitely a full jaguar. Which meant... it must be a changeling. She had thought that no changelings had survived. Apparently, she was wrong.

'I can,' she replied, 'And I'm not human, as you are not.'

The jaguar chuckled - well, it kind of growled, but in a friendly manner that must have been its version of laughter.

'I am not who you think I am,' it replied, 'I am not a Changeling. Or a Beastling.'

'Then how is it that you can communicate telepathically with me?' she inquired, curious.

'Let's just say that I've had experience in the past...' the voice in her head stated. 'The name is Nero, by the way.'

'Nice to meet you, Nero. You can call me Selena," she replied.

'Mind if I travel with you? You could use some backup. You never know if any of them survived,' he stated.

'Sure, just make sure you can keep up,' she joked.

The jaguar made the chucklish growling sound once more, and started to follow her.

Where she was headed, she didn't know. What she was, she didn't know either. All she remembered was waking up a few days ago, without any memory of her previous life. What she did know was that she was a trained soldier, evidenced by the fact that she had slain numerous things on her journey. She didn't know what to call them except things, because they couldn't really be described, and she had no memory of meeting any of the things in the past.

She did not feel hunger. Or thirst. That was odd, she knew. All living beings needed nutrition of some sort, but she required neither. She had only slept because she had nothing better to do and the darkness of the night was too dangerous to travel in. For she knew that although the day wasn't much brighter, these things were nocturnal, meaning that they only moved more vigorously in the latter twelve hours starting around what would usually be noted as six P.M.

They had about eight hours before the things would be out in full force again. She again took out the map that she had woken up with in her pocket. There was supposed to be a big city to the west, she knew. She was headed there to see if anyone else had survived the disaster.

'Headed west? This city is blocked off on all sides... Unless you can leap over a twenty foot fence?' Nero said.

'Lead the way,' Selena replied.

The Jaguar looked at her quizzically.

'Just what are you?' he inquired.

'I wish I knew myself,' she replied.

So, the Jaguar and his friend - he had no better word for her as she could not even describe herself - started to head toward the outskirts of the city that they were in, the city that had been known as Harlindon in the past. They were headed to New Riai - if New Riai still existed.

In the shadows, watching them, was a being. It looked like a statue, perched on top of a dilapidated house. Except its eyes were glowing......

by **Vilita** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:42 am

Reality Check : Where to go from here?

Life was good following World Cup 62. In fact, I was on top of the world. Literally... Kind of. Having been named the starting goalkeeper for the World XI challenge during World Cup 62, then helping to lead the team to the World Cup Semi-Finals, how could life have been any better?

Of course, it couldn't have. Well, I guess it could have. We could have won the World Cup: We didn't. We were the only ones to keep The Holy Empire from winning in Normal Time, mind you - but eventually we lost. No World Cup for us.

We could have won the Vilitan Stellar Division in Arcticala. We did not. We still finished in the UICA places though - got back into the Champions Cup and life was good. A strong World Cup 63 Qualifying campaign - life was good.

Then the... well the stuff hit the fan.

We sucked during World Cup 63. Really. We lost to Yesopalitha. We lost to Farfadillis. Good grief, Who would have thought our entire World Cup would be undone by a pair of defeats to Farfadillis? It was. We had a bit of a shooting practice with Wight on the final matchday but with the other results the way they were, that match was always going to be just-for-fun.

I guess I took it a bit worse than anyone else.

We were pathetic in the Stellar Division during Season 36. I have to take the blame. Relegation. How embarrassing.

A couple of teams inquired about my services, but I let the guys know - I had no intention of leaving. The Declasse was a humbling experience. Even more so in that we didn't win the title. Not that we were ever at risk of not promoting back to the Stellar Division, but we lost concentration from time to time, let a few points slip and thats all it took.

I'm not surprised to be out of the squad for the World Cup. Yet another humbling experience. Watching the Jungle Cats compete... from home. Not even on the bench or in the squad area.

Next season will be different, however. I'm going to prove that I've still got it. Going to prove that the Electricians still have it. I'm going to win my place back for World Cup 65. What to do until then? Practice... Practice... Practice...

Though, Its been a while since I talked to that Kaisa 'chic - maybe I should give her a call... she's probably forgotten about me, anyway...

by **The Archregimancy** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:02 pm

A STATEMENT FROM THE MONASTIC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

We have read with interest recent comments in the Jeru FC media - particularly those emanating from two interchangeable women called 'Melody' whom we are otherwise unable to distinguish - about whether the current Archregimancy squad is "trying" or not.

We would like to note that the squad are indeed "trying". If nothing else, we hope that the squad's efforts stand as a beacon for the Dagan male equality movement during what is proving to be a difficult time for men's rights in that country. Does it not say in Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians that "The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor"; if we did not try, we would not deserve to win.

Nonetheless, upsets happen.

We are reminded of 1 Samuel 4:2, where "the Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines". If this can happen to God's chosen people, then surely it can happen to the representatives of the One True Church, particularly when facing forces of immorality and sin more fearsome than any Philistine.

We say but this to the Babylonian Princesses of Jeru FC:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN!

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
Peres: Your footballing kingdom is divided and given to Wight and Akbarabad!

Yours in Christ,

The Monastic Football Association +

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:24 pm

"This was hidden in the desk drawer. It must have been important, and even now it looks like I bought it new just yesterday. Something is definitely up with this. Have any of you had any luck with the other books?"

Five archeologists are in their tent near the excavation site. They called some of their colleagues from the faculty via videoconference, and they explained their situation. They had found a tower, already jokingly called a wizard's tower because it was full of books written in an alphabet they had never seen before, and full of little machines and trinkets they did not understand. They have been explaining their findings for a few hours now, separating the almost completely destroyed books from all that they could show to the colleagues. The past hours were just five men holding hundreds of books in front of camera, answering questions about the age, weight, size, contents etcetera. None of them could say anything constructive about any of the findings, until this one.

"No, we haven't. We have been trying to allocate sounds to the different letters from that alphabet to find something that remotely sounds like Ko-oran, but nothing so far. But what were you saying about that book you have there? Probably it's nothing, there's absolutely nothing so far. How much have you got left? This is getting tedious."

"We have piles and piles left. But I really think this book is different... Still the same illegible script, but this has something that looks like an index instead of just meaningless letters from beginning to end. And it has pictures, too."

"And that's it?"

"Yeah, it's not as heavy as the rest. Only has a few dozen pages. Wait... here's just one picture with one letter from the weird alphabet. Do you think this is the key to understand this alphabet? I mean, if he used Ko-oran words to illustrate all of these letters, then we should find that he uses every sound once. Here, this is a picture of a mountain with a letter that looks like Greek 'mu'. Mountain is 'per'... And here is sand, which is 'ta' with the symbol that looks like an l with a dash through it. And I expect a word starting with 'k' now, as in the Ko-oran alphabet. What is this? A comet, I guess... Called 'komta', of course. It has a symbol like the Greek 'mu' of just now, but backwards. Could this be 'k'? Flipping through a few pages... Here's the backwards 'mu' again! As the last letter of a word that is a compass pointing to a rising sun. East? 'Rok'? Great! That ends in 'k'! I think we can read these now, if it is Ko-oran at least, we should be done with just 25-30 of these symbols!"

"Fantastic! Send us a few copies of those pages, stat!"

"Sure! And what is this on the last page... It's colorful. It's the first page in full color that is in his entire library!"

"Could you show us?"

"Sure, here it i-"

"Lugakhrin!! LUGAKHRIN!"

by **New Montreal States** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:46 pm

The Paladin Dome is an inelegant and noisy link to World Cup history. It is an absurdly old structure dating from World Cup 24, built atop the remains of two now-underground predecessors torched in quick succession during World Cups 11 and 14, all perched on top of a mountain imported from Audioslavia. And unlike most venerable old buildings, it was built with union labor and in accordance with modern municipal building codes. Over time, restaurants, bars and hotels began springing up on the mountainside around the Dome, and it has made a very graceful maturation from being the riot-happy pirate harbor of a national team on the outside of AO's golden age looking in (and occasionally making rude faces) to being another checkbox on the AO Football Sightseer's Tour.

If only the football had been nearly as interesting. The Paladins went the entire first half of World Cup 10 without a single point. After firing all their players and instead trotting out a continual rotation of high school varsity sides, the Paladins used a shocking 1-0 road upset of Bedistan to propel themselves to the heights of international football, making it as far as the semifinals of World Cup 11. Since then, however, NMS football has been 57 flavors and 50 shades of "meh," with outcomes usually ranging from third-place finishes in qualification to being a round of 16 speed bump for the big boys. World Cup 28, also co-hosted by the NMS, had been no exception. Add on a devastating 6-1 loss to Boring Paradise on the final day of qualification during WC63 and a shaky-to-horrendous showing at AOCAF, and most of the 80,556 Paladins fans walking through the gates had a certain amount of unease mingled with their enthusiasm.

None of this unease was on display during the introductions and the opening ceremonies, where the cheers were loud and long, peaking when former striker Hugo Leclercq, forced into an early medical retirement after being medvac'd off the pitch during a club match in Sherbrooke, jogged out onto the pitch alongside his replacement, John Randle-Cunningham. The opening tap-off was a complete sensory overload, as the crowd noise was paired with several thousand flashbulbs from the stands superimposed over a moving mass of Paladins fans. Adding to the visual effect was the fact that Svengarda's colors are silver and a slightly darker shade of blue, which gave a fairly uniform color to the stands; the most noticeable difference between the two blocks of supporters were the times where one side stood and cheered while the other sat on their hands.

The Svenga were immediately put on the back foot by the son et lumière, and the Paladins were able to aggressively push forward into the Svenga third. Eliseo Crusellas's influence on the side was evident, as the NMS midfield poured forward using tactics more or less stolen from the playbook Aguazul used to win three consecutive World Cups. Randle-Cunningham made a quick impression, showing more speed than Kappo Strostrand could match and springing clear in the box to collect a pass from Fred Nguyen to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead in the second minute of play. A great deal of the uncertainty dissipated, and the Paladins fans blew past the opening-kick decibel level as abruptly as Randle-Cunningham had gone past the Svenga captain.

Six minutes later, Strostrand, showing a bit more respect for Randle-Cunningham's speed, forced the striker to attempt a backward pass that was easy fodder for Luka Jarvinen. Jarvinen promptly ran past an overcommitted Nguyen, feigned right to keep Roger Baxter isolated on his side of the midfield, then found Svein Danielsen for a breakaway equalizer than took the wind out of the sails of both the Paladins and their fans. The Svenga quickly pressed their advantage, as the Paladins back three struggled to keep pace. Henri-Réné Lavaillère, in particular, was having problems playing as a lone center-back after becoming accustomed to a more defensive look at Strike FC. A miscommunication between Strostrand and Alain Hale, who was playing his first international match as starting DMF, allowed Nguyen's old World XI teammate Rihards Ruotsalainen to come free in the box to give the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 20th minute. In the 43rd minute, Laurent Ledoux stayed too far back on an offsides trap, allowing Truls Waaserson a one-on-one opportunity against keeper Bill Watterson. Waaserson converted it easily, and the Svenga headed to their locker rooms past a quieted Paladins crowd, thinking that perhaps high-level international football wasn't nearly as impossible as everyone had been telling them it would be.

NMS manager André Vaillancourt-Bosquet wouldn't reveal any specifics of what he said in his clubhouse at the half - only telling the press that "if you waste enough opportunities in the World Cup, you'll eventually run out of them, and I damn well ought to know this." Whatever he said certainly lit a fire under his side, as Fred Nguyen and Amelio Quagliata Jr. spearheaded a revival in the Paladins' fortunes. Quagliata pulled the Paladins, and the home crowd, back into the match with a 52nd-minute screamer into the top-left corner of the net. Nguyen followed up with an equalizer four minutes later, and a stunned Svenga side pulled in its horns a bit, hoping to salvage a point from what had been a very promising situation not fifteen minutes beforehand.

And when John Randle-Cunningham picked up his second goal of the day in the 70th minute, the Paladins had both the lead and the momentum on their side. The fans had found their spirits again, and were ready to enjoy twenty minutes of smooth sailing on their way to the next match. Ruotsalainen had other plans, however, picking up an equalizer on a free kick after getting shoved by Hale just outside the box.

Everyone in the building suddenly remembered what happened two World Cups ago in Astograth, when a lightly regarded Paladins side that was 4th-best in Group E ruined the hosts' big party with a 2-2 draw. That draw would in turn propel the Paladins into the Round of 16 for the first time in almost two centuries, and send the Olibondeka home early. Closing his eyes for a second on the sidelines, Crusellas had a vision of Astograthi supporters building a huge olive-green megaphone, aiming it towards AO, and taking it in turns to yell "ain't karma a bitch!"

He was spared such thoughts, however, when Nguyen matched his fellow all-Star's scoring tally with an 87th-minute finisher off of a John Powell-Holmes corner kick. Six minutes of parking the bus later, the Paladins had come away with a win that had been harder fought than anyone expected.

As the fans milled about on their way out of the Paladin Dome and back to the subway station or parking lot, very few of them expressed any optimism about their defenses' changes against the Purple Knights.

From the front page of the New Montreal Presse-Journal Devoir

MINISTRY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO STICK TO FOOTBALL DURING WORLD CUP

Paladins prepare to face highly confident Purple Knights after Milchama-Taeshan match turns into a surprise baseball match

NEW MONTREAL - After Milchama and Taeshan shocked the world by playing a baseball game in to decide the winner of their first group-stage match at Heart of the City in New Montreal, the Ministry of Morale was quick to announce that the Paladins would be playing baseball, not football, during their upcoming matches with both sides. "We fully intend to have our team compete at what they're good at," said Ministry spokesperson Yvette Langlier in an emergency press conference called outside Ministry headquarters two hours after the Warriors and Purple Knights had shocked and confused the world.

"There's nothing in the rulebook that explicitly states that World Cup group stage matches have to be football matches," said referee-turned-home-plate-umpire Ludo Hotten, of Wight. "I think it's one of those 'unwritten customs' I keep hearing about. Well, I don't think much of the 'unwritten custom' that referees shouldn't drink during lunch, and the Warriors and Purple Knights made a very convincing case that playing nothing but football during a World Cup is as ridiculous as my not be supposed to enjoy a few pints with my ham sandwich and apple."

Hotten was clearly reluctant to order the stadium temporarily cleared and converted over to baseball, but he quickly developed a taste for yelling "STEEEEEE-RIKE!" at the top of his lungs and making dramatic punch-outs after third strikes. 21 struck-out Milchamans and 19 Taeshanis cheerfully attested to this after the match, although unfortunately none of their quotes are fit to print.

Groundskeepers and security personnel, who were alternately responsible for abruptly converting the Heart of the City pitch from football to baseball dimensions and evicting the 13,499 spectators whose seats were removed from the field to make room for the baseball field, likewise did not have any printable comments.

On the football side of matters, Paladins fans were taken aback by former Taeshan internation A.F. Falcon's prediction that the Taeshanis would romp through Group A. His declaration that the group draw meant "easy play into the second round for the Knights, and i don't mean to toot our own horn, but toot," handed the 'States and their supporters some primo, grade-A locker room bulletin board material.

The Ministry of Morale was as quick as ever to take the bait. Later on during her press conference, Yvette Langlier, spokesperson for the Ministry of Morale, announced that the Ministry of Morale would be distributing one commemorative bicycle horn per ticketbearer at the gates before the Taeshan-NMS matchup. Langlier did not pull her punches: "The Taeshanis can toot their own horns. 100,556 Paladins fans will be tooting theirs."

"Nobody," she emphasized, "will be tooting their own horns louder than us."

Nobody associated with the Paladins was willing to dignify any of this with a response. As for whether the Paladins will be able to score a resounding triumph over Taeshan, or whether the Purple Knights will leave Paladins fans trying to teach themselves "Taps" on their bike horns, eh bien, toot le monde y attend.

by **Equestrian States** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:03 pm

ESPN: Equestrian Sports Programming Network
Rough Road Ahead for Ponies
by Steve McNotapony

Polar Islandstates 2-0 Equestrian States
at The Canvasdome in Icke, Wight
Attendance: 26,414
Scoring:

Diedrich Kvitchenko '29 (van Sorensen)

Soren Rovanpera '74 (van Sorensen)

ICKE, WIGHT - It wasn't the way that the Ponies wanted to start their World Cup finals history, but nopony can say it was unexpected.

The result of the Polar Islandstates-Equestrian States match was one that was widely predicted by most expert analysts, with the fifth-ranked Terns handing the Ponies a solid 2-0 defeat as a “welcoming gift” to the World Cup’s real group stage. In the Equestrians’ most recent qualifying attempts, the Ponies have performed admirably against higher-ranked opponents, rarely getting blown out as is often predicted by the foreign media. However, it would be inaccurate to say that the Equestrian States didn’t try to pull an upset over their heavily-favored opponents; they simply were outplayed by an overall stronger team.

Prior to the start of the match there were the usual ceremonies, with the national anthems of the two nations being played and the supporters of both sides belting them out as loudly as possible in an attempt to outdo the other. As the final minutes before the kickoff ticked slowly away the Equestrian squad looked anxious, true realization of the significance of the match finally seeming to dawn on them. When the referee blew his whistle to start the match, the noise emanating from the fans was ear-shattering, and it would only grow louder.

However, it quickly became obvious that the Ponies were far outclassed by their opponent, struggling to advance the ball beyond midfield when they had possession, which wasn’t often in the first half. The Polarians seized upon their dominance, controlling the ball and the tempo of the first half, keeping the Equestrians on the defensive.

In the 29th minute, Diedrich Kvitchenko became the first to score against the Equestrian States in the World Cup finals, receiving an excellently executed pass from Polarian superstar Alexsandr van Sorensen before burying the ball beyond the reach of High Soarin’. As the first half came to a close the match was looking less and less competitive, with the Terns holding steady on the offense and defense. The Ponies looked every bit like the low-ranked underdogs they were expected to be.

During the break, Head Coach Twilight Striker must have said something to her team, as the Ponies stormed out of the gate to start the second half. But the rally was short-lived, as the stronger Terns clamped down on the Equestrians’ offense, halting some of the better attempts that the Ponies would string together. Forced back onto the defensive, the Equestrians proved themselves stronger than most expected them to be in the back. Whether it was skill or pure desperation, the Ponies held back an avalanche of Polarian attacks for the first twenty minutes or so of the second half.

Alas, the defense could not hold out forever under the crushing shots unleashed by the Terns’ stars. It was a peculiar role-reversal for the Ponies, normally able to out-endure their opponents until they were in the prime position to strike at their prey. However, the Polarians kept pace with the Equestrians for the most part, and although the Terns began to show signs of tiring, so did the Ponies. And so it was that High Soarin’, exhausted from blocking a torrent of Polarian shots, was unable to prevent Soren Rovanpera from slipping his own shot into the net to put Polar Islandstates up by two goals with just over fifteen minutes left to go.

Realizing the deadly situation her team was in, Head Coach Twilight Striker called in the young forward, Sonar, from the Equestrian bench. The grey-coated bat pony trotted onto the field to replace a tired-looking Thunderlane in front. With the infusion of a fresh young player in front, the Ponies started to finally outpace their competition. In the final fifteen minutes of the match, the Equestrian States looked more like the team that had twice drawn against the odds in fierce battles with the Corsairs of Sargossa, as opposed to the squad that had been thoroughly dominated by the Terns in the first 75 minutes of play.

The Ponies charged head-first into the fearsome Polarian defense that had thwarted them all night long. Determined to fight to the end, the Equestrians refused to let themselves be sent home quietly. Maybe an upset was out of the question, maybe even a draw as well, but surely a lone goal was still a reasonable possibility. With the last few minutes ticking away, the Ponies put together a fine performance for their loyal fans. In the end, it was a relatively well-rested Artemiusz Korzhanenko who would hold the line in the face of the Equestrians’ determined attackers.

Although the final whistle blew with Polar Islandstates still leading 2-0, the Equestrian States could leave the pitch with their heads held high. It’s never easy to face one of the world’s best teams, but the Ponies could proudly say that (despite their earlier weakness) they ended the match the way they wanted to.

Twilight Striker would later downplay the value of the late, goalless attacks, but acknowledged that it was good that the team got its nervousness out of the way in their first match as opposed to holding onto it heading into what will surely be a do-or-die match for the Equestrians against Saugeais.

Ponies Face Saugeais Needing an Upset to Stay Alive
by Steve McNotapony

Saugeais vs. Equestrian States
at Thin Air Stadium in Pompeii, Wight
Capacity: 33,856

Match Day 1 Results:

Polar Islandstates 2,

Equestrian States 0

Saugeais 2,

Yesopalitha 1

POMPEII, WIGHT - Tonight. It must happen tonight.

By “it”, I am of course referring to the Equestrian States’ first win in the World Cup finals. The Ponies currently trail the Terns of Polar Islandstates and the Knights of Saugeais by three points, the latter due to that team’s upset over eleventh-ranked Yesopalitha. With the Equestrians’ match against Saugeais, a loss would surely doom the Ponies to a long flight home after their third day match against the Flames. A draw would keep the Equestrian States in contention, but would leave them in the difficult position of needing a win over Yesopalitha to have a shot at advancing.

Yes, despite the team’s opening loss to the much-favored Terns, the Equestrian States still looks to do the seemingly impossible and advance out of Group H into the second round. Without a win or draw, the Equestrians will have no chance of making it to that point. But do the Ponies really stand a chance against the squad that stunned the Yesopalithans in their first match?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes. If the Equestrian States can get in front early the team’s traditional strength in the second half’s distance race could carry the Ponies to a much-needed three points. However, the Equestrians will need to avoid a repeat of their shortcomings against Polar Islandstates that cost the team dearly.

Regardless of the outcome of the Saugeais-Equestrian States match, it has been a World Cup to remember for the Equestrians, and you can be certain that Twilight Striker will be looking to lead her team back to the World Cup next year, wherever it may be held.

by **Wight** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:13 pm

THE GOATS WHO STARED AT MEN
Prologue: What Has Gone Before

Scholars of the Broken Islands of Wight who are considering a visit to our suicide grey islands, wreathed in a tactile but unfriendly damp mist and full of tactile and all too overfriendly Wightlingfolk (hold on tight to the wallet in your pocket and the watch upon your wrist), will no doubt be wondering about the Goat Situation. Allow me, Empy Summons, Hackneyman and Champion Liar, to guide you through the story of the exploding goats. But first, an introduction. The Goat Situation came about during the night of All Member’s Eve, the last night of the year 413 by the Wightling Calendar. That was during the last World Cup cycle, you will recall, about two years ago. Allow me to apprise you of those momentous days, with this summary from three chapters written at the time. In my next despatch, I will elaborate on The Situation, as it is today.

i. Curried Theory & A Kid For Every Household

Some called them the Thousand Young of Shub-Niggurath, although this was hotly disputed by practical men like Odie Shilling, loafing husband to the landlady of the Eel & Crow, who made a dismissive noise by pouting and vibrating his lips very quickly, and called them goats. What’s more, maintained Odie, there were more than a thousand of them. A million, more like. But there was enough in the rumours to attract the agents of the SBIS from The Holy Empire, who were wandering around Spit ‘in cognito’ – although any Wightlingfellow worth his or her salt could spot an agent of the empire as easily as The Basileus himself would know an interloper in Alasdairopolis. Some even knew their names – it was the champion footballers John Lascaro and Demetrius Comneno-Ducaso, though they would deny it unconvincingly at every turn. They were come on account of rumours that some Tzimisces Cultists had interfered with a Great Old One of the depths, the Black Ram of The Forest, Shub-Niggurath.

Some though it all tosh and speculated it was an illegal shipment of goats got free from a container on the docks. Some said they were summoned from The Beast – hence agents of The Holy Empire. Some said they had gone feral from the refugee camp of Little Leorudo, where 2,000 Leorudan exiles were living in a tent city. Some said a secret Starblaydi curry processing plant in the mountains – probably up in the town of Campus – had been damaged in one of the frequent mountain quakes of the Wight Peaks, prompting a mass escape. A few speculated the goats had even been assisted by the Indegenes, who held goats in high regard, and named the exodus a freedom train, the Underground Goatway. What nobody was in any doubt over, was the fact that there were far too many goats on the loose in Spit. Whatever the cause, at every turn there were little black billy goats. Staring.

Many people were reconciled with the goats and had adopted one or two. After all, once you got past the unnaturally angular pupils, they were really quite sweet, inquisitive, and highly intelligent. Many Wightlingfolk were delighted with their new friends, and very quickly they were seen as lucky goats, and indispensible pets. There was a wisdom in their look, said the adoptees. They somehow implanted knowledge, said others, so that if you went to bed puzzled about some minor thing, you woke up with the solution. Starblaydi takeaways took a dive in business despite a publicity campaign reassuring their public that they used only the best horse- and hare-meat, so much did the public feel for these goats.

ii. Almost-a-Billy Obadiah

On All Member’s Eve, as is the tradition, the Almost Club holds it’s annual ball, Corduroy Night. This last All Member’s Eve, the 31st of Snowmarch, Almost Fabrice Muamba was guest of honour at the club, where, in a fabulous three-piece copper-coloured cord suit with wildly flared trous, and a complementary pinkish-green rose for his button-hole, the veteran World Cup delivered a beautifully timed and hilarious after-dinner speech about his life in the peculiar hotel. After his excellent and erudite presentation, Almost Fabrice got quite drunk, smoked copiously with several Almost Fidels, and on his rambling way home in the early hours of the morning, came across an engaging little black goat who followed him home and adopted Almost Fabrice as his owner. It was the spawn of Shub-Niggurath, and should have it’s throat opened from ear to ear, said the men from The Holy Empire, in order to save the world. To Almost Fabrice, it wasn’t the spawn of the Old Ones, it was just a very engaging and cute little hairball that he called Obadiah.

The threats to the goat’s life from the Holy Empire, and Almost Fabrice’s quiet and perhaps lonely life as a sporting batchelor in the Paradise Hotel, lead to the formation of a strong bond between Almost man and goat. He took the little fellow everywhere. Almost Fabrice roomed with Cleve Scrivenor, and they were good friends, which was lucky, because now Cleve roomed with Almost Fabrice and with Obadiah. He was on the side of the many people in Wight who had an inherent and inexplicable distrust of the little hircine interlopers. For his part, Almost Fabrice thought Obadiah made him a better footballer.

One night after a drunken night in the Eel & Crow in Spit a laddish joke involving Almost Fabrice, Obadiah, and several of the lads of the Sondry Folk team celebrating a World Cup qualifying turned rather sour and had a profound effect on Almost Fabrice’s room-mate. Almost, Cleve, Mardellion Hummingbird and a couple of the younger squad members found themselves ordering the set meal for eight from a very popular Starblaydi take-away, the Capassodistra. The squad joker, young Climo Coss, decided it would be an hilarious lark to play a little joke on Almost Fabrice, who was very drunk indeed. Through gentle manipulation, the team managed to convince Almost that the goat was in the curry, and extension of a general urban myth in Spit about Starblaydi takeaways and local fauna like cats, dogs, foxes, Wight Liar conies and buzzards. The poor Almost man was beside himself. He announced he was going to burn down the Capassodistra and killing all the staff. He produced a gun, unexpectedly. The joke had gone too far. Climo Coss had no choice but to admit his cruel deed and return Obadiah to his rightful owner. It was unimaginably awkward.

iii. Goatman Ches & The Exploding Kid

It was said of Goatman Ches the Goat Whisperer that to meet him upon the road was a blessing, and to harm him would bring terrible bad luck. It was rumoured also, as in his life among the living, that he was fabulously wealthy and extraordinarily eccentric. The difference being that in his blissful afterlife in Wight, nobody mugged him to see if the former was true. No wonder then, with his gift, the ancient man of goats was requested in Spit to investigate the sudden and inexplicable infestation of the little black things that some thought of as adorable pets, and others as the Thousand Young of Shub-Niggurath. One day he arrived at the gateway to the Back Road to Old Wight, with his ramshackle wagon and a small herd of his own train, and when rumour spread to Spit that Goatman Ches was on the way, there was a great deal of excitement and curiosity. What would he make of the Spit goats?

He was the bearer of bad tidings. At Speaker’s Corner, on Shanklin Circus, he sombrely called together a crowd to deliver his pronouncement. He dramatically announced to the crowd, who were hanging on his every word, that he had conducted a set of experiments on the creatures that determined, assuredly, that whatever the interlopers were, they were not goats. There was shock and outrage amongst the crowd. Asked to prove it, Ches produced a small kid from his pocket. It was unmistakably one of the Spit goats – you could tell be the way it held the crowd in it’s peculiar gaze. Ches held the small thing under it’s belly with one hand, at arms length, and turned it to face him. They locked in a staring contest. And then, suddenly, a loud pop, as of a balloon bursting. The goat exploded in Ches’ hand, showering the goatman and the front rows of his audience in hot blood and entrails. The crowd gasped. All that was left in Ches’ hand was a small dark mass. Ches rolled it thoughtfully between his thumb and forefinger, before holding it up for all to see – a stone, purple-black, perfectly smooth, the size of a pigeon egg.

“That,” said Ches, dripping blood and wiping a gobbet of brain from his eyebrow, “is not a goat.”

Wight 3-2 Akbarabad
Cotterill 9’, 42’ Hummingbird 87’ / Karim 23’ Z. Hassan 90+4’

Tommy Woodroffe the drunken sports anchor at the Wightling World Service summarised the action at South Lawn, Spit thus:

A nervous start to the opening game of the World Cup Finals in Wight for the Sondry Folk, but a feast of football for the neutral – even though our friends and colleagues the New Montrealais upstaged us with their remarkable 5-4 opener against Svengarda. For manager Masvidal, he will no doubt be pleased to get the first three points on the board - lets not forget it’s been two whole years since a senior game of football for the Wightlings and they did look a little rusty out there. The Tiger Eaters narrow formation proved their downfall with Mardellion Hummingbird and Zacgary Fosse-Gordon allowed the space to roam on the flanks, and they caused trouble all afternoon for the Akbarabadi defence. Cotterill once again looks the player former national striker Cleve Scrivenor never was: that is to say, consistent. He opened his World Cuo account with two well taken goals either side of a Rezaul Karim equaliser to give the Sondry Folk a 2-1 half-time lead and probably just deserved. But Wight do look a little weak at the back, Atta Myrme in particular, the ant colony, looking a little past it’s best. Manaccas Kent, a fine servant in suicide grey these past few years, is also beginning to look a bit slow although the young centre-backs are once again in commanding mood. Mardellion got a late third after a rather dull second half in which neither side pressed with much intent, and Zahid Hassan stepped up with an injury time consolation to remind Wight that they’ll need to keep their eye on the ball for every minute of game time if they are to proceed beyond the group stage for a first time.

Next up are one of our growing rivalries, though of course they will not see it that way with such an extended history of competition, but in four of our last seven cycles we’ve met one or other of the two Orthodoxicals in one or other of the two competitions, with mixed results. Still, Con, I can’t quite believe we even let them in the country at all, what with all that business with the goats, and the ravenous bugblatter beasts, and the sack of ash, and the Oneiromancer, and them having a shrunken head of John the Baptist, our glorious President.

To which the dead Irish commentator and Wightling expert analyst Con Houlihan replied:

“In a word, Tommy?”

But the word never quite came. Con was stuttering again.

Line-up vs. The Archregimancy: Quentine / Boyle, Cabel, Friend-Forsaken, Kent / Hummingbird (C), Corfe-Sheviock, MacKenzie, Fosse-Gordon / Pseudomyrmex, Cotterill

THE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR STEPS
Mother of A Thousand Dead

Few come into Wight via the One Hundred Forty-Four Steps, save those who know how lucky they are, for they have touched the void, and taken half a step into Oblivion, and found a way back by the desire of Búa alone to make a story of them. In all the sagas of Wight that are presently discovered and translated, and in all the pages of the Encyclopaedia Wightlinga, one alone is recorded as having stepped back from the brink at the bidding of the Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada, and had his soul examined by the long hard stare of Righteous Tomás on the Hundred Forty-Third Step, and found a redemption of sorts: The Thousand Year Penance of Doctor Josef Mengele, who was picked as the physio for the Sondry Folk under the guidance and supervision of Florence Nightingale. He has 988 years remaining on his contract, and if his record is unblemished, perhaps his Penance will be accepted, and he will not finally be driven off the Last Step into the Oblivion of The Truly Forgotten.

The Crone marched angrily down the Steps, one hand on her nose to blot out the stench of urine she imagined she could smell, the other grasping firmly her handbag, which, filled with a solid gold brick, was a handy weapon of defence against the grasping poor, whom she knew to favour dark dirty stairwells of brutal concrete as a way of hiding from the prospect of a good day’s work at below minimum wage. “Minimum wage!” she exclaimed to herself, tutting cynically, “Whatever is the world coming to?” But there was no-one on the stair.

At the twenty-third step, a shabby door creaked open, and a massive bearded head poked through to see who was coming down the Steps. It was Brian Blessed Cloned, the Summoner of the Court at Wight Spit, an inveterate loudmouth. He could hardly speak without shouting. “Name?” he shouted, his giant form emerging through the door with a clipboard and pen in hands. The Crone fixed him a desultory stare. Though he is not a man easily cowed – he has, after all, attended the bed-chamber of The Mitrin Vega, to summons her to a Tea Party At The End Of The World, and even shouted at the Oneiromancer, the one who actually brought the End Of The World to The Tea Party. Nevertheless, her withering stare caught him off-guard, since most who descend the Hundred Forty-Four Steps do so a-weeping and a-wailing at the misfortune soon to be visited upon them. But not she, The Crone, who one might think could even turn Oblivion into a kind of hell. Brian Blessed Cloned did not need identification from this one: all who crossed her knew her name, and it was ugly. “Now then,” said Brian Blessed Cloned, trying to look pre-occupied, “I’m sure I have a message for you, Baroness, let me see…” and he tapped the pen to his chin while he looked blankly into space, in the approximate direction of Up, and tried to uncover the detail of some long-forgotten memo. It would not come. By the time he had shaken out of his reverie to admit he had forgotten, The Crone was down onto the Twenty-Fourth Step, at another door, marked ‘MINT’.

Here was the place where Wight made it’s Blood Shillings: and every banker who came down the Hundred Forty-Four Steps would tarry at the mint (by every banker, I really mean every banker, since the sin of usury carries the penalty of a short walk down the long step). Most would go in, of course, being bankers unable to resist the call of the coin. And therein they would be flayed to make bank notes for Wight, and their bones sliced to make the coin of the realm. Búa considers it a beautiful irony.

The Crone however, her large handbag filled with a solid gold brick for fending off the poor and needy, had no need of coin nor space to carry any. She had no use of the mint, and proceeded downward, toward the manifest destiny of all such Crones and Harpies. Though she did not yet know it, there are no more doors on the Hundred Forty Four Steps until the Hundred Forty-Third, and Righteous Tomás, the Grand Inquisitor, bars that way.

About Me · by **Osarius** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:28 pm

Excerpt from the notes of Jorge Valdez State ID AR103721, K.I.L.L. Reaper Division

ARTHEIM, KRYOSIS :: 3 days before the event

The plan is set. The techronophage is ready for deployment, and Special Agent Granath Three is in place. It should render the southies in a state of crisis, allowing us to commence Operation Annihilus. I still reserve some concerns over the suitability of Special Agent Granath Three for this task, and would like to take this final opportunity to stress my belief that a member of the Reaper Division should be directly involved in the dissemination of the techronophage.

If it is the Emperor's will, I dare not question it, of course. I merely offer humble counsel.

Excerpts from the final report of Special Agent Leroy Granath III, K.I.L.L.

SHANAK, OSARIUS :: 2 days before the event

I have received the package from the R.D. and I am currently preparing to travel to Western Ikuturso to begin the release. The prototype techronophage has fixed my appearance at that of a nineteen year old, making much of my work easier. It is not clear whether my ability to remain undetected is because
of a lack of resemblance to the Leroy Granath One familiar to southies, or some other reason. It does not matter too much, though in order to carry out the mission, I will need to venture deeper into enemy territory than before. Many of Leroy Granath One's connections will be present in the hot zone.

TURIC, OSARIUS :: 37 hours before the event

I suspect I may have been compromised. I am currently making my way to one of the outlying islands. The southies won't look for me there, and I have access to memories of safe houses

Excerpts from news reports within Osarius the day after the event

"...widespread panic after an odd phenomenon appears to have rendered an approximated 97% of the population unconscious yesterday. The causes of the mass unconsciousness are unclear, and there appear to be no lasting ill-effects, but the government are urging the populace to exercise caution."

"...some scholars have suggested the event may be connected to the heavy storms that struck the entire nation around midday yesterday. Meteorological offices in various locations across Osarius reported strange readings within minutes of each other, according to MetCentral, in Hearthlands. While MetCentral's top minds are not committing to any hypothesis supporting this connection, the unofficial stance appears to be that these storms may not have been natural, and could well be some part of the reason behind the event."

by **Socialist States Owen** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:29 pm

Frustration for Sporadic's side as Queendom survive onslaught
High scoring Eura draw rare blank
Clint Covey reports from Despite, Wight

EURA - 0

SYLVANAES QUEENDOM - 0
Sabre miss pen 58

Sometimes in football, luck has to be on your side rather than just the balance of play. Eura learned this the hard way this evening as they peppered the Sylvanaes Queendom goal with shots, but failed to score in a goalless draw.

It was a damp evening in Despite at the simplistic temporary Multitudinous Arena. The pitch was slippery and the stadium felt crowded; despite being quite small it had room for 34,095 spectators, and there was little gap between the sidelines and fans. While both sides had brought a lot of fans it was the Euran contingent that really stood out. With a slight majority of seats they looked like a sea of red, a loud one at that, and consequently hundreds of stewards and police were on hand. Lee Sharp almost gave Eura a dream start to its 4th World Cup group stage as he let loose with a wild volley in the 3rd minute, but player of the match Queendom goalkeeper Jania Lassvanil was equal to it with an acrobatic save. Lassvanil had to be on hand again to stop Chad Parsons opening the scoring, toe poking his low shot past the post several minutes later. The first half for the most part was quite dull - despite fielding three forwards the Queendom rarely ventured forward and their only real chance came from a 25 yard shot by Alura Sabre, which Daniel Belgrave tipped over the bar. The only other major chance of the half came right before half time when Julesk Paranaya headed wide from a corner.

After half time the Euran's came out fighting and looking to put the frustration of the first 45 minutes behind them. They started well as once again Sharp threatened, curling the ball against the post from 30 yards in a moment of brilliance that should have broken the deadlock. However the Queendom were suddenly handed the best goalscoring opportunity of the game by a moment of defensive error. Paranaya, who should have scored with that corner opportunity in the first half, performed a clumsy 58th minute challenge on Jacina Elminster from a non threatening position to concede a penalty. Sabre put the ball on the spot and had a go, but for this one time in the game luck was on Eura's side as Belgrave dived to the right to make a good save against an admittedly weak penalty. After this Eura surged forward looking for a winner, and before long Sam Needle and Tom Riley had forced Lassvanil into two more good saves. Lassvanil then had to punch the ball clear from a swerving Thompson free kick in the 75th minute, only for it to fall straight to Kieran Kane - but even though he had an open goal, he was still 25 yards out and his shot struck the post.

With not long to go Eura threw on some substitutes and at one stage had four forwards on the pitch, but they couldn't catch a break. Sam Thomas had a good header on goal in the 83rd minute, but the ball bounced little on the damp pitch and it was low enough for Lassvanil to flick it off the line with the left boot. Tom Riley then had another opportunity to score but skied the ball over the crossbar from 10 yards after being set up for a volley by Sharp. Only in the dying seconds of the game did Queendom have a really threatening attempt on goal that wasn't from the penalty spot, but Sabre failed to convert a dipping Sison Nyifith free kick from 10 yards, heading straight at Belgrave. It was a frustrating evening for Kelly Sporadic and his men who hoped for a better result, particular as the Holy Empire smashed Ko-oren 5-0 in the other Group G fixture. In the next game their finishing will have to be improved, though the Queendom will likewise be concerned that if it were not for a brilliant goalkeeping display they may have been soundly beaten.

ANALYSIS

Player Ratings

EURA

1. D Belgrave - 8/10
2. N Feeney - 7/10 (Oslograd - 73)
4. J Paranaya - 6/10 YC
5. M Robertson - 7/10
3. M Smith - 6/10 (Thomas - 60)
7. K Kane - 7/10 (McCroft - 80)
6. T Riley - 8/10
8. S Thompson - 7/10
11. C Parsons - 8/10
10. L Sharp - 7/10
9. S Needle - 6/10

Substitutes

13. C Waller
15. L Heath
19. A O'Brien
16. J McCroft - 5/10 YC
18. C Dawson
14. S Oslograd - 6/10
17. S Thomas - 7/10

SYLVANAES QUEENDOM

41. J Lassvanil - 10/10
34. N Calethdren - 8/10
33. D Ielath - 8/10
66. J Elminster - 9/10
21. W Rayghaest - 6/10 (Aldatauré - 69) YC
25. S Nyifith - 7/10
23. L Roloeme - 6/10
1. S Isilidilinmae - 5/10 (Vandel - 45)
11. J Ickaeth - 5/10 (Raidael - 45)
13. A Sabre - 4/10
65. N Amandguord - 6/10

Substitutes

42. S Ayleeth
4. L Vandel - 7/10
35. R Raidael - 8/10
6. M Aldatauré
7. A Aldatauré - 5/10
14. A Weresil
8. M Felésthir

MoM: Jania Lassvanil (Sylvanaes Queendom)
Attendance: 34,012

Possession
EUR - 76 % 24 - SYQ
Shots
EUR - 20 4 - SYQ
On Target
EUR - 8 2 - SYQ
Corners
EUR - 9 2 - SYQ
Pass Completion
EUR - 80 % 47 - SYQ
Fouls
EUR - 5 9 - SYQ

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:43 pm

It was two hours after the first footfall that Lieutenant Papillon received the message from the Red Rooms on the little printer. Sargossans had landed in the west and were advancing through the poorly defended towns like hot knives through butter. With Governor Rekish dead, society was breaking down as the people panicked, and the overall command on the islands had passed by way of emergency measure into the hands of the defence secretary. Somewhat removed from the situation, he was able to view the events on the island with more of the cold analytical skills that had got him the job in the first place. So, unlike Rekish, who had had the citizens' best interests and a fear of conflict at the front of his mind at all times, the defence secretary had no hesitation in using his interim powers to give the orders to fully mobilise the islands' troops, feeble though they were.

In fact, beyond the armed military police, labelled nationwide as the Federal Harbour Guard, the islands carried precious little in the way of armed defences. There was a long held tradition in the main states of the Federation to have harbour lighthouses combined with artillery units that guarded the entrance to the harbours, a practice that dated back to the times that the islands would regularly be at war with each other, with their harbours their most precious resources and in need of permanent defences. The practice never formed in Terra Scotia or Külmsaar however, and so when they formally joined the Federation, only their main ports received the installation of such traditional Valhallan lighthouse artillery units. For Terra Scotia, this meant Islay, Invermuir, and Juura, and for Kulmsaar, just Agheim. Consequently, when the Sargossans landed in the west, far from Agheim in the west, the guns were silent. Even if the port of Stanley had been equipped, the port was taken by land, which is not where a Polarian army that has never felt confident marching in ranks would be most effective. After investigation by the defence secretary, he found woeful levels of battle readiness for a state so hotly contested, instead finding that Rekish had always resisted attempts to drill and go on manoeuvres for fear of upsetting the Sargossan-friendly activists on the island. There was only a small garrison in Agheim even halfway ready when the trouble hit. Now, Külmsaar was paying the price.

Scrambling what armed troops he could, the defence secretary gave the orders to move from the bases in Agheim and try to secure the Natalis Straits. The incident with the Southern Star had given him the confidence to attempt another blockade run in the near future with military reinforcements, particularly with the Sargossan navy more involved with protecting their landfall to the west. They would arrive imminently now that they had a foothold in Stanley, but they would need to be landing in a secure place to have any effect, and that meant relying on the troops from the Agheim garrison winning the race to the Natalis Straits. It would be a race they would look like losing however, facing protests the whole way as Külmsaar/Kűlmsaar clashes between civilians impeded their progress and slowed them to a crawl. At this rate, the meagre offering would arrive at the Straits long after the Sargossans could secure them, allowing them the most tactically important geographical feature and crossing point in the islands. It was essential, absolute crucial to the islands' continuing membership of the Federation, that the Straits be secured. The Sargossans were advancing without facing much armed resistance, the Harbour Guard in the western islands falling back to instead prepare a last stand at the Straits, but it would be a massacre unless something could be done quickly.

And that's where Papillon and his forty-seven men entered the equation.

They had to get the Straits. If the Sargossans secured them, then they were never keep control of the islands. But first of all they had to cross them by the dark of night to avoid the prying eyes of the separatists that would be swarming all over the Natalis bridge. A boat was obtained, and by the light of the moon, the Grenlund Cavalry made their way across into the hills of western Külmsaar. It wasn't hard to locate the trail of jeeps and troops marching towards the town. Papillon was a huntsman, and he could have heard them from twice as far away with a kind wind. They were confident. Stanley would have offered little resistance, the pawn in the game where Agheim was the king. Making Papillon's company the knights.

It was a simple plan. Marshal the police in Natalis to keep things calm for just one night whilst the troops from Agheim raced to the Straits and dug in their artillery positions. This needed to happen before the Sargossan forward operators reached the town, and that required a strike from the Cavalry. Not a major one. A major one wouldn't be needed. In this world of modern warfare, soldiers are no longer trained to recognise the sound of horses arriving quickly over land. The advantage would have been even more pronounced in the main states, where the cavalry riders all rode bears, but here, horses would be most suitable. Which is exactly why the equine specialists of the Grenlund Cavalry were chosen for the job, of course.

With no lights, and no sound of any motors, and a turning circle of nothing at all, Papillon arranged his men silently in the dark as the jeeps approached on the road. They would be coming to a gully soon, and that was where the ambush would be set. Nothing major, you understand, nothing major enough to be counted as an act of war... just something to give the Agheim garrison time.

The infantry narrowed to go through the road between the hillocks of the small gully. The trucks and jeeps slowed to allow them to lead the way. The lights of the headlamps illuminated the trip-tramping feet of the 'peacekeepers', marching their way towards the lights of Natalis on the horizon. Papillon dug his heels into the hind of his horse, and the attack was on.

Swooping down the hillside like ghouls, he was followed by the first wave of his company. With the air rushing past his ears, he felt the light thunder of the hooves on the soft lichen below him. He felt alive. He was leading the Papillon family back into conflict, and it felt goo to do them proud. They approached the convoy, and he drew his lance.

Like a thunderbolt, they slammed into the head of the convoy, sending infantrymen spinning and slamming them to the ground as they careered wildly across the road with their lances before disappearing back up the opposite side of the gully and out of the headlights again. Stunned, the Sargossans panicked, completely caught unaware by the shock attack.

Confusion sewn, Papillon drew his horse around in the darkness at the top of the hillock, his men following in perfect formation, just in time to see the second wave of horses led by his second in command slamming into the convoy from a different direction. Throwing grenades onto the road in front of the infantry, Papillon watched as the explosions sent the bewildered Sargossans reeling, destroying the road surface as they blew up. The third wave of horses then caught the rear of the convoy, immobilising one of the trucks with a well aimed lance into the engine and sending yet more men flying.

Frenzied, the Sargossans began firing their automatic weapons into the darkness, officers frantically giving the orders to aim searchlights into the inky gloom of the Külmsaari countryside. Weapons cracked and fizzed, but the well trained horses didn't flinch, and the fourth wave of twelve horses leapt across the headlights of the leading jeeps and knocked yet more infantry down. That was Papillon's signal, and he lead his company back down the hillock, dodging headlights as he straightened out his lance once more.

SLAM.

That one looked like an officer. One more officer who wouldn't be giving any orders. Papillon wouldn't be losing any sleep over that. Sargossans all around him were barking panicked orders into radios, and that could only mean that the second wave had gone off to wreak havoc elsewhere in the convoy. Just as planned.

The horses were everywhere. Darting here, dashing there. The Sargossans weren't expecting an armed horse cavalry, presuming merely some under-equipped land forces sat between them and domination over the islands. They never reckoned on Papillon and his specialists.

He gave a whistle, and the cavalry darted back over the hills at his command, the Sargossan searchlights picking up their forms like ghosts flashing over the landscape. Papillon's company was the last to follow, knocking yet more infantry over and blowing up another jeep with a well aimed grenade as they ran and leapt fully through the convoy.

They never engaged in full combat with the Sargossans. There were in and out in minutes. But they had done the job. The Sargossans wouldn't be advancing with any speed over that road. Morale was hugely important in military units, and with any luck his attack had just severly dented the Sargossans' swagger. Papillon stayed alert and checked for more orders. They'd sewn the seeds of confusion with their equine maelstrom and bought the Agheim garrison more time to bunk in, but it wouldn't be enough. More attacks would be needed. And soon.

The Grenlund Cavalry regrouped.

Well, we're off and running, and what a fine and perfectly executed victory that was.

It was efficient, it was tough, it was a clean sheet, it was so, so... Rasmussenesque.

This is exactly the kind of performances were were hoping the big man would bring to the Terns, and that's exactly what we got in Icke last night when we saw the Terns tidily handle an Equestrian States team that had it within themselves to cause an upset. For horses, so frequently it is their sheer stamina and speed that wins out matches, so our players have to be praised for keeping up for so long. I suppose we do owe an awful lot of that to our genetic heritage and natural strength, but still, it takes effort to be able to endure that kind of physical gauntlet and our players deserve congratulations - not least an Alexsandr van Sorensen who despite appearing to have only one knee left was able to produce two assists.

Secondly, this isn't just a side that wins on stamina alone, Equestrian States qualified from the group that Sargossa were expected to win, let's not forget (fnar, fnar), so they would have been capable of a win against us.

But no. Morten Rasmussen had his way with the game, and we came away with a great victory and a performance to be quietly proud of.

It was Diedrich Kvitchenko who, as he has done so often before, opened the scoring for the Terns, running onto a fine lofted ball from van Sorensen that split the defence of the opposition and left them completely flat-hooved. Kvitchenko rarely misses from those kind of chances, and so it proved, with a fine crack of a half volley that left High Soarin' with no chance. Alexsandr van Sorensen was producing a scintillating performance, and the Terns were settling into the game. In particular, Lepka and van Sorensen were finding attractive passing combinations to outwit the opposition's midfielders, with Sudesval wilfully providing the muscle when it was needed. High Soarin' was tested several more times by the Terns, producing good saves to deny Kvitchenko, Illich-Svitych and van Sorensen, whilst Lepka was also unlucky to see a long range speculative effort tipped just over.

In the second half, substitutions were required to keep things fresh as the Ponies started to grow in confidence and desire, and Soren Rovanpera was introduced at Urfstadt's expense to keep the energy levels in the defence high. With one over-stretched pass too many, Zacharias Juul was withdrawn as a precaution for Petersen, and just on the stroke of the seventieth minute, Jean-Eric Villeneuve replaced Niko Lepka. None of this stopped the Ponies from growing in confidence however, until the seventy-fourth minute.

Receiving the ball from Sudesval on the right, Dima Petersen found Jean-Eric Villeneuve with a long ball. Bursting forwards from the defensive line to offer an outlet, Soren Rovanpera started running, and just kept on going. Like a great freight train that you can't stop at full speed, the centre back just kept on going much to all of our surprise. He laid it off to Illich-Svitych and got it back, then laid it off to van Sorensen and got it back, and befor eyou knew it he was past the last defender and tipped the ball delicately around the advancing goalkeeper. It was an extraordinary goal for a centre back to score, and having come from FC Axel Heiburg, you have to wonder if Morten Rasmussen's wry smile after the celebrations had died down was indicative of a training session the two had shared whilst with the Argonauts.

In the end, the Terns withstood the late pressure from the opposition, and an opening match clean sheet set the tone nicely for the rest of the multiverse to look at. It might not have been a five-nil that The Holy Empire managed, no, but it was a decent opening statement for Rasmussen's side, and one we should be applauding. Particularly as Saugeais did us a favour by beating Yesopalitha in the other opening match in Group H. The Flames are likely to be wounded beasts when we come across them in our next match, and that backlash should be planned for and managed keenly by Rasmussen and Pekarik. They'll certainly be expecting it. The Flames just doubled their amount of goals conceded however, so maybe we can afford ourselves a little bit of confidence. Don't go mad, though, they're as highly ranked as they are for a reason.

Rasmussen remains unbeaten as Terns manager however, and that should give us something to aim for. Let's keep it going, Terns, and get some momentum going. For, if there's anything at all that we can learn from Soren Rovanpera's unlikely goal, it's that momentum can be enough for even the most unlikely end result. In his case, a goal. In the case of the Terns at large...?

Let's wait and see. We all know what we're aiming for.

Per Tenebras ad Lucem.

Eff out.

xx

by **Svengarda** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:44 pm

What a game.

This is why I wanted to play football.

The atmoshphere at the Paladin Dome was simply incredible. I couldn't hear myself think at kick-off, and the endless chants and passion from the Paladins fans as they scored in the 2nd minute. Mind-blowing.

We left the Paladin Dome slightly stunned by what we had just seen. Partly by the fact that we'd run it so close against the World Cup hosts, but also that we managed to throw away a 3-1 lead. The atmosphere carried on outside the ground and after the match, and there was plenty of life on the streets of New Montreal as we made our way back to the hotel after the game. We hugged our flags and shirts and scarves like they were members of our family, they meant so much to us. My hero, Rihards Ruotsalainen, had scored another blinding free-kick, albeit in vain, but I had been there when the Ice Hawks had scored 4 against former World Champions, at their own stadium.

Some of the older girls left us at the hotel to visit the bars, but we were instructed to retire to our rooms as our flight left at midday. But me and Emma left the main group and snuck down to the 24-hour gym. The pool, empty and unguarded, look appetising to our delirious minds, and I didn't hesistate in shoving Emma, fully clothed in national team attire, into the deep end of the pool. There was a high-pitched scream, followed by jested threats and the pathetic attempt of Emma trying to get to the ladder. I fell to my knees laughing. I wouldn't normally find this staff so funny, but I was filled with new-found belief that I could make that difficult step from club footballer to performing on the world stage. I felt a tug on my arm, and soon I was consumed by the warm blue water. I didn't really mind.

The following morning we packed our bags, and placed the wet clothes from last night in a little plastic bag and had to explain to our coach that Emma slipped into the shower. There were rumours flying about that one of the girls who went to the bars left with a guy and arrived back at her room at 6am, although no-one could confirm it. We had a hasty breakfast, as we wanted to catch the World Cup Review Show on our satellite TV before we left to the airport.

The flight back was, if anything, more atmospheric than the flight out. Everyone was in good spirits as we trundled over the AO continent. It was snowing when we came over Svengarda, so we were delayed for an hour trying to land in the thick blizzard. We had been excused from coaching for a few days, but with the season so close, we were changing our mind sets. Once again I'd have to balance my potential footballing career with my ever-increasing school work and social life.

[sorry for the short RP, I had a big match report written up, but when I clicked preview, it appeared NMS had written one, so I wrote this in 20 minutes]

by **Wight** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:14 pm

Cut-Off for the New Montreal States group matches

by **New Montreal States** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:14 pm

Wight group scores for Day 2 are up!

by **Darmen** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:41 pm

Darmen loses by single goal to West Angola, hopes ride on final match

After our spectacular 3-0 win over the Babbage Islands, we were hoping that we'd play as well, or even better, against West Angola. We played as well, I guess you could say, but even that was not enough.

Bryan Faulkner scored Darmen's goal in the fifty-sixth minute, equalizing the score after West Angolan midfielder Samuel Golding scored in the fifteenth minute. Faulkner's goal came after the West Angolan captain, forward Luke Parrish, made a huge mistake and turned the ball over in his own third, Luca Cormio taking control of the ball and passing between two defenders to Faulkner.

Parrish made up for his mistake though, scoring the game winner in the seventy-seventh minute. For the final thirteen minutes, as well as stoppage time, West Angola were subjected to attack after attack from the All Greens. The tying goal however never came, a goal which could very well have moved Darmen another step closer to advancing to the Round of Sixteen.

"It's too bad we didn't win," commented midfielder Gene Turko after the match, "but we'll put it behind us and try to defeat Andossa Se Mitrin Vega." The Sea Dragons defeated the Babbage Islands by a single goal, effectively eliminating the Bumblebees from having any chance of advancing. They also happen to be the group leaders.

"It'll be a tough match," said goalkeeper Troy Osborne, who didn't seem too happy after allowing Parrish's equalizer to go past him, "but I think we can get a win, or maybe even a draw. We really need the win, and we really want the win. Therefore, if you ask me, we're going to get the win."

Zombies gain First Nation status

Minister of First Nations, John Clark, has given the go ahead for the Intelligent Zombie First Nation Act, and plans to introduce it in Parliament in a few days, where it is expected to gain almost unanimous support. Following the massive outbreak of the Z-Virus, and the successful cure of the Virus, several thousand intelligent zombies chose to remain in their current state. How they became intelligent after contracting the Z-Virus is anybodies guess.

Under the National First Nations Act, First Nations are given responsibility to distribute all social welfare that would normally be distributed to a citizen in anyway they see fit, a rule that some are quite unhappy with. But most First Nations have benevolent leaders, and it hasn't become as big a problem as it was originally expected to be.

First Nations also have their own separate governments, although these governments are limited in what they can do. All laws passed by First Nations must be endorsed by Minister Clark first, and then approved by the Supreme Court of Darmen, as well as by the Duke himself, before

The Zombie First Nation is the fourteenth to be established, since the passage of the National First Nations Act.

OCC: Ok, the news article on the Zombies First Nation is awful, but it's important if I go ahead with a potential RP story line. Apologies anyways.

by **Equestrian States** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:25 pm

ESPN: Equestrian Sports Programming Network
Stayin’ Alive: Ponies Still Kicking After Draw Against Saugeais
by Steve McNotapony

Saugeais 2-2 Equestrian States
at Thin Air Stadium in Pompeii, Wight
Attendance: 33,856
Scoring:

Starlight Sparkle '17 (Cloudchaser)

Jonathan Miles '32 (Rousseau)

Casimir Archambault '49 (Richelieu)

Fire Dash '78 (Rainbow Blitz)

POMPEII, WIGHT - The Equestrian States came into the match needing no less than a draw against a Saugeain team that would propel itself into the second round with a win. Ninety minutes of hoofball later, and the Ponies were still standing.

Prior to last night’s battle, the press was loosely divided over which side would emerge looking stronger. The Saugeains had upset Yesopalitha, but the disputed penalty kick that led to that win and the lackluster performance prior to it cast a shadow of doubt on the Knights. Meanwhile, the Equestrians had (as was widely predicted) fallen to Polar Islandstates, though the Ponies had made an impression with their late attack against the Terns. It seemed that the two teams were close to being evenly matched. But the rankings seemed to hold the tiebreaker for most, and the majority of hoofball experts (both in the Equestrian States and abroad) seemed to favor the Knights in what was likely going to be a closely-fought duel between the two lower-seeds of Group H.

And a closely-fought duel was indeed took place. At the onset of the match the Ponies stormed in front, wasting no time going on the attack against a Saugeain defense that had struggled early in their first match with Yesopalitha. Thrilled to see their offense going all-out against the favored Knights, the delegation of Equestrian fans leapt to their assorted limbs and wildly urged the Ponies to continue the relentless attack. The Equestrians came close to the net several times, with shots from Rainbow Blitz and Apple Jack nearly making it by Vincent James.

Then in the 16th minute, Laz Daniel was a little too aggressive stealing the ball away from Cloudchaser. Getting his foot caught-up in the pegasi’s rear hooves, Daniel sent Cloudchaser to the ground with a tackle that inspired the referee to book the defender. But it wasn’t the yellow card that hurt Saugeais the most; rather it was the kick afterward that would haunt the Knights. A clean pass to Starlight Sparkle just outside the box left the Equestrian midfielder with a surprisingly clear shot, which the unicorn seized upon eagerly. The ball sailed by an unprepared James, over the line, and into the back of the net. Starlight Sparkle’s goal set off massive celebrations back in the Equestrian States, fans rejoicing that (at the very least) the Ponies would not come home scoreless from the World Cup.

But there was still plenty of hoofball left to be played, a fact that it seemed the Equestrians had forgotten. When Saugeais restarted the match, the Ponies were laid-back and nowhere near as aggressive as they should have been. Resting on one-goal leads has rarely ended well for the Ponies, and the Saugeains appeared determined to make the Equestrian States pay for their early success.

With ferocity equal to that shown just minutes before by the Equestrians, the Knights charged back into the fray. Soon the Ponies were backpedalling into their own half of the field and the Saugeains maintained their attack, pushing hard at the fracturing defense. It took time to wear down goalkeeper High Soarin’, who used his wings to their full legal capacity to dart from one save to another. But the Knights were not to be denied. With an expertly-placed shot, Jonathan Miles equalized the score at one. Though the Saugeains would ease back their attack for the remainder of the first half, they maintained a good amount of pressure on the Ponies, holding their opponent frustrated at midfield.

The second half started with the Knights continuing to show off their offensive muscle, building up their attack for another charge on the Equestrian goal. Within four minutes the Saugeains had the lead, courtesy of a Casimir Archambault lancer from just inside the box. The Knights seemed poised to run away with the game, but a fierce defensive effort led by Flitter after the restart held Saugeais away and unable to mount a killing strike.

Fighting hard against an equally determined Saugeain team, the Ponies began to inch back into the match. By the 60th minute momentum finally seemed to favor the Equestrian States. Finding opportunities, the Ponies put a number of shots on goal that nearly equalized the score at two. However, few shots escaped the gloves of Vincent James, and those that did were imperfect, skirting off the posts and crossbar. There was still plenty of time left, but the Equestrians grew increasingly frustrated.

Careless passing up front gave away several valuable opportunities for the Ponies to score, and a few were even followed by dangerous Saugeain counterattacks. By the time the match entered its final fifteen minutes the Equestrians still had more energy than their opponents, but seemed unable to utilize it. When a Rainbow Blitz shot skirted off James’ left glove and then off the crossbar and out of play, the corner kick appeared to be a gift for the Equestrians. But then the ball hit Starlight Sparkle’s horned head at just the wrong angle, bouncing harmlessly wide of the goal.

The Equestrian fans were growing nervous when Vincent James hammered the ball back to midfield. But as the play unfolded, they would rise to their hooves (or feet). Apple Jack overpowered François Rousseau to head the ball off to the waiting hooves of Rapid Dash. The sister of team captain Fire Dash took it forward before passing it off to Rainbow Blitz, who was already charging forward down the side of the pitch. With incredible speed, the cyan-colored pegasus broke by Chad Ash and finally into the Saugeain box. Bearing down on James, Rainbow Blitz unleashed a tremendous kick that nearly slipped through the fingers of the Saugeain keeper.

But although the shot had been blocked short of the goal, it had not been secured. A nearby Laz Daniel scrambled to clear the loose ball, but only succeeded in finding Fire Dash. Too late Daniel realized his error as the Equestrian star forward hammered the ball into the net.

The Equestrian supporters were ecstatic. On the bench, the Ponies’ reserves celebrated the equalizer. Even Head Coach Twilight Striker shared a quick hug with her assistants. But the Equestrian States still wanted more. A win was what they had come into the match looking for, and it was a win that they would look to take into their clash with Yesopalitha. The Knights however, regrouped and held back yet another torrent of Equestrian shots as the closing minutes passed by without another goal for either side.

Following the match Twilight Striker stated confidently that “We’re looking to advance; don’t doubt that for a moment. Sure we’ll need a little help from the Terns to get there, but if we uphold our end of the bargain and beat the Flames, I expect to stay in Wight a bit longer. But regardless of the outcome in Icke, we’ll put our best hoof forward against the Yesopalithans. I look forward to the chance to face them with something more than a squad of schoolfillies.”

by **Taeshan** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:33 pm

The writing was quite literally on the wall as the Purple Knights played the Paladins of New Montreal States on the second matchday of world Cup 64. Days before the match the host team stated they had what former Taeshani manager A.F. Falcon had said about the Knights chances of swooping through the group unscathed and on to glory in the Paladin locker room. They were not kidding about taking it to heart and coming out and beating the tenth ranked Purple Knights at their own defensive game. And the fans at the game were not letting the Knights hear the end of the it. Horns tooting throughout the game the Knights tried their best, and after an early goal against they seemed to control the flow of the game. Well by goal i mean home run. The Knights had all the chances, loading the bases like it was nobodies business. Striking out like it was nobodies business. They couldn't make the comeback, they were outmatched.

The fans came to see the home side, they got to see a brilliant display. The Knights meanwhile had nothing left in the take after their game against Milchama. New Montreal was coming off of a soccer game, the Knights were coming off of a grueling baseball game they didn't expect, that pulled them down over and over again. The Paladins had faced late opposition from Svengarda, but outmatched their opponents. The Knights though faced their second game in a row, their second test of wills and now they move on the lesser side, and fearful of what might happen against the lowest seed. Fearful of bowing out before their chances came to fruition. Three and out comes fast in baseball, but a three and out at a worldcup hurts even more.

The Knights though move on and get to play the game they were made for, not some silly baseball that their nation historically was better at. The team was meant to head the ball, meant to use their feet, their upper limbs not known for being good in most cases. Now they have the chance to play the sport they came to New Montreal States to play. And against a far inferior opponent this time. Svengarda may have tied Milchama, and may be a scoring team, but the Knights are known for their defense, known for how well they prepare. In a soccer game that matters, and the Knights should be able to win come this next game. If they don't maybe Iarlatih Mag Aonghusa will leave as a villain after such great runs in previous cups.

A win and they advance, a tie and they advance. Any points and they advance in most scenarios. They need to win though, to boost their own confidence heading into the Round of Sixteen. They need to win if they have any hopes of making history. Teams can fall once or twice and come back to do great things. The Knights have the opportunity of a lifetime ahead of them. They could do something that few countries have done, they could make themselves the stories that people tell their grandchildren. To hell with Simeone di Bradini and Alan Belmore, how about we talk about that time that Taeshan first won the world cup, and proved they were a force for the rest of history. How about that Ender Wiggin, not so bad after so many years of laughing at. Taeshan could be the next great team, but they have to win. And throughout the history of the team, pressure has been a fault point. Will this team, who charged into the top ten, who has made cup after cup finally be the one to cement our place in history?

by **Jeru FC** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:33 pm

Melody Pond and Princess Melody after a Jeru FC 3-3 draw with Akbarabad

Melody: Well, I guess it's alright hey Princess
Princess: Yes well, when they were leading 2-0 it was a bit of a worry
Melody: Akbarabad sure got out and hit us early
Princess: Don't think the girls were expecting them to try to smash us like that
Melody: Defending isn't their forte either
Princess: Waste of time getting them to learn how to defend

Melody: Yes, their idea of defending is standing around filing their nails
Princess: They aren't very good being idle
Melody: Good to see a bit of fight in them, coming back from 2-0 down
Princess: Akbarabad expended themselves too quickly in the first half
Melody: Depends on how the opponent responds
Princess: Got to have pride and fight back so the score doesn't look so bad

Melody: Yes, goal difference does affect result so every goal more you score helps
Princess: We just have hosts Wight next
Melody: The Monks belted them 4-1
Princess: So much for home town advantage
Melody: I guess it's our turn to do the same
Princess: A win is the thing, although a draw might be enough

Melody: We can't depend on others, we have to make sure we do it ourselves
Princess: That's the spirit pondy
Melody: Say, didn't wright beat Akbarabad 3-2
Princess: I think so
Melody: I guess Wight had a bad day against the Monks
Princess: The monks are a class act, they aren't any old pushovers

Melody: You heard you're sister's new song
Princess: Of course, I wrote the bloody thing
Melody: Really?
Princess: It was one of my unreleased songs, she just changed it a bit
Melody: Plenty of boob action in the video
Princess: Booby shaking should be a national sport

Melody: My hubby thinks it's a bit rude
Princess: Well, it's not aimed at churchy prudes
Melody: I tried a bit of shaking but it didn't work so well
Princess: You need a bit of mass to shake first pondy
Melody: I clearly don't qualify for that
Princess: Not everyone is blessed with great gifts

Melody: Oh well, I'll stick to what I know best
Princess: I like shaking my puppies too - you know like this ...
Melody: Stop that!
Princess: Why?
Melody: Look
Princess: Where did they come from?

Melody: The TV people were looking at us
Princess: More reason to shake
Melody: You just want the TV time
Princess: The more the better pondy
Melody: Good thing you're wearing clothes
Princess: I'd be dancing instead Pondy

Melody: See the monks response to us?
Princess: Yeah
Melody: How would you respond?
Princess: Well, the Philistines defeaed the Israelites. But we were called Babylonians ... who beat up the Philistines later ... so
Melody: It makes no sense
Princess: Exactly Pondy

Melody: We're not very Jewish anyway
Princess: No
Melody: Not that I know where I really come from
Princess: I'm from all over the world!
Melody: Yes, your family has mixed ... ethic heritage
Princess: It's not gonna go stale then

by **Milchama** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:33 am

"So...bad result"

"At least it was nice to watch football again"

"Definitely, soccer players playing baseball just doesn't work"

"Nope"

"So expertise, I guess, is important"

"Clearly"

"Do you want to have an entire post trying to define what expert means?"

"Not really"

"Would you rather talk about the game?"

"Yes"

"Ok"

"I mean it felt uneventful"

"Well there was that 20 minute period where all the goals were scored"

"Yeah that first half was a little nuts"

"It's annoying that Milchama lost the lead after having it so clearly"

"Definitely"

"I feel like you're using that word a lot"

"Which word?"

"Definitely"

"Oh definitely"

"Huh, so why?"

"I like it, I think it works better than "yes" or "great" or something like that"

"OK then"

"Definitely"

"Uch"

"Totally got you there"

"Yep"

"See, I like definitely better than yep"

"Hmmm...alright then"

"It's good"

"But anyway, it was annoying to give up the lead"

"Most definitely, but I felt like the result was deserved"

"Yeah, you would have expected it but Svengarda played well"

"What really annoys me is how the Warriors have been playing recently. After losing only once in their first 17 games of this World Cup campaign we've had 1 draw and 2 losses in our last 3"

"I mean two of those have been in the World Cup which is a whole different ball game"

"True, but it's still worrying"

"Potentially"

"Why potentially?"

"The Warriors are still in it and a good win against NMS and we're through"

"Well only if Taeshan sucks"

"They do suck, they always blow it. They're Taeshan"

"So?"

"So we should advance"

"Stop using the pronoun 'we'. You're not on the team"

"Oh shut up and let me be me"

"Like the FCC?"

"No the FCC won't let me be me"

"I see"

"Definitely"

"There we go again. This time it was justified! I was talking about us"

"Cool"

"Yeah well Taeshan has a way of blowing fairly sure things. Also Svengarda has played pretty well so far in this World Cup so I think one more is definitely plausible"

"Sure but Svengarda was supposed to be the easy result and the Warriors flubbed it"

"Yes, it's not the same team that's recently been a world beater but it happens occasionally. But I see good things in the future"

"Oh it could happen"

"Oh it will happen"

"Milchama advances?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Because karma is on our side"

"How sure are you?"

"Very sure. Very very sure"

"Ok then"

"Trust me"

"I will"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

by **Yesopalitha** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:58 am

Selena and Nero had been walking toward the former city of New Riai for what seemed like hours. The landscape was bleak, and the fact that the sun didn't shine through the clouds did nothing to stop the gloomy mood from reaching across the lands. Selena reminded herself to look at her watch periodically so that she wouldn't forget the fact that after six P.M., the surrounding areas would not be safe any longer. The entire time, Nero the Jaguar-being kept her company, telling her random stories, asking many questions, and mostly being very pleasurable company.

She still could not remember much about her past. Every time she tried to think back to her previous life before she awoke, she was hit by some kind of a barrier. It was very frustrating, but besides getting angered, there was nothing she could do. Instead, she began to probe every inch of the barrier for a possible weakness, fully aware of the fact that the actual truth could hurt more than the annoyance of not knowing it itself. However, she was determined to figure out who, or what she was, and so she tried.

Her watch beeped at five P.M. The two had traversed a massive distance, walking without rest. The Jaguar-being Nero didn't seem to need much rest, and Selena could easily keep up with him in the wind. As most of their conversations were mental, it didn't matter how fast they were traveling. She estimated that they had traveled almost one hundred miles in one day.

'You are definitely one strange creature,' mused Nero, 'I have never seen a figure who looks like a human woman be able to travel this fast without any rest or any sustenance. Don't you require food or water?'

'No,' she replied, 'In fact, I wonder if I am human at all... It is hard to tell. Look."

She took out one of her knives and ran it across her hand. One second, there was a cut, with blood oozing from it. The next, the wound had sealed instantly.

'Advanced cellular regeneration,' remarked Nero, 'How peculiar. And your eyes can see better than mine in this haze. So that means... additional sensitivity to light and sounds?'

She nodded as they pressed on. 'I still cannot remember much, except for what my name is and how to operate. However, I would like to know, and preferably soon.'

They were beginning to approach a tall mountain with snow-covered peaks, the final obstacle between them and New Riai. 'We should stop soon,' she stated, 'It will be six soon, and then it won't be safe anymore.'

Nero nodded, then his nose perked up.

'I smell a building nearby,' he told Selena, 'We might have shelter.'

The two walked to a shack that had been once a hunting lodge for some local hunters. It was deserted, but there was enough room for both of them. Making sure to lock the door, barricade it, and guard the windows, the two began to rest.

In the night - well, after six - the gargoyle-like figure that had been following the two of them began to change. It became... Human-like.

"Arise, arise, my children!" it proclaimed, "For the night as come, and as we have shown, as I have foreseen, the night is our time!"

Howls filled the air as the various things began to awake.

The humans had destroyed their own lands - launched nuclear missiles themselves when they had learned that they couldn't win this war. They had been adamant in taking down as many of the things with them as they fell. But the humans didn't know who they were dealing with.

No, they didn't.

And now, it ruled the lands. Any form of humanity, of civilization, left? They would be snuffed out.

Starting with this strange girl and the Jaguar.

by **Saugeais** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 11:00 pm

Saugeais still sqaundering shots, ties against ponies

"It was more of the same out on that pitch. I don't want to think about what the scenarios are. All I'm thinking about is winning now."

That was manager Powell Pieran after the 2-2 draw against Equestrian States, a match that clearly deserved to end in that fashion. Missed shots, constant dispossession, and during the latter part of the second half, appalling defense was what eventually drew the teams to deadlock. Pieran made it clear that this "pile of rubbish" needed to be tossed out if the Knights are to compete further in the World Cup.

The first half of the match was assertively controlled by the Ponies, creating chances with their adapted style of play, charging headlong into the shaky defense. Relentless in their attack, Equestrian States caused the Knights to falter first. Laz Daniel made a clear cut decision to dispossess the ball from midfielder Cloudchaser in the 16th minute. However, he mistimed his tackle just enough that he took his opponent's legs out from underneath, causing a booking from the referee. After setting up the free kick, the risen Cloudchaser launched a pass to the left of the penalty box, where fellow Pony midfielder Starlight Sparkle struck a powerful shot at net. Keeper Vincent James was caught in a rare out of position spot, and had no time to make a play on the ball, which had just crossed the line to give the Ponies the early lead.

The Knights began to show their aggression on the restart, more noticeably now that their opponents had let off the gas following the goal. This allowed for show chances on the Saugeain side. A shot wide here, a sailed shot there. None of the players could strike the ball clean. Two shots actually made it to the keeper in the first half, the second of which tied up the match. It was all Jonathan Miles on this goal. After a pass out to him on the right wing, he darted down the pitch, running past defenders like a man on a mission, until a clear opportunity was presented. 19 yards out and a little to the right of center, Miles let fly a scorcher towards the right side of the net. The Ponies' keeper wasn't able to reach the ball in time, and the Knights pulled level just past the half hour mark.

"Going in to half time, we had the momentum, you know. We had the most recent goal, sure we let down the offensiveness towards the end, but the back end held firm, so that was something to be thankful for," Pieran stated. And indeed, the back line played better after the Saugeain goal than they did before. A plan that should've stuck with the team going into the second half.

After the restart, the Knights were once again knocking at the Ponies door, firing shot after shot, until Casimir Archambault broke through in the 49th minute. His laser shot pierced through the air, not stopping, not even for an outstretched keeper, until it hit the mesh net in the back of the goal. The Knights fans in attendance began to make more noise in support of their team, hoping loudly that they would advance with these apparent three points.

But the match still had plenty of time left to play out, and the Ponies were far from finished. Seemingly spurred on by the stinging goal, they began to match, sometimes surpass, the intensity brought on by the Knights, as they gunned towards evening the contest once again. There were several close calls on James, shakily stopping all shots that came up the middle, while others rang out on the posts and crossbar over the next 20 minutes. The Ponies ultimately broke through the Saugeain defense late, as a goal kick was returned back over the Saugeain defenders' heads, followed by the speed of EQ midfielder Rainbow Blitz. Blitz maintained speed all the way up to his rocket strike on James. He stopped the ball, but didn't get a handle on. While Laz Daniel tried to clear it out, a streaking Fire Dash came to clean up the mess, and promptly put the match back on even terms.

The Knights were visibly upset at what had transpired, and the play following the restart was evident in that. Gone was the aggression. Gone was the want for a win, seeming resigned to their fate that the match would end in a draw. As the time wound up, the Ponies were still peppering shots at James, who seemed to be the only player on the Knights that was still giving his all on the pitch. He was the also the only one visibly mad after the full time whistle blew, yelling at his back line apparently at their poor defensive play.

"I thought we were over this," said Pieran at the post match conference. "I thought I had given my players the information they needed to play at their best. If this was their best, then we don't deserve to be here. Not after we strolled through the qualifiers. I hope they can gather themselves together, with or without my help, before the Polar Islandstates match, or there will be hell to pay."

The Knights will travel to the Canvasdome in Icke to face those Terns in the final group match, where a draw is needed to make certain Saugeais will advance to the knockout round. A loss, and there are too many factors that come in to play, not many favoring the Knights.

by **Apox** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:13 am

The International Post

Down, and probably out

by Clement Ashley

I know, I've just said that we're probably going to crash out of our first World Cup at the Group stage. And to be honest, is that any different from what most debutants do? I mean there are exceptions, many from recent times (Eura in the finals of WC60, United Gordonopia in the semis last time, and Farfadillis, Yesopalitha and Carmadin all makng the Quarters.) However, I wouldn't say being knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage is a particularly bad thing, as our manager, Numba, has said, "Just getting to the Finals feels like a victory in itself."

So, what has caused this change in optimism from this reporter? Well, Osarius, namely. Ranked at 25th, they seemed like a much more winnable prospect than our other group mates, 4th ranked Audioslavia and 7th ranked Vilita. However, on the day, when it mattered, rank held true, and the Osarian's showed their superior skill and experience by handing Fendergeson Numba his biggest, and only 2nd loss of his tenure so far.

Osarius started stronger, and had a good grip on the game through most of its duration, with Serenity Lewis smashing a shot past the flailing arms of Will Hewitt in goal, although there had been a momentary lapse in concentration by the Apoxian defense, the younger Oley Williams being dragged out of position, meaning two players were marking Gilberto Cuellar, but none marking Lewis in the centre, leaving the goal wide open as Will Hewitt scrambled to get back across. Against lesser opposition, such as in the Qualifiers or the Cup of Harmony, such mistakes might have been dealt with, but this is the World Cup, only the best play here.

A further period of Osarian dominance continued, as the team looked little like the one that had held Audioslavia to a draw a mere 4 days earlier. Although no goal was forthcoming, the Apoxian goal area was peppered with shots, Will Hewitt doing a couple of acrobatic saves to keep the ball out, proving his worth as an international entity. A couple of minutes later, as time reached 25 minutes, the Osarian's got their second, Brooklyn McGregor darting sideways past Dan Weekes who looked lost for most of this game frankly, and chipped it over Will Hewitt, before rounding him and putting it away before Fronden Abel was able to reach the ball to clear it. The Osarian fans went wild, the Apoxian one's hung their heads, and prayed for a miracle, or failing that, a non-embarrassing result.

We stabilised the play a couple of seconds, our defence closing in a preventing any Osarian counter-attacks from breaking for goal, without first being called off-side. Heck, Keri Ularu even had a shot at goal in the 39th minute, although it swung into the arms of Gareth Mason, who gratefully caught it, glad to have something to do. With the second half over, the teams trudged off the field and returned to the changing rooms for some much needed rest and a chance to collect their thoughts.

The second half started brightly for Apox, with the captain, Olim Benzari hitting a shot from a side angle which skimmed across the goalmouth, with Chris Maarsden failing to get there for a header. Osarius, looked surprised by the intensity of Apoxian play, which was definitely going at a faster pace now that the second half had started, and struggled with the Apoxian rush formation, where the team floods forward to swamp the opposition box.

However, it shows the class of Osarius that they managed to deal with it well, only one attempt coming on goal in the first 10 minutes of the second half, where Apox looked the dominant side. However, that was quickly quashed, when Azarai Robinson picked up the ball, found Gilberto Cuellar up front, who played the offside trap well, and went round the outside of Jennie Scott on the wing, who is looking slower and slower every time she plays. Cuellar found himself on the edge of the box with Dan Weekes, who had got back very quickly blocking his way, only to see Brooklyn McGregor lurking in the box. It was a simple pass, and McGregor had her second goal of the match.

With Osarius 3-0 up with 25 minutes left, Numba made the decision that trying to stop the flow of goals at this point would be better, replacing Tom Mills for the inexperienced but vastly talented Matthias Sindelar, putting Sindelar in defensive midfield in this, only his 7th cap for Apox, with only 2 of those being starting caps.
It didn't make a great deal of difference to the game dynamic, but it worked in that we were able to stop any more goals happening. Osarius seemed content to lower the intensity of the game somewhat, realising they had victory.

It was in 87th minute in which the goal came, away Chris Maarsden's speculative shot went out for a corner. Olim Benzair stepped up to do the honours, wafting the ball into the box. It went over the heads of Keri Ularu and Lynette Fields, before reaching the head of Fronden Abel. Abel directed it perfectly, bouncing off the ground and between the overstretched arms of keeper Gareth Mason. 3-1, and by complete surprise, Fronden Abel had written his name in the history books as becoming the first Apoxian to score in the World Cup. Five minutes later, after 2 minutes of injury time, the whistle blew for full time, and both teams, exhausted tramped off the pitch.

Apox now have 4 days to prepare for the game against Vilita, which will be a very hard one. While the Jungle Cats are already out of contention for progression from the group, surprisingly having now picked up a point yet, they are a dangerous team, and not one that will give up when we play them. I shouldn't think we'll gain any points from that match, meaning Audioslavia and Osarius would be the teams advancing, with the match between them next determining who gets the top spot of the group.

Team Sheet from the Game (scorer in bold)
GK - Will Hewitt
RD - Oley Williams
CD - Dan Weekes
CD - Fronden Abel
LD - Jennie Scott
RM - Olim Benzari (c)
CM - Tom Mills sub Matthias Sindelar 66'
CM - John Carpenter
LM - Fran Gracie
CF - Keri Ularu
ST - Chris Maarsden

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:46 am

1  The Holy Empire             2   2  0  0    7   1  +6    6
2  Osarius                     2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
3  Polar Islandstates          2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
4  New Montreal States         2   2  0  0    6   4  +2    6
5  Starblaydia                 2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
6  Andossa Se Mitrin Vega      2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
7  Valanora                    2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
8  Jeru FC                     2   1  1  0    6   5  +1    4
9  Saugeais                    2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
10 Audioslavia                 2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
   Bears Armed                 2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
12 The Sylvanaes Queendom      2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
13 The Archregimancy           2   1  0  1    6   4  +2    3
14 Darmen                      2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
15 Valladares                  2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
16 West Angola                 2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
17 Taeshan                     2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
18 Wight                       2   1  0  1    4   6  −2    3
19 Blouman Empire              2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
   Gyatso-Kai                  2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
   Eura                        2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
22 Milchama                    2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
23 Kiryu-shi                   2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
24 Akbarabad                   2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1
25 Svengarda                   2   0  1  1    6   7  −1    1
26 Apox                        2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1
27 Equestrian States           2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1
28 Mapletish                   2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1
29 Yesopalitha                 2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0
30 Vilita                      2   0  0  2    2   4  −2    0
31 The Babbage Islands         2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0
32 Ko-oren                     2   0  0  2    0   6  −6    0

Previous episode

In a few seconds, Lugakhrin came back in front of the camera.

"You will not believe what just happened..."

"We've been watching you via the camera, and you disappeared. What happened?"

"The book was some sort of teleportation device. I was in a different place all of a sudden!"

"What?"

One hundred years later: now

The above conversation took place as the modern Ko-orenites discovered the old age of teleportation books. Much has happened since. People have been looking into how to correctly write these books, how their mechanics work, what constitutes as a book (for instance: does it need a cover?), and some of these teleportation books have been put to use. A change of culture was the logical consequence of all this, but to describe that, it would take me days and days. But I can tell you a bit more about what happened after that conversation one hundred years ago.

After discovering the books, there was a lot to find out. How can you use them, where do they link to, what is it exactly that they had found? A few of these answers came quickly, and a few were only answered not too long ago. By now, there is an academy on writing books, which is an education that lasts for at least thirty years, though it also educates those that want to learn to administrate the books and what happens to them. But first, one hundred years ago, people experimented with what they had at the time. A few books, some of the ink and a lot of material written in a language they did not understand.

The alphabet was quickly deciphered, and then the long task of transcribing started. Luckily everything was written in an old form of Ko-oran, so after a few years, everything was translated into modern Ko-oran (and the historical linguists were happy with the large corpus of old Ko-oran). The ink was also analyzed and confirmed to come from a bug that still lived everywhere across the archipelago. The rest of the story is long and tedious: experimenting with writing style, paper, ink to see if someone would be able to replicate some books, and maybe even write new books.

After one year, the ink was successfully analyzed and produced again. After two years, the source of the paper was discovered and reproduced. After three years, the entire 'library' was translated. It would take a lot longer to educate someone enough to make him able to write books. It was soon discovered that to travel to a different world, it took a few things:
- Descriptive books: most of the books that did not have a picture in them, were descriptive books. These only function as a description of the world, and could not link to it. Changing the contents of a descriptive book changes the world itself, too. Destroying a book destroys that world.
- Linking books: these are the books with a picture, of which initially only one was found. This kind of book allows someone to travel from one world to another. These worlds were called 'ages' from this time on.

Now, one hundred years after the discovery, the academy focuses on a few things. They have figured out how to write some easy ages, ages that are not too beautiful but at least are stable and not dangerous to link to. The academy has a few purposes:
- Educate descriptive book writers: these people are the main writers of the ages. The main thing that can go wrong here, is if a writer contradicts himself or leaves aspects undescribed, in which case the age often is unstable and potentially dangerous.
- Educate linking book writers: these people create the bridges between the ages. They need to adapt to the real world and all the ages they link to.
- Educate proofreaders: these people need to carefully consider everything that is said in the books, and find contradictions. Lives are at stake here!
- Educate officials for the Ministry of Writing, founded shortly after the academy. They administrate how many books exist of every kind, and what every age looks like and how stable it is.

It can be said that culture and infrastructure in Ko-oren completely changed since then. But more on that later.

by **Mapletish** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:41 am

Lions shares spoil with Kiryu-shi, Mapletish 3–3 Kiryu-shi

Mapletish and Kiryu-shi shared the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 World Cup draw at the Stade Ville Marie, that saw Mapletish stripped off their tag as the underdogs of Group D, as they force off a draw against Kiryu-shi to take off their first point in the World Cup. The Lions were however unable to win the match as they miss a last minute penalty and a neat opportunity for Junio to complete his hattrick.

Junio and Player 10 both scored the braces for Mapletish and Kiryu-shi respectively, while Ai Jing added a goal for the Lions and Player 9 snatched one goal for himself as he rounded out the visitors' scoring.

The Lions came into the match with a defeat to the Valanorains, 3-1, a defeat that was still lingering into the minds of the players as they step into the pitch. It is likely to see increased pressure on the Lions if they fail to come off this match with something convincing to cement their spot for contention in their first World Cup final.

The hosts had to make do without the services of Jessie Leons, who was out due to a stomach infection and Dennis Long was included in the starting line-up, his first time leading the attack for the Lions after a long absence since the World Cup qualification. It was Junio who proved the spark behind the Lions taking an 11th minute lead, with him winning the ball from an Esbjörn corner and attempting an overhead kick to kickstart the scoring rout.

Kiryu-shi's cumbersome start was further punished as Ai Jing doubled Mapletish's lead as Player 7 hobbled off clutching his hamstring after failing to beat Junio off the ball from an embarrassing procession keeping drill that turned Player 7 wrong footed and the sudden movement caught his hamstring by chance and he met his fate, getting off the pitch as Kiryu-shi lost their gunpower in front.

Junio fortuitously found his way to the byline and his cutback was slammed home by the centre midfielder, who came through the back post presence of Player 1 all too easily. The lead was short lived though, with the Lions made to suffer for giving Player 10 an abundance of space in the six yard area as he nodded home Player 6's inviting corner.

Player 10 who made an inspiring goal for the visitors then provide Player 9 with an assist before the interval. The quick witted forward was released down the right flank and after some smart build up, his first time cross was met by Player 9 who stooped to head an angled effort past Sapphire.

Janette's side almost tried to cover their defense mistakes on the stroke of half time, though with Long unable to connect properly with Di Natile's cross, Kiryu-shi center back Player 3 denied the onrushing Junio at the far post.

Esbjörn looked the most likely to help the Lions reestablish their lead after the break, first sending in a cross that narrowly evaded Junio with the goal gaping, before drifting in from the right flank to send a curling left footed effort just wide of the goal. To his further disappointment, it would mark to be his first and last World Cup and every chance counts.

However Kiryu-shi were first to make the breakthrough courtesy of a cooly struck Player 9 penalty after Taylor hurled down Player 9 after the forward tried to get past her in her penalty area. The Lions were given another chance to cover up for the penalty but Junio could only fire straight at Player 1 with Di Natile's rebound effort denied by the goal frame.

The Lions were relieved once again with Junio striking the equalising goal for the Lions as he drew the home side level. The Home United man hit the post after some bizarre defending from Player 4 though made no mistake after Ai Jing clipped the ball back into the area, giving Junio the chance to head home with power similar to his first.

As the game entered its final stages both teams attempted unsuccessfully to snatch all the three points, that would have given them some cushion to lean on into the last matchday of the group. The most interesting of the attempts was Junio's penalty, in which he blasted the ball wide, his first mis-kicked penalty of the entire World Cup 64 campaign.

The draw sees the Lions remain bottom of Group D with the last matchday up for grabs for the Lions and if they were to snatch a win, they might have the chance to advance into the knockout stages.

by **Blouman Empire** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:52 am

THE EMPIRE TIMES

Must Win Game Defined

After securing a nil all draw against Gyatso-Kai in their second group stage game sets the scene for an interesting showdown between Valladares and the Blouman Empire, with the Empire requiring a win to be able to finish second while Valladares may only require the draw. Depending on the other match between Gyatso-Kai and Starblaydia a shock Gyatso-Kai win with a big enough goal difference would see Valladares drop to third with only a draw, regardless of the other match both the Empire and Valladares will be playing to win and secure the three points. Blouman fans are hoping that the hiccup in the first game won't reoccur and that they will continue their strong run through to the Round of 16 but equally Valladares fans are just as hopeful of their teams chances. The two teams are hard to split with a competitive and close match expected, however, many of the commentators are expecting favourites Valladares to win.

The entire team is aware of the enormous challenge they face and have been preparing themselves both mentally and physically for the upcoming game with captain Baden Lakes commenting "The team is aware of the task that we will be facing, but we can't possibly be anymore ready every player knows what he has to do in this game and we will be doing it." Manager Sir Nathan Kolson also made a number of media comments showing the confidence he has in the team "I know my players are capable of winning this game, it will come down to the conditions of the day but there is no doubt in my mind that no matter the result they would've but in 100% that you can count on". Sir Nathan is expected to start his usual 11 despite the niggling injury that caused Hamish Alpin to come off during the second half of the last game. Alpin had a number of tests after the game, however, he has been cleared to play by team doctor Dr Bradly Holdings and the Vice Captain will be taking his place in the back line as he seeks his second major international title.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:41 am

OOC - the second verse is an intentional (and hopefully not too cheeky) reference to Eura's RP instructions for god mods.

Hello!

Ha ha! Now we are seeing that Sbrskj Krk Trkrj (or, as you are saying in your language, "Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland") are not just being famous Slobbodovanian folk music band, but are being quality football side too, no? We are now qualifying for second round after only the two matches of grouping, and we are tippy top of table with the two wins under our beltings.

Mr Tzimisces is telling us that we are having history with Eura side, thanks to final of World Cup 60, where we were having the beating of Eura side 3-1 in final. Cheer up chirpy Eura side! You are doing better in grouping stage of World Cup 64 against mighty Holy Empire than in final of World Cup 60! Perhaps in World Cup 68 you are no longer doing the losing against Holy Empire in World Cup finals (qualification matches are not doing the counting)!

We are liking Eura side because they are playing in red and yellow. This is not just fine colour exemplifying struggle of peasant against oppressive landowning class, but is also colour of Holy Empire, though in reverse. This made for game played in spirit of comradely fellowship. After game we went to Eura dressing room to share spirit of comradely fellowship over fermented beet mash; this is now becoming tradition for Sbrskj Krk Trkrj! Two World Cup finals games we have been playing now, and two times we have been sharing fermented beet mash with other side.

We also write song for the cheering up of Eura side:

Do not be sad Eura side, for you are very brave
You have held top side to only a 2-1 victory
And Sbrskj Krk Trkrj know how to recognise bravery
In spirit of comradely fellowship.
It is by drinking fermented beet mash
And engaging in traditional folk dancing together.

Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Let us join in traditional Slobbodovanian victory dance together!

Still, it is a shame that the game was quite boring, no?
No goals were scored by balls bouncing off a goose in mid-air...
No last minute supergoals from 500 yards
No goalkeepers scoring hat-tricks
Instead, just display of skill by two well-matched sides.
Does this make you sad like it makes us sad?
We are always hoping that goose will die during match
So we can then roast it.
Turnip-stuffed goose is very popular in Slobbodovania!

Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Let us join in traditional Slobbodovanian victory dance together!

And now a a spirit of comradely fellowship unites us,
You are now hoping we do you favour
By beating Sylvanaes Queendom
We shall do our best
In spirit of comradely fellowship
But we are making no promises.
After all, the elves are a decent side too

Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Hopa! Hopa! Hopa!
Let us join in traditional Slobbodovanian victory dance together!

Competition
Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland wish to be pleasuring you! Commission them to write new famous song for your nation! After each matchday, you may suggest topic for new song by Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland!

You set theme for song, and band write song for best idea each matchday - which will also include the result of your nation's most recent match. You can suggest song as many times as you like. Song theme need not be about beets. Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland look forward to pleasuring you!

World Cup 64 RP Thread

World Cup Finals 64 MD-1

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