World Cup 78 - Roleplay Thread

[Abanhfleft]

Nothing much more than a match report now because it's very late over here and I can't think of anything more to write. Apologies and have a good one.

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ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

WORLD CUP 78 QUALIFIERS: ABANHFLEFT VS NELLIETOPIA
By Malik Qazizadah


Abanhfleft women's national team players against Nellietopian players. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

RIUWIEE - Abanhfleft's women's national team survived a trio of own goals to take all three points against a strangely muted Nellietopia side.

Nellietopia, which had been a force in Atlantian Oceanian football before dropping off the grip sometime between the 49th AOCAF Cup and the 40th Di Bradini Cup, turned in a lackluster display as they faced off against Fleftic opposition for the first time in any international competition but through sheer force of luck almost managed to earn themselves a point against the Lady Revolutionaries.

Patricia Foulke made her first start for Abanhfleft in over four years as Holly Jonasson tapped her up to step into the shoes of Victoria Carter, who has undergone surgery for the injury sustained while playing against Keephall Valkyries in the league and some of her rustiness between the sticks for the national team showed in the final half an hour of the game.

Nellietopia managed to survive sustained pressure from the Lady Revolutionaries before finally conceding in the 20th minute courtesy of Chelsea Stuart's thumping strike into the roof of the net, and Alexandra Rousseau doubled the advantage mere minutes later with a clever finish from a tight angle.

Allison Torres looked to have wrapped up the points when she nodded home Lillian Prescott's corner kick but then Claire Osgood found the back of her own net while defending a Nellietopian corner.

Stuart's second goal of the game had initially been the icing on the cake but further own goals from both Foulke and Dawn Jackson made sure that both Stuart in particular and Abanhfleft in general would be thankful that she had scored that second goal.

Making history for the wrong reasons
Abanhfleft's victory over Nellietopia marks the first time in so many years that a team that scored three own goals also managed to win the game.

Bad luck seems to have played a factor in all three own goals but miscommunication was key for the first as Claire Osgood's attempt at a defensive header actually took the ball's flight path away from the waiting hands of Patricia Foulke and into the goal.

But both Foulke and Dawn Jackson were simply unlucky to have conceded their own goals, both from attempts at crosses into the six-yard-box, although a case could be said that the ball that glanced off of Foulke's left calf was actually already headed for the inside of the far post before the telling touch from the Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies keeper.

Abanhfleft women's team manager Holly Jonasson: "What can I say? It was an incredible match, both an unforgettable one and one to forget as soon as possible. We won, of course, and that's what matters, but we really could have done without all the own goals. Never mind that we're the first team to win a game after scoring such-and-such number of own goals. That's not the kind of records that we want, plain and simple. But it could be said that we were pretty unlucky then."

Abanhfleft will face Löpstegl at their country for the third game of the World Cup 78 qualifiers.

       ABANHFLEFT 4 - 3 NELLIETOPIA
STUART (20', 64')       OSGOOD (53' og)
   ROUSSEAU (27')       FOULKE (73' og)
     TORRES (36')       JACKSON (89' og)

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 13 Foulke
RB: 2 Osgood (Warren - 75')
CB: 4 Jackson
LB: 3 Valentine
RM: 5 Maynard (Vance - 80')
LM: 6 Choi
RW: 7 Prescott
CAM: 10 Torres
LW: 8 Singh
RS: 9 Stuart
LS: 11 Rousseau (Mesbros - 64')

STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 55%
Nellietopia: 45%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 13 (9 on target)
Nellietopia: 7 (4 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 8
Nellietopia: 4
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 20
Nellietopia: 18

[Tumbra]

the tribune

2 from 2 sees Blue Lions in excellent form ahead of titanic clash with San Jose Guayabal - but is it time to have women in the team?

GOLDLION - The Blue Lions' sixth qualification campaign for the World Cup got off to an excellent start ahead of a titanic clash with first seeds San Jose Guayabal on Wednesday, with talismanic striker John Krajewski scoring his 4th goal of the tournament so far. The 2-1 win against Hirvania in Thurmond was testament to classic Robin Stoff football - high pressing, fast and short passing - with a team that has finally seemed to get used to his style of footballing tactics that brought Tumbra 3rd place in the Di Bradini Cup some time back.

While Tumbra declined invitations to enter the Di Bradini Cup, signs of a Golden Generation are on the cards - Lucien Parker, Robin Bailey, Michael Normandy, Charlie Lester, Luke de Coubertin as well as the current stars of John Rhys-Stevens, Almar Hussein and Oliver Ganson all look to force their way into the national team. There might be signs of female involvement in the National Team as well - Anna Colt, Tricia Hunt and Ashley Wilson all look to take the fight to the TFA to have women included in the national team.

This begs the question - when will the TFA finally drop its males-only policy and begin including females in the team, a la our upcoming opponents Abanhfleft, footballing giants Nephara and Starblaydia (the latter not so much anymore, but #wewantsix is still trending on Chirper the moment Starblaydia got serious, so watch this space), et cetera? It's telling that having females in the team might just be the key ingredient in the team that might propel Tumbra to its first world cup qualification in the six cycles its participated in.

There is historical precedent for this - the squad for the ill-fated 34th Di Bradini Cup, which featured one very young John Krajewski featured no less than nine females. Though the tournament was cut short, the Junior Blues would almost certainly have done much better had the tournament had lasted longer. There were reports back then of a team with women in time for WC73 - but alas, the application forms got lost in the mail, and the team never materialised.

The onus now is on the TFA to take the correct action - either getting females on the team and get a chance of footballing success...

---

"Cocking bullshit."

"It's the Tribune, what did you expect? I 'spect the even greater "cocking bullshit" will arrive soon. Someone from the Ministry of Culture or whatever not. Here to meddle in our business, as you predicted."

"As I predicted correctly, and you didn't trust me. You still owe me ten pounds for that one."

"Sod off!"

"A deal's a deal. Don't suspect they'll make us do some cost capping bullcrap? Football ain't cheap."

"Who knows?"

Footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor. Not the flat shoes that Hugh Fry and Stephen Laurie were accustomed to. High heels.

A svelte female voice. Legs. A skin-hugging red dress.

"Good morning, Mr. Fry and Laurie. I am Jennifer Hardwood, and I am from the Ministry to ensure the smooth transition of the TFA from a Conservative government to a Social Democratic one."

Hugh and Stephen looked at each other blankly.

[San Regada]

Regadan Sports Network
Super Eagles manage to claw a 2-1 victory against Acronius

The Regadan Super Eagles have managed to come from behind to secure a victory in their first World Cup qualifier against Acronius, against the odds being stacked against them, which has come to a shock to fans. Many fans and even some of the Super Eagles themselves expected to struggle against Acronius, ranked 59th in the world, with San Regada ranked 234th in the world comparatively, and conceding a goal after just 7 minutes cast doubt into their mind as to whether they could pull through and get a point, yet alone win, with their recent failure at the Baptism of Fire still fresh on their minds. The mood inside the stadium was dark and depressing soon after they conceded, with Regadan fans immediately quieting down as they lost hope in qualifying for the World Cup, which visibly effected the mood of the Super Eagles on the field. Despite this, sections of the crowd still did their best to encourage the Super Eagles to play on and cheered them on passionately as they moved with the ball. Soon after, the Regadans composed themselves and the effectiveness of the 5-3-2 formation was soon very evident, with several attempts to bust through the Regadan back 5 being immediately neutralized by a solid wall of cooperative defense, preventing the Regadans from trailing behind even further.

Monreal and Toselli worked extremely well on the wings to apply pressure on opposition forwards and foil several attempts to cross the ball into the box, with crosses that did come in to the box intercepted brilliantly by Callejón, Martínez and Zapata, with Zapata making several vital tackles between the 20th and 30th minutes to prevent opposition forwards from blitzing into the box. Regadan goalkeeper López made a brilliant save in the 23rd minute, getting a heavy enough hand to the ball which was sent pelting towards the top corner after a fantastic free kick and forced it over the crossbar for a corner, before once again saving a powerful attempt from 22 yards and a header which was tipped onto the post and cleared after López got a hand to it. Forward play by Borré, Torres and Bejarano enabled Saavedra and Hernández to spring into the box several times and numerous attempts on goal were unlucky to either be saved or be just off target, however, the breakthrough came in the 45th+1 minute when an error in midfield by the Acronius national team enabled Monreal to play a quick ball to Borré who subsequently bolted down the wing before pinging in a ball to Saavedra who took it on the chest before chipping it backwards across the width of the box in a diagonal direction, where it was met by a powerful 20 yard volley from Hernández that slammed into the back of the net, sending the stadium into a frenzy.

The second half began with several frantic attacks from the Acronius national team, who were evidently embarrassed to have conceded such a stunning goal to a team that was ranked 234th in the world, and during these frantic attacks, several key errors were made by the Acronius national team, as they gave up the ball easily after several despite long balls to the front which were easily intercepted by the Regadan back 5. The frenzy soon turned to frustration and an appalling tackle from behind on Callejón whilst he dribbled inside the Regadan 18 yard box, weaving through many opposition forwards and midfielders resulted in an instant red card for an Acronian midfielder. Several yellow cards were issued to other Acronian midfielders after unnecessary tackles were made out of frustration. The Super Eagles responded to the challenge by stepping up their own brutality, with Torres and Zapata especially making several heavy, robust, but perfectly legal tackles against Acronian midfielders and forwards, taking them off the ball immediately and leaving them on the floor. The new defensive brutality worked and the Acronian players were forced to play more in midfield, trying to find gaps in the defensive line to exploit, allowing the Regadan defense to press higher and apply more pressure on the Acronians, with several attempts to intercept the ball as the Acronians were forced to play a rather rigid passing game.

A heavy tackle by Zapata in the 70th minute resulted in a long ball being blasted up towards Bejarano, who instantly laid off the ball to Hernández, resulting in him launching a speculative shot on goal. The Acronian goalkeeper managed to partially subdue the attempt as he advanced off of his line, however could not firmly catch the ball due to the power of the shot and the angle of his dive, resulting in the ball bouncing off of his lower right arm at an 45 degree angle, and as the ball looked as if it was going to go just wide, bouncing off the outer post and going out of play for a corner, Saavedra swung his right foot back at maximum extension and launched a strike with all his might, however, an Acronian defender leaped of this feet after running at full pace to the goal line and attempted to flick the ball out of play. The defender had mistimed his run and as the ball slipped past him, Saavedra's swing hit him with full strength resulting in a loud crack sound, launching the defender into the air and sending him crashing into the post with another loud crack heard upon impact. Due to the angle from which Saavedra had launched his leg from, his boot was able to make contact with the ball just before his leg crashed into the defender and put the back of the net.

There were immediate protests from both the Acronian coach and players on the pitch, and a scuffle broke out in front of the Acronian goal, however, the outrage from the Acronian players was ignored by the ref and his assistants, confirming that the goal stood, resulting in the score being 2-1 in favour of San Regada. After the half was resumed, Acronian forwards and midfielders began to press higher and higher, reapplying pressure to the Regadan back 5 in an attempt to swing the game back onto level footing, with several valiant attempts being blocked by Regadan defenders putting their body in front of the ball and several spectacular saves by López. In the 82nd minute, Zapata conceded a foul and was booked, giving the Acronians are chance to level the game, however the free kick was met with an amazing bicycle kick goal line clearance from Martínez after López managed to get the slightest touch on the ball. The subsequent counterattack and attempt on goal by Torres sent the Acronian keeper the wrong direction however hit his boot as he was diving, which was enough to ricochet the ball onto the post before it was cleared by defenders. The Super Eagles were able to hold on after several moments of panick, committing to several heavy tackles to halt the Acronians in their tracks and end the game 2-1 in their favour.

And so, the hopes and dreams of many Regadans across the country have been restored as men, women, and children of all ages now have hope in qualifying for the World Cup.

---

In other news

• First stage of the Grand Championship of OSAN concluded, San Regada comfortably in 3rd

[Farfadillis]

Farf politics had always worked in mysterious way. The Farves, eccentric as they were, had always been characterized by extreme apathy towards everything political. The left-right divide was as big and about as important as the over-under toilet paper divide. Farfadillis was a democracy, but not many cared about it really. The government had been elected by the people who had bothered to vote for them, and many of those did it because they "liked the candidate's mustache better".

Throughout history, Farf governments have been characterized by erratic decision-making. No discernible pattern could be found in the policies enacted. We are talking about a country that has an extremely punitive income tax rate for most private enterprise, yet uranium mining is completely exempt from all law, purely as an example. Police is almost non-existent and, in contrast, no progressive reforms have been enacted to bring people out of poverty in places like Ruland. Cohesiveness had never been, nor would it ever be, a Farf trait.

Of course, despite all this, necessity had made heavily political organizations spring up in the past. Apathetic as the Rulandese were, their circumstances were already far too tragic for there not to be some secessionist movement of sorts. As is well known, once they took up in arms, the government did little to treat the civilians as brothers, and a lot to treat them as foes. They smashed the revolution, no doubt about that. In the process, they committed genocide. About half the population of Ruland gone.

This, in turn, seemed to send a wave of political involvement throughout Farfadillis. Suddenly, protests from Puerto Farolero to Pacifista began springing up. The Rulandese now held infinite hate for their oppressors in Ferdullaele. About a month after the bombings, the revolutionary army soon regrouped, their numbers still respectable. Revolutionary fervour had turned into hate. Just hate, and nothing more than hate. An independent Ruland no longer was the objective. Farfadillis going down in flames, that's all they desired.

They spread out far and wide, throughout the country. They convinced Farves from other states. The Karuvans and the Indujans were specially receptive to their message.. Not surprising, considering that, while they certainly had never been as under the boot as Ruland, they understood in some degree the struggle the Rulandese had been undergoing all this time. Puerto Farolero, as rich a state as it was, comparatively speaking, was also pretty receptive to their message. Their rich-poor divide was enormous, and the poor were very quick to follow the RRA's gospel. Eventually, the entire Farf south had been infected, so to speak, with the RRA's violent ideology.

While the whole nation was mourning for the civilian casualties from the bombings, and the north secretly sighed with relief at the RRA's apparent destruction, this was quietly happening. It took less than three months for the first of them to happen. Terrorists or freedom fighters, the line far too blurry to tell. The truth was, Farfadillis soon began to burn in a very literal sense.

First it was the states in the south, where the RRA had gained an enormous foothold. In typical Farf fashion, fire, with its beauty, was the preferred weapon. Unlike in other countries, these terrorists were very silent. You would never see one of them pull out a gun and begin a massacre. No, instead, a bomb would suddenly detonate in the Karuvan parliament. A shopping mall would go up in flames. Between the incompetence of the Farf intelligence services and the actual intelligence of the RRA, no culprits would be found for months.

Just two months later, began focusing on the north. Incredibly, despite the trail of fire and death they were leaving, people flocked to them in bigger numbers every day. The movement soon lost any cohesiveness. What was its objective? Bringing down the government? Independence for Ruland? Burning everything down? Nobody could agree at this point.

But there was one thing you could be sure of. These next few years would be the darkest in Farfadillis' history.

[Mercedini]

World Cup Qualification MD2 LIVE
Makongo vs. Mercedini
@ Karafa Sey National Stadium - Yattaville, Makongo

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Kafara Sey National Stadium, where Mercedini have made the long trip to Yattaville to play their second match in World Cup Qualficiation. Last time round, Mercedini were held to a one-all draw at home to Sargossa which was the first time since World Cup 75 where Mercedini failed to win their opening game. They hope to bounce back today, although the accliment weather may put a stop to proceedings before they have even begun. It's a good job there's a roof on this place, because when the players come out they are likely to be wet through within a couple of minutes of play. The drainage system is doing it's job, so let's see if Mercedini can bounce back from their opening day disappointment and get their first win to further their chances of getting on the plane to Cosumar and Bonesea.

---

0' - The teams line-up shoulder to shoulder at the anthems play out. We have been given a modest allocation but I can't said seats being filled. Meanwhile, the home crowd are filling the stadium nicely but, like with the away fans, they have left some pockets unfilled, but the atmosphere around the stadium is fairly good. The teams are on the pitch and are in their formations, Mercedini in their 4-4-2, while Makongo opt for an interesting 4-3-1-2. No changes from Bjarnasson since the last match, so the players have another match to prove their worth. Makongo have already kicked off and we are underway in World Cup Qualification match day 2!

2' - (MAK 1-0 MRC) - What a start for the unranked team! Makongo have the ball in the net and take the lead with less than 100 seconds on the clock. The home team came forward and Adama Kone dribbled past Dosic and was put through, he squared the ball to Dieye who slid the ball into the net. It's all too simple for Makongo, if Mercedini don't get anything from this game, there may be some sort of inquest into the management of the team. Makongo are a goal to the good, and it's the second successive time that Mercedini have gone behind in a qualification game.

11' - (MAK 1-0 MRC) - I tell you what, Makongo are coming forward without any fear whatsoever at the moment. A series of crosses and passes have come into the Mercedinian box but they have been adequately dealt with thus far. The home fans are urging their team to go for a second goal while the Mercedinians are a bit under the cosh. Whether Mercedini will be able to come back from this will have to be seen. Makongo making a great fist of it in this match. Still 1-0 Makongo.

20' - (MAK 2-0 MRC) - Goal, and it just goes from bad to worse for the team who were tipped to qualify for their second successive World Cup and landed themselves in the second pot despite being on the circuit for only three previous cycles. As for what has just happened, Mercedini have gone two being thanks to a goal from Bouba Baldeh. A long pass was flicked on by Kone which put Baldeh through on goal with no defenders in sight. Hosset attempted to come forward but a beautiful curled shot took it past the young Mercedinian goalkeeper and into the net. 2-0 Makongo, this qualification campaign is quickly turning into a shambles.

28' - (MAK 2-0 MRC) - After conceding those two early goals, Mercedini have finally woken up to the reality that they are being thoroughly beaten by an unranked side. The Makongonese are singing their lungs out while the faces of the visiting fans look miserable and fed up after not even half an hour of the match being played. The Golden Eagles are finally making inroads into Makongo territory but they will have to go some to get anything from this game. Half an hour gone, 2-0 Makongo, Mercedini will need to get working quick if they want to get something from this game.

32' - (MAK 2-0 MRC) - Mercedini have been given a lifeline in this match as the referee has awarded them a penalty. Ben Chillotov has claimed for his team after he went down after the faintest of touches from the Makongo defenders. He left his leg out and that was always going to invite danger and Chillotov took it to potentially get his team back in the game. Some might say it was a dive, but at the end of the day if its given then it counts. Billic looks like he will step up to half the deficit, less than fifteen minutes to get an equaliser even if this goes in.

34' - (MAK 2-1 MRC) - Billic blasts to his left hand side, no chance for the goalkeeper who guessed the right way but couldn't get anything on it. It halves the deficit and puts another goal on the board for what has been a glittering career but no celebration this time. Instead, Billic grabs the ball and waves the rest of the players back to their own half to get the match underway once again. 2-1, with about ten minutes plus stoppage time remaining.

39' - (MAK 3-1 MRC) - Just when you thought Mercedini were getting back into this game, Makongo have gone up the other end of the pitch and put daylight between the two teams yet again. It's Diaye with his second of the game after some terrible defending from the Mercedinians. He was threaded through down the wing and worked his way inside and to the edge of the box, none of the defenders tried to muscle him off the ball, so he had the freedom to curl the ball in at the far post to increase the margin to two goals.

43' - (MAK 3-1 MRC) - Makongo have bridged the gap brilliantly and are on track for a famous victory against a team just outside the top thirty. It's been a frantic first half in this match which has seen four goals go heavily in the favour of the home side. Mercedini will have to pull out all the stops if they want to get something from this game. They will have to find twice as many goals as they did against Sargossa. A real mountain to climb.

45+4' - (MAK 3-1 MRC) - The whistle has gone for the end of the first half and what a performance from Makongo. They find themselves 3-1 up at half-time thanks to spectacular pieces of play when they had the chance. Mercedini have been lacklustre at best and are only on the board thanks to a dubious penalty which was converted by Sam Billic. To be frank, a team supposed to be in Pot 2 are playing like a bunch of plant pots. Makongo may not be heading to the World Cup but they will certainly be helping out other nations if the result stays as it is. At half time in Yattaville, it's Makongo 3, Mercedini 1

HALF TIME
Makongo 3 - 1 Mercedini
Dieye 2', 39', Baldeh 20' • Billic 34' (P)

Welcome back to the Karafa Sey National Stadium as Mercedini are 45 minutes away from a rather embarrassing defeat at the hands of an inspired unranked Makongo side. They are currently losing 3-1 after a terrible performances from pretty much everyone on the pitch. They have time to save the match and get something out of the game but it is looking unlikely considering the style and form of their opposition as they play in their home stadium for their first World Cup match. It would be a big scalp to take, so let's see if they can finish the job or if Mercedini can steal a point or more against their lower ranked opposition.

52' - (MAK 3-1 MRC) - Over five minutes in the second half have passed and it's already looking promising for the golden eagles. It looks like they have done away with their mediocre performances and are injecting plenty of energy into their play as they look to go forward and reduce the deficit for the second time in the game. Makongo are holding firm at the moment, although they aren't going forward as much as the previous half which means good news for the visiors. Whether or not we will get another goal remains to be seen, although I'm sensing a good period of attack from Mercedini. Still 3-1. Dosic OFF, Patenkov ON.

59' - (MAK 3-1 MRC) - Billic has gone close to his second goal in this game. The military sergeant who is now the grand old age of thirty is still cranking out the chances for his team. He attempted to cut inside but the defender stuck a leg out to disrupt the dribbling move. The ball continued in Billic's direction but it was bouncing around until the Mercedinian stricker struck it on the half volley towards goal. The shot was on target but the goalkeeper was equal to it to keep Mercedini at arm's length. It remains 3-1, thirty minutes to go and Mercedini are knocking on the door.

66' - (MAK 3-2 MRC) - They huffed and they puffed and they finally blew the proverbial house down, Mercedini have pulled a goal back thanks to Johannes Nymark who has been rather absent in the qualification campaign thus far. It was Crasic who did most of the legwork, he ran towards the by-line before pulling the ball back to his teammate Nymark. Nymark then controlled the ball brilliant before toe-poking the ball into the net with the defence closing in on him. Another quick rush back to the halfway line and we are back underway. It's now back to 3-2, maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all.

73' - (MAK 3-2 MRC) - Mercedini are now showing their prowess as shots are coming in thick and fast into the box and other dangerous areas. The youthful enthusiasm and energy is now beginning to come into play as the Mercedinian midfield now taking control of the game where they previously struggled to get a hold of the ball. Nymark is now moving forward to act as a CAM with the other players around him in support. We may be seeing a couple of tactical substitutions from both managers to deal with this swing in control. Less than twenty minutes left, 3-2

81' - (MAK 3-3 MRC) - GOAL and Mercedini have brought it back from the brink. Usually, they wouldn't normally celebrate against an unranked side but that goal obviously means a lot to them considering the circumstances. It's Chillotov with the goal as he conjures up yet another moment of magic for his team to earn a point and potentially ignite something more. Pretty much all of the Makongo defenders were behind the ball but that didn't stop Nymark from lifting a delicious ball over the top for Chillotov to run in the box to chase. The defenders had stopped to appeal for offside but little Ben kept going to take on the oncoming goalkeeper, he rounded the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the net to turn a miserable match into a little bit of pleasure for the team in white and red (usually in blue and black but what can you with away strips). A small glance to the linesman gave the impression that he wasn't sure he was onside but he was and it ties the came up with less than ten minutes left. A tight squeeze, but there's still time for something more. 3-3! Presic OFF, Pujanic ON; Chillotov OFF, Tranev ON.

88' - (MAK 3-3 MRC) - We are coming to the end of the match but that hasn't stopped Mercedini pressing for a winning goal. The whole stadium is on tenterhooks as Mercedini dart forward for yet another attack. It's been a totally different team from the first half shitshow we were subjected to. Billic is now the loan striker as Bjarnasson opted for a series of defensive substitutions to see the game out. A dangerous cross from Pujanic missed everyone and went out for a throw in, the substitute produced a loud gasp in the arena as it only needed a touch for the ball to go in the net. It stays three-all with Mercedini now looking the more likely to score, what a turnaround.

90+2' - (MAK 3-3 MRC) - The referee blows his whistle for the end of the match and both teams shake hands and some exchange jerseys as the two sets of fans applaud their respective team. It was a spectacular show put on by the two teams which resulted in a 3-3 draw, not something that Mercedini would be happy with but given the circumstances, I think it will do. It was a clichéd tale of two halves with Makongo racing into a 3-1 lead at half-time before two goals from the golden eagles levelled up the game to earn a point. It is the second draw in a row which doesn't spell good news for qualification, they remain unbeaten but are down in fifth place with two teams below them having played a game less, which is three places lower than they should be on paper. They will have to do better in their next match which is a real six pointer. In Yattaville, it's finished Makongo 3, Mercedini 3.

FULL TIME
Makongo 3 - 3 Mercedini
Dieye 2', 39', Baldeh 20' • Billic 34' (P), Nymark 66', Chillotov 81'

After that escapade, Mercedini will be returning to the Zoloroni Sports City Stadium to welcome Starblaydia. While they may have fallen of the summit in previous cycles, they could still be a huge scalp for the golden eagles given the prowess and stature of this football-crazy nation. Plenty of big names have come out of Starblaydia and many are deeming it the Old Guard vs. the New Order given the large difference in experience between the two nation. They are no doubtedly the most dangerous team after Nephara and will likely be challenging Mercedini for the final qualification spot. It is a real six pointer and will be a test for Mercedini to see if they are ready to hang with the big dogs on the world stage, join us then for a mammoth tussle. From Yattaville, Makongo. Goodnight!

[Tinhampton]

The Other Campaign Trail:
a springtime tale of university politics -- PART 1
yeah, i have totally not recycled this RP series from CoH69 due to time restrictions Bear with me, Cosumar

---

PREAMBLE: BEWARE THE TIDES OF MARCH

"Harry" -- 6th March 2017 -- Tinhampton University, Metropolis Campus
The main election in Tinhampton? Don't get me started on the main election in Tinhampton. Sure, it might have seemed quite exciting at first, but both the excitement and the chances of the Mayoress' lead changing significantly have fizzled out to near-zero. Instead, we need to focus our attention onto another political plane: Tinhampton University.
Now, you may be wondering: "What in the name of Margaret should I be following a university? Everybody knows that Tinhampton University is basically a hyperliberal SJW meshpit!" Well, that would be correct if you looked at Northside Campus. Each of the campuses have a distinct political tradition followed in the main by most students: Northside leans left, whilst Metropolis (my campus) is centrist in outlook. Coastal has always leaned centre-left, whilst Perpetua is the opposite. Although Newlands is a haven for extreme but legal politics of all stripes, Vertos and Mounts have never really bothered with politics (instead focusing mainly on student life and practical skills). And finally, Gateway Campus - currently the most significant of all - is libertarian. This makes for a very interesting - and confusing - political mess.
So anyway, back on track: unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you are aware of the "uberprotests" that struck Gateway on the 23rd of February. Almost no damage, but certainly 21 arrested. A diverse variety of protests, but all in favour of the "Seven Demands" of the "Tinhampton Student Unity", which is some sort of left-wing organisation that the Coastal and right-wing Newlands types enjoy complaining about. About 12 have been arrested in other campuses since - looks like the Herald was right once again. A quick scan through their article will reveal that everyone really *is* talking.
And now to your regularly scheduled interruption - seven "caucuses" (that's political parties to you and me) hold sway over the Committee of Students, a democratically elected organisation whatchamacallit comprised of 120 students that the Herald covered in much better detail than I ever could have. From left to right: the Socialists (20 seats), the Progressives (11 seats), the Environmentalists (8 seats), the Democrats (15 seats), the Alliance for Security (9 seats), the Conservatives (25 seats), and the Freedom Caucus (21 seats). There are also 11 independents. All 120 are up for re-election in a week or so.
It's the first half of March, and you know what that means: It's nearly the end of the campaign trail over here. From what I've heard, this is meant to be a boring time, full of get-out-the-vote stuff, but it's totally the opposite here. Given the recent protests, we've had a tonload of politically-charged speeches, mostly about the Student Unity people. The conservatives attack the Student Unity, the liberals attack the conservatives and their partners, the conservative's partners attack the liberals... what next? I'd like to quote from the Herald, who quoted from one of the Independent Committee Members: "What is happening in Gateway right now could lead to a vicious cycle of hatred." This election season is sure to be good.
I think I've covered everything here, but it's time for me to go to sleep. If you absolutely must have a name, you can call me Harry. It might be much different to what my actual name is, but it's still a name. Which gets me thinking: What exactly is in a name? As final food for thought: Is Tinhampton Student Unity really uniting us students?

---

PART 1: The Week Before The Vote

7th March 2017, 10:15 -- SupaShop, Coastal Campus
Pete Woolcock was the popular Centre Officer for the Coastal Campus, who was set to run for a second term - one of the eight "Kings of the Sitting Ducks", the Officers that were elected but which had little power other than to help students in general. Yes, he had some power, but not significant power. It therefore came as a small surprise to him when he noticed a lack of free-range eggs in the shops. After all, Pete was one of the most environmentalist Officers, being in Coastal.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we've been ordered to stop calling our eggs free-range. Every single chicken in the country is legally required to be caged for the next few months. You might want to return at the end of April, when we'll be all-but-closed." A while later, Mr Woolcock was to rush over to the fresh aisle. A couple of splats would come out of it at the end. Nobody - not Jemima, not Pete, not the disinterested security guy watching Camera 18F, nobody - could have expected what was to come next.

7th March 2017, 10:30 -- Lecture Room 178, Gateway Campus
Tinhampton Student Unity originally occupied Lecture Room 178 as part of the "Uberprotests" that occurred a week and a bit back. The original focus of the sub-protest was about the University's investment (small, but regardless an investment) in DrillBabyDrill, but once the banners had gone down, it started being used as a communications centre for TSU. It may not have been in the best position, but it certainly was in a good one.
"Now, who's with us?" rhetorically questioned one TSU leader, who had been preaching to the elder converted about boycotting the cross-university student survey. "WE ARE!"
"Who will fight for you, the student, the ethnic minority, the woman, the homosexual, the deprived?" "WE WILL!"
"Who will fiercely resist the reactionary charges against our freedom of protest? Who will demand free university or no transportation? WHO will never stop until we get what we want?" "WE WILL!"
"OK, now, altogether... DOWN WITH ANDERSON! DOWN WITH ANDERSON! DOWN WITH ANDERSON! DOWN WITH ANDERSON!..." The rallying cries could be heard all over. It was now a popular joke that attending TSU meetings affected two things negatively: Your social conservatism, and your hearing.

7th March 2017, 18:00 -- Student halls, Northside Campus
"...This is Jon Ling, with the news at six on TUFM. Reports are now coming in concerning an attack motivated by protected characteristic in Northside. The man reportedly yelled "illegal or else punishable messages", before coming into fire at a grouping of students. The shooter has been apprehended, but their identity is not yet known."
Alison Trincham was the kind of woman who prepared early, delivered late, and got the results right on time. She had prepared early, but the schedule would not exactly be followed today. She knew that the words she heard on the tinny radio were not quite confirmed, but she decided that it was much too important, and much too soon to the election, to complain. She had not heard any shots or seen any masked men in black, but compromise appeared necessary if she wanted to appeal to the average voter. She was genuine in the belief that the rarely experimented-with blend of confidence and scepticism would pay off.

8th March 2017, 13:05 -- Public square, Metropolis Campus
"...and let's face it: Why should I care about this cause or that cause when A: it's not going to be implemented, B: its main proponents haven't even visited Tinhampton, and C: very few of us are successfully converted? I shouldn't have to go vegan even if I get a gazillion-and-one notices from these animal liberationists, so why should you have to give in to the TSU if they're basically comprised of a bunch of loonies funded by the Social Democrats?" Liam Wright was the incumbent leader of the Freedom Caucus - up for re-election because it is tradition for elections to be held between newcomers to the political scene when the mandatory step-downs occur - and was a man who was not afraid to speak his mind.
Metropolis Campus was the swing campus - mostly central in outlook, but with all parties coming to win over voters. It was the worst analogy of a turn-based game you could find anywhere in the Federation of Fictitious States - he who made the good proclaimations won the favour of the university, whilst he that made the bad ones was likely to fail. Until these end-of-days, most other campuses were ignored (certainly Vertos and Mounts were always ignored, for they knew their preferences, or lack of thereof). This year had seen many high-quality speeches, but I am kidding you not when I tell you that this speech was probably the most well-received of the lot.

8th March 2017, afternoon -- Computer suite, Vertos Campus
Vertos were not the kind of campus willing to vote. They had consistently held out, or otherwise gone independent, for as long as modern democracy existed in the University. Their main affinity was sports - the whole lot of it. It was therefore not a surprise when Matt, willing to slack off on a boring Tuesday afternoon, chose to visit arguably Audioslavia's most famous creation, RLStates. The chat there was diverse and varied; a small but tight-knit community of about 210-odd users. The sports headlines included the rankings for one "SheBelieves Cup" - what could this be? Immediately, he noticed the great colours and hopes around the Everything Thread - there was little point in making a ton of threads for a four-RLState tournament, after all.
A bit more digging, and he learned that this was comprised of perhaps RLStates' four biggest womens' football outfits. As for "SheBelieves", it was basically a promotion to get more young women involved - not a bad goal, but it was confusing to see it spread to other nations. Matt ended up wondering: "Where is the Algarve Cup where you need it? Probably being contested by a bunch of unknown teams I've never heard of before now..."

9th March 2017 -- news stands across Tinhampton University
"THE SPLATTENING." This is what the Tinhampton Enquirer - the student newspaper for Tinhampton University - wound up reporting on the front cover of their election special. In the small student-owned stalls, and the larger corporate ones, across the university, you had a strange feeling that stuff was generally happening. This was often weird stuff, with the odd outbreak of peculiar and otherwise odd stuff. Regular stuff, with perhaps the exception of the election's happeningness, was tugged to Page 38. Pete Woolcock was almost certain to lose his election, but all else hung in the balance.

9th March 2017, afternoon -- "Lil' Digger", Mounts Campus
Mounts was the other great abstainer. In the scheme of things, their 15 nominees were the only people to bother about politics in the campus; seen as a voice for the marginalised by some, and as just plain lazy by others. Being a north-eastern campus with the main focus on practical skills, there were about 25 to 30 volunteering undergrads (who had been pre-trained, but were hopeful as ever) working at the mine that they had come to deliver from. They called it Lil' Digger.
"OK - you put on your flashlight, then you turn it on, then you walk with your picket and bucket thingy, then you investigate deposits, then you attack any suspiciously tin-like ones, then you bring 'em back to momma! Understood?" The man who taught, an ex-miner in himself, was unforgiving (a bit like Tinhampton's Cup of Harmony group, some would say, or this month). It was out of this confusion that one student questioned why they were doing this; he bluntly replied with "You're here to get the metal, get the money and get yourself out of this sorry hellhole of a safe space and into the real world!" It was clear for many to see why Mounts were the silent conservatives of the University.

9th March 2017, 18:00 -- Student halls, Metropolis campus
"...This is Jon Ling, with the news at six on TUFM. Earlier reports of an attack motivated by protected characteristic have been revealed to be a practical joke. The Delta Epsilon Gamma society, which is taking responsibility for the prank, stated that it was conducted deliberately to "show how easily people could be manipulated"..."
Ryan Baker was the novice leader of the Progressives - a man who knew that, to win things, you had to spin things. Despite being the leader of the leftist moderates, he knew that he would have to go all out if he wanted to improve on the previous year's performance. They coddled up to nobody - they had to - and, with the latest edition of the Enquirer having been published, he needed to get some alternative facts out, and fast. The result, stapled to power cables and lecture room doors in Trincham's home campus overnight, were among the most controversial publications ever seen in the University.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TRINCHAM
No student can truly call themselves a politician unless they have proven themselves, time and again, to have integrity - Michael Yeoman (Democratic leader, 1996-1998)

DEAR UNIVERSITY:
We, the students, have been made aware of various egregrious campaign breaches by Democratic leader Alison Trincham, who is running for a second term in office. Of course, a second-year political science and economics student should know better than to carry out the following horrendous disregardments of the election rules, and of past custom:

• She is lying about the supposed terror attack at Northside. Although Trincham might have thought otherwise, it was clear to her Tuesday that, having heard the news about a hate-motivated "attack" at Northside Campus, she would have nothing better to do than write a speech condemning it. In actual fact, she was condemning something that was a practical joke. The kinds of candidates who make 20-minute long speeches about events that never even happened are the kinds of candidates that we need to emphatically defeat this March.
• She wants to destroy Tinhampton University as we know it. We have acquired exclusive documents, emanating from Trincham and sent to a progressive die-hard purporting to be a confidante. In these letters to "Dwayne Long", she stated a demand for Mayor Anderson to relax border regulations on refugees, to the point of enforcing an open-border, sanctuary-campus policy. This is the most left-wing position possible; an over-the-top decision to make for a supposedly "common-sense moderate".
• She is a decency-hating hippie! Despite these private letters to "Dwayne" showing her true colours, she has consistently gone out in favour of so-called "Civil Liberties". She has consistently supported like-minded wishy-washy candidates in the big city elections, but went out of her way to defend the far-right candidate in the recent United Federation election, under the pretences that he would "defend their Constitution!" All this, combined with her current coalition status with the ideologically-opposed Freedom Caucus, makes her the wrong choice for students of colour, Violetist students, undocumented students, students with special needs, etc.
• She is implicit in vote-buying. We currently hold exclusive proof (to be released on Saturday 18th March) that Trincham has, time and again, disobeyed rules about bribing voters (mainly with foodstuffs). Whilst all other prospective candidates are using their lawful resources usefully, it is not in the spirit of the University to purchase votes or voters through audacious and non-approved funding campaigns. We at TinU must show that our values, our votes, our hope is not for sale! We already spunk $3,000 a year on tuition fees, and about $200 a month on room and board, so why should we pay any more?
• She has voted against her own party line! On important votes for bills like the Solidarity with Nationstateless Peoples Act, the Soda Levy Act, and the PASTA Act (Preventing All Suspected Terror Attacks), Trincham has consistently voted against the party line that she set out for her caucus - they fight for security, she fights against them! In fact, she was the only Committee Member to vote against the PASTA Act! This is the wrong sort of person to lead Tinhampton into a new future, which is supposed to involve all parties moving forward together in harmony.

Alison Trincham CM is supposed to be a centrist, but winds up instead as being an incoherent mish-mash of various political ideologies. This election season, we urge you to vote for somebody different. Consider voting for Ryan Baker's Progressives, who will push for real change in the Committee, and in the University as a whole. Do it for the University!

Printed by James and Company Printers, 13 Elephant Street, Tinhampton.
Promoted by Jane Simpson, of Student Hall 381, Newlands Campus; on behalf of Ryan Baker, of Student Hall 484, Northside Campus.

Of course, very little of it was true - there was no road in Tinhampton called Elephant Street, Alison Trincham had done none of this, the PASTA Act passed 57-49, and Student Hall 484 actually led to the residence of the leader of the Krytenia Appreciation Society - but it was to be a deathknell for somebody's campaign. The only question: For whom?

10th March 2017, 14:10 -- on the road
If we're being frank, the University was doing everything it could (through both political and non-partisan methods) to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. And so we come to this scene on the A3742; the three party leaders of the coalition sharing a taxi to Perpetua Campus; each addressing a like-minded group, trying to win them over to their side for perhaps the fifteen-zillionth time.
On the left was Premier Josh Wilkinson, planning a talk about the future security of Tinhampton, and how some compromises would have to be made to stay safe. On the right was Liam Wright, proposing to speak about reinforcing the PASTA Act, and fighting against any repeal plans that might have been in the pipelines. And sandwiched in the middle was Alison Trincham, target of much controversy in the election season, hoping to defend herself and attempt to forward civil liberties. Each of those plans needed to pay off that afternoon. I will leave you cliffhanging about what happened next. That's a story for the next bit.

10th March 2017, 14:30 -- Public square, Gateway Campus
Meanwhile, Henry Rach (the leader of the Environmentalist caucus) had no such problems in Gateway, mainly because he wasn't the biggest fan of powered vehicles. His speech was one that took good care to appeal to all, and so it carried valuable information for all. For the die-hards, there was to remain a focus on saving the planet, drinking soy lattes, and free university (one achievable, one harder to get, and the final one near-impossible in the face of stern resistance from the big people at City Hall). For the newcomers, there were plans to make freshers' fair better, greater, greener and generally more environmentalist-packed, as well as demands for divestion from fossil fuels and investion into renewable energy. For the vegans, there were audacious ambitions - not rock-solid plans, just ambitions - to get the canteen off meat. And for the TSU protesters... well, he didn't need any promises. He was one of their favourite candidates, anyway. However, this was not a feeling shared with the rest of University.

10th March 2017, 17:20 -- Public square, Coastal Campus
In all this time, it is surprising that I have failed to mention the Alliance for Security, and their leader, Leanne Potts. The AFS was a small but tight-knit grouping, the second-smallest caucus in the Committee, and were "uncontroversially controversial". They voted for measures to improve security and crack down on offenders of all sorts, whether they be commonly seen as conservative or liberal manouvers, whilst abstaining from anything that did not have a vague connection to security (which wound up being not a lot of bills). It was here, away from her now coalition-occupied campus and in a land which had almost opposite views to her politics, that she was to give possibly the biggest speech of her life.
It was make-or-break time. Now, or never. To hope, or to fail where many more would join her ranks. A knell that would send her to heaven, or to hell. Almost immediately, she kicked off. "It is a basic truth of Tinhampton University that outright fabrication of the truth is not desired, and the recent leaflet we have seen cropping up across the University as of late - "The Truth About Trincham" - is one of those fabrications. Whilst I might not be the biggest friend of Alison Trincham, and I certainly disagree with her on security, I will defend her manouvers on this podium, and attack those that purport to be the friends of the truth. Firstly, on the attack at Northside, and the subsequent controversy..."

11th March 2017 -- across Tinhampton University
It was soon to be time on election season, and so the speeches were made, and the people were listening, but few had their minds changed, and fewer still would be converted by these last-ditch pleas. The Conservatives spoke of how important it was to keep secure, whilst the Socialists were busy attacking the Conservative stance on the TSU, and the Progressives demanded reform of other sections. The Democrats demanded sensibility, while the AFS demanded security. The Environmentalists wanted a divestion-investion of what little the University held in fossil fuels, whilst the Freedom caucus were the main proponents of civil liberties. There was little remarkable to speak of, apart from perhaps the conclusory clauses of the speeches. Friday was soon to tick over into Saturday; with it, a suspension on campaigning. Here went one whole week of nothing.

[Eshan]

What Really Grinds My Gears
By Simon Pompilius

You know what really grinds my gears? Bread. And bologna. Bread and bologna pose to the great modern thinkers such as myself and to the world at large, however ill-informed, if informed whatsoever I dare say, the general population might be on the nuances of such a precise predicament. It really grinds my gears that bread is square and bologna is round. Why? Why have we arbitrarily decided these dimensions. These are matters of national importance. Shipping containers, grocery store set up, storage space in refrigerators, everything is different and wrong due to such an ill-conceived birth backed by the monstrosity of human error that is purely deciding complex matters and manifestations of the human soul on emotional grounds and refusing to examine the ramifications in a larger, more existential conversation between the universe and ourselves. That really grinds my gears. How do we determine which one is better? Not because of which one is more uniformly cut I guarantee you that my good sir.

You know what else really grinds my gears? A bye day on the second round of matches in World Cup qualification. You spend months, years, decades, your entire life living, breathing, sweating, bleeding pure Echani pride, pure desire to see the team win. There is no stopping it. When you are in the womb, you feel the rush of excitement that is simply be exposed to the Eshan national team in the World Cup or AOCAF competitions. You know that pride, it’s woven into the fabric of your being. It’s a continuous cycle of looking forward to the next match, forever chasing that sweet dragon from the first glorious time you see that brilliant and beautiful team play.

The moment we started looking forward to this World Cup was the moment our last qualification campaign campaign came to an end. Waiting for this time was excruciating; it’s brilliant to watch league football and cheer on Parisia or watch Marco van Ciavatinni ply his trade abroad in Ceni don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to the sheer pride and joy of watching the national team of Eshan go to battle in the modern arena of combat that is the football pitch.

So. You spend literally your entire life living and breathing for the next moment, which in this case was our opening match of the 78th World Cup qualifying campaign against Colonial Australia, whoever it is, doesn’t matter we’re still dying for this game.

We destroy them, like really wreck them 6-2 and shoot to the front of our group with a nice GD buildup on the first matchday. It feels amazing. Because it’s only one match you let yourself dream, we can’t win them all if we don’t win the first one, we have a decent group so why not?

So all of this hype is built up over the course of months and years, and in the larger perspective over the course of one’s lifetime, and it finally has a chance to explode onto the scene with a smashing 6-2 win and the sheer excitement and thrill is higher than ever before.

And

and…

…

And nothing. Matchday 2 is a bye day. What sort of hellish punishment is that? Who are we, what have we done to deserve anything remotely close to the doomsday feeling this casts upon the entire Echani society? It’s the worst case of a blocked buildup in the history of mankind, this is something that just shouldn’t be.

So we have to put the cork back on while more pressure builds up than ever before. There is some outlet in getting to watch other nations play; the footballing teams from Ethane, Ceni, Drawkland, and Semarland all claim the eye, and find me an Echani who doesn’t look upon the Starblaydi for their football and entire culture at large. There’s some opportunity to let a little bit of pressure out of the bottle, but not much. Now we have to wait for matchday 3 to see the national team play. We’re straining for it, just give us our damn soccer.

Waiting your entire life to watch your team play, building up hype beyond any sort of manageable level, destroying your first matchday and then……………having a bye day before your next game. No thanks.

And that, my friends, is what really grinds my gear.

---

Release of the National Socialist Echani People's Party Manifesto and a Speech by the Head of Party, Sergius Domitian

“My fellow Echani countrymen and women; my fellow comrades.

We stand on the great precipice of our time, for we have spent the past twelve years fading away into obscurity, our faces to the knives in a world where our very leaders act against the heart and interests of our great countrymen. We have suffered long at hard at the hands of masters who elevate themselves above the blood and the soil of the people, thinking that the people of Eshan serve a narrow purpose as a means to an end to enrich themselves without due caution for those who form the great spirit of our nation, and that is the people of this land.

My comrades, this meeting of true-hearted countrymen and women takes place just over a year from a date that is full of significance to the Echani people. Changes in government have occurred frequently in history and in the history of our people. It is an opportunity for the people, whether through peaceful democratic processes or a more dramatic and all together necessary battle for freedom, to express their collective will as to the future of their nation. Who, I ask those government elites who seem personally motivated to distance themselves from the good hearted, hard working people who they answer to, who is right to understand and charter the course of history for a nation? Is it those high class few who use the tools of economy and government to sap dry the breast that feeds us all? I myself to whom my fellow colleagues who have known as a careful man with foresight declare that that is is with the those people with a finger to the pulse of the nation that know what is best for the country, and that is you my friends and fellow patriots. It is within the hands of those who work the land, the mind of those great thinkers who drive forward innovations that benefit the entity of the Echani people, it is that which flows from the mother’s breast into the Echani child, it is a deep connection to the land, for the history and strength of our entire people, the power of all those generations of the past, that course through our veins from our conception where our blood as Echani is woven with the soil of our land.

Blood and soil give us claim to our heritage, and that is what makes us strong. There are those who seek to populate our lands, those who come from abroad, but they may never be trusted to act for the land and the people of the land in the same way one may trust a sunbaked, rough handed, hardworking native Echani. And this is the matter before us as a Presidential election draws close. Are we content with a failed, do-nothing conservative government? Are we content to watch the other parties and candidates contesting for the Presidency and the Senate operate with their own misguided interests at heart, rather than acting in the name and for the betterment of all Eshan?

My fellow comrades, I dare to say that there is no truth to those who simply pose as actors, and it is only through the National Socialist Echani People’s Party that those values and interests that are truly dear to the Echani condition as have developed and manifested through generations of red and white blooded Echani.

For while other candidates and parties act with a distinct approach in which the party elites and administrators are the only one’s who know the plan, that they are the masters and the followers are nothing more than children, they continue to miss the point, and fail to understand that which has driven our people for a millennia, that which lit the revolutionary fire from Erathore, that which lead to the creation of a magnificent sea-faring empire countless eons ago, the power is in our blood. The strength, the might, the intelligence, the complete and total superiority of our people over all others is something that they are too blind to see. But allow me to peel back the veil, my true-blooded comrades, for we know that which makes our heartbeat is responsible for our inherent capability to achieve all that we put our minds too.

For too long have we been content to let our natural-given talents go to waste. We are a people that can conquer the world with our might, run the regional economy with our intelligence and technological capability, and run the entire foreign policy of the region with our keen insight into worldly affairs and innate understanding of power and might.

It is with that understanding that I submit unto you my desire to represent our party as its Presidential candidate. The untapped capabilities is the greatest crime our nation has ever seen, and its willful propagation by our nation’s so-called leaders is something that must end and must be punished. I alone can fix our nation’s issues, I alone can navigate the complex issues that present our nation, the majority of them self-imposed limitations and something that will be cloven through with the unbreakable and everlasting sword of the people’s will. We will make Eshan great again, we will realize our nation’s potential and we will stop at nothing to achieve that.

As President, I will enact a robust plan that will forever shatter the shackles placed upon the Echani people and foster our rise to the forefront of the Atlantian Oceania power scene, I will usher in a new era of prosperity for all, a golden generation that will stand until the end of the time in a thousand year Echani empire.

My fellow countrymen and women, my workers, my patriots, my fellow true-blooded Echani, the National Socialist Echani People’s Party does not claim to confront the issues confronting our Republic as liberal or democratic or conservative, we oppose political reactionaries and those young aristocrats that fancy themselves as noblemen of yesteryear. We advance our nation forward on those democratic institutions and freedoms that have made our nation into the one that it is. Freedoms of speech and of expression, the right to say and believe whatever you want, the strength of our Senate and the integrity of our chambers are where the power and eternal strength of our country can be found.

As President I will pursue a 25-point plan that will make our country stronger and greater than ever, and see us take our rightful spot at the forefront of regional and international politics and power-brokering. This plan will unleash the power of our people by unlocking the tremendous potential that lays within the DNA of every true-blooded Echani citizen. It is a plan by the people and for the people, and in that sense it is a radical departure from all other ill-conceived plan put for in this race; for while this party fights for the best interests of the countrymen and women that will make this country great again, other plans are nothing more than smoke and mirrors, a thin veil designed to manipulate honest people into working against their own best interests. However, I also understand that a changing and improving nation means new goals will be needed, new faces desired, new minds employed. The programme of the National Socialist Echani People’s Party is designed to be of limited duration. The leaders have no intention, once the aims announced in it have been achieved, of establishing fresh ones, merely in order increase, artificially, the discontent of the masses and so ensure the continued existence of the Party.

The 25-point plan for the Party is as follows:

1. We demand the unification of all Eshan into a Greater Eshan on the basis of right of national self-determination.
2. We demand reparations from Erathore in the form of living land to be taken from native country and overseas holdings.
3. We demand land and territory to feed our people and to settle our surplus population.
4. Only members of the nation may be members of the State. Only those of Echani blood, whatever be their creed, may be members of the nation.
5. Non-citizens are permitted to reside in Eshan as guests and are subject to laws for aliens.
6. The right to vote on the State’s government and legislation shall be enjoyed by the citizens of the State alone. We demand that all official appointments, be they of any kind, whether in the Republic, in the states or smaller localities, shall be held by none but citizens.
   
   We oppose the corrupting parliamentary custom of filling posts merely in accordance with party considerations by appointing those whose only qualification is the amount they donated to the party, and without reference to character or abilities.
7. We demand that the State make its primary duties the protection of citizens from foreign and domestic attack and providing a livelihood for its citizens. If it is proving an undue burden and harming the State’s ability to provide for its citizens, foreign nationals must be deported from the Republic.
8. All non-Echani immigration must be severely limited in order to maximize resources to citizens of the State.
9. All citizens shall have equal rights in public and private settings, and equal duties of national responsibility.
10. All citizens must serve their nation and public interest through either mandatory military service or alternative national service.
11. It must be the first duty of every citizen to perform physical or mental work. The activities of the individual must not clash with the general interest, but must proceed within the framework of the community and be for the general good.
12. The severe restriction of incomes unearned by work.
13. In view of the enormous sacrifices of life and property demanded of a nation by any war, personal enrichment from war must be regarded as a crime against the nation. We demand therefore the complete and total confiscation of all war profits to the State.
14. We demand the nationalization of all essential public infrastructure, including but not limited to energy, water, voting, and transportation infrastructure.
15. We demand profit-sharing in large industrial enterprises.
16. We demand the extensive development of insurance for old age.
17. We demand the creation and maintenance of a healthy middle class, the immediate communalization of big department stores, and their lease at a cheap rate to small traders, and that the utmost consideration shall be shown to all small traders in the placing of State and municipal orders.
18. We demand a land reform suitable to our national requirements, the passing of a law for the expropriation of land for communal purposes without compensation; the abolition of ground rent, and the prohibition of all speculation in land.
19. We demand the ruthless prosecution of those whose activities are injurious to the common interest. Without regards to their social, political, or economic standing, all crime must be fairly punished under the word of law in the Republic.
20. The State must thoroughly reconstruct our national system of education with the aim of opening up to every able and hard-working Echani the possibility of higher education and of thus obtaining advancement. The curricula of all educational establishments must be brought into line with the requirements of practical life. The aim of the school must be to give the pupil, beginning with the first sign of intelligence, a grasp of the nation of the State. We demand the education of gifted children of poor parents, whatever their class or occupation, at the expense of the State. We demand that those Echani with specific intelligence and genetic markers are developed to reach their full potential by the State.
21. The State must ensure that the nation's health standards are raised by protecting mothers and infants, by prohibiting child labor, by promoting physical strength through legislation providing for compulsory gymnastics and sports, and by the extensive support of clubs engaged in the physical training of youth.
22. We demand an extremely robust and well-developed military capable of responding to all threats in the mission for living space.
23. We demand legal warfare on deliberate political mendacity and its dissemination in the press. To facilitate the creation of a Echani national press we demand:
    
    
    1. That all editors of, and contributors to newspapers appearing in the Echani language must be members of the nation;
    2. that no non-Echani newspapers may appear without the express permission of the State. They must not be printed in the Echani language;
    3. that non-Echani shall be prohibited by law from participating financially in or influencing Echani newspapers, and that the penalty for contravening such a law shall be the suppression of any such newspaper, and the immediate deportation of the non-Echani involved.
    
    The publishing of papers which are not conducive to the national welfare must be forbidden. We demand the legal prosecution of all those tendencies in art and literature which corrupt our national life, and the suppression of cultural events which violate this demand.
24. We demand freedom for all religious denominations in the State, provided they do not threaten its existence not offend the moral feelings of the Echani race. The Party, as such, does not commit itself to any particular denomination, rather it is convinced that our nation can achieve permanent health only from within on the basis of the principle: The common interest before self-interest.
25. To put the whole of this programme into effect, we demand the creation of a strong central state power for the Republic; the authority of the political central Parliament and an executive branch President over the entire Republic and its organizations; and the formation of Corporations based on estate and occupation for the purpose of carrying out the general legislation passed by the Republic in the various Echani states.

My fellow citizens, the leaders of the Party promise to work ruthlessly, to never tire in our efforts to translate this programme into action; if need be we will sacrifice our lives to bring this essential change to our people and free them from prisons of their own design.

These are not easy tasks my friends, the road to prosperity for Eshan is not paved with gold and in the sun. The future is what we make of it, and we will have to rely on our hands and our hearts, on our Echani neighbors, on our shared love of country and our connection to our heritage through blood and soil if we hope to make it the best for our country.

The challenges that face us are numerous, complex, and difficult to solve, it will not be a simple and straightforward path to completely realizing our potential.

And yet we choose to address these problems, we choose to make our nation a better one and to ensure prosperity for all Echani to come. We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard and challenging, and it is only through pushing ourselves is progress possible. These goals will serve to organize, nurture, and measure the best of our skills and all of our energy, as these are challenges we will rise time and time again to challenge, tasks we are willing to accept, those we can not postpone, and contests of national improvement which we intend to claim victory in.

We must understand that there will be those who will act against us, those in the media and of other parties that seek to lie, to misinform, to try and intimidate us into silence but we will never cower from conflict and run home with our tails between our legs; we are Echani, and we are stronger than those that stand in our way, and we will never go quietly into the night.

We are stronger than the others, and it is only through might and strength may our race and country continue to rise as the best of the best. Any weakling can bear winning, but only the strong can bear the strokes of misfortune that fate deals.

My friends and fellow countrymen, as we approach this historic occasion I must once again thank all those millions of unknown Echani, from every class and caste, profession and trade and from all the farmsteads, who have given their hearts, their lives and their sacrifices, in the struggle to create a new Republic. And all of us, gentlemen and members of the Party, hereby join together in tendering our thanks to the women of Eshan, to the millions of those Echani mothers who have given their children to the continued longevity of our great nation. For all our nation’s history, every mother who has presented a child to the nation has contributed by her pain and her joy to the happiness of the whole people. When I think of that healthy youth which belongs to our nation, then my faith in the future becomes a joyful certainty. And it is with a profound [feeling that I realize the significance of the simple word which those adventurers wrote when he picked up the pen in a new land for the first time--Eshan.

My friends it will take all of us wonderful idea of community which dominates our people. That this ideal, that our whole strength should be preserved in the coming year-this should be our wish today. That we will work for this community-let that be our vow. That we conquer in devotion to this community-that is our faith, one in which we are confident, and that the Lord should not abandon us in this struggle of the coming year-let that be our prayer.

Now go forward my fellow patriots and spread our message across the nation. Speak with your neighbors, educate your communities, speak of the truth and light and strength of the National Socialist Echani People’s Party and the ambitious plan to deliver untold prosperity to all true-blooded Echani.

[Flardania]

---

Kiri was pacing up and down with nervousness in the school's gym. The Basketball Club and the Volleyball Club both had off today and considering who she was going up against, the school allowed her to use the gym. Kiri felt she wasn't ready considering she hasn't tested her updated tactics and hasn't fought that way since the Baptism of Fire with Kirlia. Despite there being no official event in the gym, there was still a good showing.

"You can do it, Kiri!"
"You got this Kiri!"
"Marry me, Kiri!"

Kiri smirked as this was the first time she was facing Eura in her home literal court and not to mention he hasn't seen her in awhile as well which meant she could totally own her home field advantage. It was at that moment that Eura walked in.

"Flardania right?"
"It's Kirishima, we faced off before and I corrected you then as well."
"Is that so miss? Well regardless may we have a good battle."
Eura than tossed out his Pelipper.
"Oh we will, I will be amoung the greats like you and Sunrise are one of these days. This will be a great oppotunity to try a new tactic."
"Ehh a new tactic since when!"
"Um.....top secret? Never mind that let's battle Eura!"
"Not a problem miss but you've yet to bring out a pokemon"
"Oh sorry eheheh"

Kiri responded sheepishly before tossing out her Gardevoir. Gardevoir came out and glance at her Pokemon that she had since she was a ralts.

"Gardevoir I know I've let you down but no more metrics or analysis we are fighting our way like when we first came here! From now own it's going to once again be RUTHLESS AGGRESSION!"

Kiri decreed to a now pleased and fired up Gardevoir.

"Now then Eura, Let's get physical!"
"Well then come at me with your best."
Oh don't worry I will."

At that moment Kiri and Gardevoir both smirked. Oh did they have a surprise up their sleeves.

"Gardevoir use....Shockwave!"
"What!?"
"Shockwave! Hey Mellburg since when did Gardevoir know shockwave! Mel?"
"........woah........so powefull......so beautiful."

---

"Sceptile use leaf blade!"
"Too slow, Gardevoir use Moonblast!"

With that the gym got quiet before erupting into a loud cheer! It felt like the last time her classmates saw her, she lost decisively to a legend but this time she won decisively against a legend. Sure Eura wasn't the best like Sunrise was when she faced him but a legend is still a legend nonetheless.

"Impressive You earned that win but I hope you do know I'll be prepared for you next time."
"Of course and I hope you do know I have no intention of losing to you right?"
"Till next time.......Flardania!"
"It's Kirishima Damnit!!!"
"hahaha that is not what it says officially."
Eura walked out of the gym as Gardevoir and Kiri looked at each other sheepishly before laughing as her classmates stormed the court to give her praise. She got an important win against Eura but now it was a matter of keeping that momentum. "I will be even stronger next time Eura so prepare yourself." she thought optimistically while unknowingly being watched by someone. "Only a matter of time." The mysterious person stated before leaving. "Only a matter of time"

Opening Theme

---

Bonjour et Ohayōgozaimasu Kirishima. Welcome ladies and gentleman back to another World Cup 78 edition of the Kitsune Report, brought to you by the Nagatomo Sports Network (NSN) and sponsored by Air Pacifica, and Pocari Surge. Here at the Kitsune Report, it's all about Kirishinan sports matchday two of World Cup qualifiers have been completed, 135 teams, 30 spots and 16 matchdays to go, I'm your host, the fan you can count on to bring you Kitsune news Keitaaaaaaa Woo! Without any further delay let's get grooving to some world cup football yet again!

The Kitsunes returned to Kirishima following their disappointing 1-1draw against Soltseed in their qualifying opener. A result that was certainly disappointing for the fans, the players, staff, and certainly first woman KFA chairwoman Sakura Katsuragi. She has been trying to transition the Kitsunes from a team that is simply happy to qualify into a team that seeks to compete for silverware as well as become a respectable team that is well known by World Cup 83. Also known as the Holy initiative. Granted Soltseed is a very good squad that won the latest edition of the Baptism of Fire and came into the matchup at home with momentum. Furthermore, it's not like the Kitsunes lost the matchup. It was a draw and the Kitsunes got points on the board. The problem is that if you are the fans of the Kitsunes especially in the last few years anything outside of a win on Matchday one against an under 100 squad seems honestly like a bad omen. After arriving at Marquis de Laffayette International Airport in Heiwa, it was reported that Manager Seong Mi-Soo met with Katsuragi and former manager Hikaru Kyosuke to quote "Nip a potential issue in the bud." Now the decision made at this impromptu meeting was not revealed and the formation seems to be the same but Katsuragi and Seong both have said nothing outside of watching the match against Eura to find out.

Kirishima 4 - 0 Eura Review:

Going into this match both teams knew the results would be very important. Although it was only the second matchday it qualifiers out of eighteen and only the second game out of sixteen, anytime a pot one team and pot two team face each other, it's huge. Why? Well at least on paper both these teams are expected to finish at the top of their group. While you have many other teams who want to sneak into that top spot, it is much more comfortable and safer to get into the first position and focus on increasing the distance than it is to be second, possibly fighting for a playoff position that you might lose and chasing the top of the group while fending off everyone else. Eura has only faced Kirishima one time in tournament play in World Cup 76, Matchday 3 in Group B where Eura won 1-0 to send the Kitsunes home with zero points and Eura to the Round of 16 over The Holy Empire. One could say there is a small grudge from Kitsunes fans as they certainly did not want to be in a group with Eura although my analysis last broadcast showed why this wasn't all that bad. Nonetheless, both teams got ready to face each other in the Kirishinan capital of Heiwa at the Ostianae Magnaem Centre with Kirishima having some roster changes over the last match. Hojo was back in the goal taking over for Ai Takagawa, Son Dae-Han was in at Center Midfield for Pandazi Papadopoulos and Filipino refugee Miguel Tamayo was in at Right Back for Eizan Iwamoto.

Kirishima started off the game aggressive if not more so than usual. With Left Back Koharu Miyamoto coming up on the attack much more than usual. The Yabuta had a shot for the Kitsunes in the 2' but it was deflected by the defense leading in a corner kick which Ichikawa missed with an off-target shot in the 4'. However, Eura would not sit back and absorb the attack as they had shot attempts in the 10' and 19' minutes both of which were off-target. At this point, both teams had 2 off-target shots each but that would change in the 23' minute. During a Kitsune possession, Josuke Ichikawa delivered a cross into the box that Yabuta faked a header for before Guidice who was further down in the box was able to head into the goal, putting the Kitsunes up by one. In the 29th minute, the Kitsunes were rewarded with a free kick that was to be taken by the hometown girl who recently returned home after a stint playing abroad. With the energy of the crowd behind her, Izumi took a shot at goal that made it over the wall and into the net sending the crowd into a frenzy. Not only did the hometown girl score but it put the Kitsunes up 2-0 against Eura. Yabuta would try to make it 3-0 in the 37' but Eura was not going to allow that and the shot while on target were saved. Eura that started cool and collected felt the game slipping from their grasps and applied pressure to the Kitsunes. The opposition had two shots on target in the 40' and the 44' but Hojo saved them both. The two teams entered the half with Kirishima leading 2-0 with the shot attempts reading 4-4.

In the second half the fans in Heiwa were energetic knowing that if they could hold on for 45 minutes, they could win the game. Eura tried to make it a one-point game really quickly with a shot attempt in the 50' that was saved by Hojo. Kirishima would have two more off-target shots in the 58' and 63' seemingly unable to make the lead bigger but continuing their aggressiveness nonetheless. Eura had another on-target shot in the 67' but Hojo awarded herself another save, seemingly not only seeking to defeat the world-class opponents but obtain a clean sheet as well. Yabuta would strike in the 71' after a terrific lead pass by Ubukata who came in for Izumi in the 67' minute, putting the Kitsunes up 3-0 against Eura. Kirishima would have an off-target shot attempt in the 80' before Miyamoto would seal the deal during a corner in the 81' putting the Kitsunes in the position to win with a shocking four-goal lead. Eura tried to score one more time in the 85' but Hojo got yet another save and earned a clean sheet. Final score Kirishima 4, Eura 0.

Following the match, Seong Mi-Soo, had this to say after the game. "We had been struggling in general for the last few seasons because we paid too much attention to our few upset wins and not enough to how we usually perform. Back when I played in Bof 58 we had an offensively committed team that while almost did not escape the group stage, had a great run nonetheless. When we struggled in World Cup 72 we just kept changing things up thinking it was the play style that was the issue and not the team. We wanted something that could give us upsets and not necessarily wins. The formation we got in the 4-3-3 ballista is better than the 4-4-2 we used to run but our play style than needs to be that now. Our formation is better equipped for it and we have much more offensive talent now than we did then from Guidice, Mizoguchi, Miyamoto, and so on. We need to stay focus and get more use to such a significant adjustment and take advantage of this victory. "

Kirishima 4-0 Eura 
R.Guidice(23')    
A.Izumi(29')
J.Yabuta(71')
K.Miyamoto(81)

Sulsuland v Kirishima Match Preview

Not much is known about the next opponent but Kirishima heads on the road to face Sulsuland who are ranked 120th. While they are ranked 120th, that is better than Soltseed that are ranked 154th and drew with the Kitsunes. The Kitsunes can not look past their opponents if they want to get another 3pts before the break. Until next time, Lets Go Kitsunes!

Post by: Keita Woo

[Cassadaigua]

Brittany’s Blog,
(A blog from captain Brittany Byers)

When we returned from our long hiatus, if you told any of us that our first win since our return would be in Pasarga, I do not think any of us would have believed it. After losing our first game, and do not worry, I am going to address in this blog some of the problems that our team has with being treated like an opening act to the main event, which seems to be baseball games between other nations, we were ready to go to Pasarga. We also knew that we might be in tough. There are a lot of people out there who would have been fine with us losing. On the second matchday, what business does an unranked team have going onto the home turf of a top-15 side, and defeating them? I wish I could tell you we did something amazing before this game, or we discovered some great secret about them that allowed us to get the win. Or, I could make up a catchy story about us channeling our World Cup glory to get the win. That would all sound great, but none of that happened. Pasarga outplayed us.

Except for in the 40th minute. I am not sure what shots on target were exactly at that point, but let’s just say that we should all be groveling at the feet of our goalkeeper, Kristen Speller. Maybe she can say that she had some World Cup champion reincarnation, but the rest of us were simply along for the ride. In that moment, though, the stars aligned for us. The ball came to me, and I had just enough time and space to fire a long ball ahead to Hannah Ranucci, who was making a move down the right wing. She was going to be covered, but the play made sense, so I sent the ball to her. Then, we got a break. Jürgen Gottschalk slipped and fell, and this allowed Hannah to have plenty of room, and to also keep the play onsides. Other Wanderer players tried to compensate for their teammate’s slip, but Ranucci was not going to be stopped here, and was ready to take her shot. Aswad Munif Shalhoub hadn’t done much of anything all game. After all, Pasarga had the vast majority of the possession at this point. Ranucci, who had a golden opportunity taken away from her against Red Blackiland, seemed to learn from that and made no mistake with the placement.

Just like that, the Pasarga crowd grew quiet. They controlled the game in every aspect, except that scoreboard that read, “1-0, Cassadaigua”. It did not take them that long to start getting loud again, as they were very confident that they would be able to get the equalizer. Going into halftime, we knew it would be a tough final 45 minutes, and as we took the field, the crowd seemed to expect that there would be a score immediately. The Wanderers again seemed to take control of the game, but we had the defensive answers. With the lead, we could fall into a defensive shell, and moved into a 5-4-1 formation. Our positioning was good, and Pasarga had some chances, but their biggest chances were in the first half. As the game neared the conclusion, we could hear some of the disappointment in the crowd. They know they’ll fine, we sensed that too, but by the same token, maybe some fans in the stands went home and reminded their kids that two different days, a long time ago, the unranked team was on top of the soccer world.

Alright, so with that said, I know that people want me to talk about the Red Blackiland game scheduling where we placed in between two baseball games. We criticized the field conditions, because the ground was not prepared properly for soccer. Any little divot in the ground can be frustrating, and with the baseball being played here, there was not time for them to do anything but paint the field lines, it seemed. That is disappointing. This was our first home back since an eternity, and to be put on the back burner was something that we found insulting. Maybe if our baseball team was playing, it could feel better, but they were not even involved. Cassadaigua is a large country with many cities and stadiums capable of hosting major sporting events. If the baseball was already scheduled here, then why could we not play somewhere like Brattleboro instead? Our next game is home against Anthor, and that works, because there is an off day for the baseball series between the semifinals and the finals. But what about the rest of the series? As of right now, we are still scheduled to play in Concord Heights. I don’t really know about that. I want it to work out, but I have to wonder about that.

So, that is what we are thinking when we talk about the stadium issue. It simply should not be an issue. We’re better then that!

[Kalumba]

The Great Attractions of Kalumba

Published by the Tourist Bureau of Kalumba

Number Three
Great Simboae


While the previous two entries in this guide have been for purely natural attractions of our nation this entry concerns one of the most impressive pre-modern structures in all of Southern Afrosia, if not the entire world. Great Simbaoe is a monumental ediface constructed from nearly one million granite blocks carved by hand by the men who built it.

It is still unclear who exactly built the settlement which consists of nearly two hundred individual structures within a great external wall and would probably have housed nearly twenty thousand people. Most scholars believe that Hita tribesmen built the settlement, possibly utilising Uhali captives, but this is not certain. Parts of the structure seem to predate Hita settlement and some have suggested that the ruins are the only remains of a lost civilisation.

What is known is that the ruins date from the thirteenth century and were abandoned sometime in the late sixteenth century by whoever inhabited it. The ruins have yielded many artifacts, but little about the people who left them there. The most impressive artifacts recovered were the soapstone kudu carvings which have formed such a central part of Kalumban iconography, however the kudus were not made in Simboae or by the people who built it as they date from 400 BC.

Further reading on Great Simbaoe can be found on it's dedicated visitor site; http://iiwiki.com/wiki/Simbaoe

Great Simbaoe is located near the coastal town of Grantjie, which for the more adventurous tourist offers both whale watching trips and the opportunity to swim with great white sharks during the summer months. Throughout the rest of the year the waters off the coast are considered excellent surfing territory and draw many a visitor. So if you are either an archaeology buff or a thrill seeking surf dude the town of Grantjie and the ruins of Great Simbaoe are well worth a visit.

Don't Delay, Visit Kalumba Today!

[Scottopian Isles]

Bluebirds Bounce Back


Baxters & Goulding celebrate with Ferguson, who later was named Man of the Match, after he leveled the score in a vital home game against New Lusitania & the Algarves

It was a night to remember in Scottopia City where the national team scored twice in the last 25 minutes to edge out their competitors and gain their first points of the World Cup Qualifying campaign. After gifting a free kick to the opposition at the 38th minute mark, the defense failed to clear the blocked attempt on goal before a poaching forward was able to toe the ball into the goal, placing the Lusitanian-Algarvian side in the drivers seat minutes from half time. The bluebirds had 2 additional shots on goal before the whistle was blown but it was to no avail and they headed into the tunnels 1-0 down.

Newly appointed manager Douglas McCann, fresh off a successful AstyCup campaign must have made his money in the lockers at the break, where a change in formation was enacted with Van Drimmlen swapped out for Jonstone in the defensive zone. Reports indicated that he may have pulled a hamstring in his left leg during the first half and was taken out as a precaution. Going from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3 gave the visitors a harder time to push through in the second half, where the Scottopians began to grind away at the offense, baiting them into runs & plays that did not benefit them at all, closing down any potential crosses.

It was at the 67th minute when Urquhart Rampants midfielder Angus Ferguson ran onto the ball to beat a defender and cracked a rebounded shot from 20 yards out nailing the top corner of the woodwork and into the net. The keeper had made a good effort to get a hand to it but it was not enough to alter the balls coarse away from the goal. Had he not touched it, the ball would have avoided the post and gone into the net regardless, making it a 1-1 game.

Scottopian Isles supporters groups gather outside of Parliament prior to the march to the Scottopian Isles National Stadium for the 1st Home game of World Cup 78 Qualifiers

The Tartan Army, who had met up outside the Scottopian halls of government in the capitol city & marched through the streets in the warm tropical sun, were finally treated to what they had waited so long for. Both the Bluebirds & their visitors had lost their first opening match for the Qualifiers, placing all the more pressure upon the current one. Fans who minutes before had anxiously looked at the clock, were now on the edge of their seats seeing how the squad would react. Would they hunker down with the new formation and play a defensive match to make sure they pulled away with a point? Or would they take the game to New Lusitania & the Algarves to attempt to steal all the points away?

At the 75 minute mark, 2 changes were made for the Home side. McEdison was transferred out for Craig White, the New Greenock FC captain to carry on the defense in the closing minutes while David Watt was swapped out for striker Hernandez. Watt played for Scottopia City, as did Baxters & Peterson who were also up front in the match, where the manager relied upon the trio's personalized team chemistry to find the result the Scottopian Isles was waiting for, and he did not have to wait long. For immediately following the throw in, midfielder Santos dribbled up the field and crossed the ball squarely to the center of the box finding Ferguson who headed the ball towards the goal.

A deflection of the goalkeepers body kept the ball alive and in play, where a scramble ensued within the goal box to clear it. Within the chaos, several visiting defenders gaffed at the worst time, probably tired from the tropical heat, where thinking the other would secure the ball for the clearance, gave way for the fresh legs of Watt to slip past them with the ball. At a furious pace, he took the last defender on 1 vs 1 before chipping it sideways to the awaiting feet of Peterson with a shot lined up. The sell-out crowd of 100,000 fans all had a simultaneous heart-attack as he overstepped the ball, following through with a kick however that sent the keeper diving to the left hand side. All the while, the ball trotted along the grass finding Baxters who placed it calmly in the back of the net to the frenzied cries of the home crowd.

The ScotStand erupted into a jubilation for the remaining dozen or so minutes left in the contest, where a secure and organised defense was put into play. The Scottopians wasted a good portion of their hard earned possession in the final 10 minutes, constantly clearing the threats to their lead, but in the end its the score that counts and not the statistics. They ended the match 2-1 taking all 3 points from the event, placing the Scottopian Isles mid-table in 5th place to the cheers of the home fans. A good earned result before the Bluebirds head off to Valladares to face the World Cup 75 Runners-Up in their 3rd Qualifying match.

Elsewhere in Group 8, the United Socialist Alpine Republics took their first bye round where they now sit in 8th place with 0 points. Kecrazia shocked Valladares at the Greukler Stadion to give the home side a 2-1 victory placing them in 1st place in the group with 6 points & a +2 Goal Difference. Vallerdares now sits in 4th with 1 win & 1 lose a piece. Jeruselem and Cosneolta had to share the spoils after the squads drew 2-2. This is Jeruselems second tie in as many games putting them in 6th place where as Cosneolta climbed up to 2nd place following their victory over ourselves last game. Electrum started their campaign off right with a 2-1 victory over visiting Kosovakia, who now slump to 7th.

[Kel Assuk]

Continues from Here

The Baptism of Fire
Chapter 7: Return to Kel Assuk and Celebration (Part 2)

After the line of well-wishers and onlookers had come down to a trickle, and Eric and his team breathed a sigh of relief as they were now done with the awkwardness of the congratulations line. The team then trooped inside for the feast to wish them celebrations. Unfortunately, that wasn't much better for the team; a bunch of Kel Assuk Board of Sport honchos made rambling and soporific speeches, and Eric almost felt like he was going to go to sleep before he could get to eat the big plates of food set out on the table. Of course a toast was proposed, and the gathering raised their glasses collectively to congratulate their team. Then the congregation asked Eric to make a speech, and he awkwardly got up and mumbled a few words of praise of his team before sitting down. He was given a polite smattering of applause. At this point, the KABS crowd wanted to do more speechifying, but nobody else really did, so somebody decided to make the big honchos at the top of the table shut up. Everyone could now dig in.

At the heart of the meal was the traditional couscous, of course, as well as the staple tajines of Kel Assuk; the principle tajine, or traditional Amalen stew, on offer was one with chicken and plums, which had a nice tang to it. Special lamb barbecue mechoui was the main course. Eric could smell the whole lamb roasting on his way in, and the taste of the thing was simply magnificent. Everything was accompanied by mounds and mounds of the flatbread taguella. He dug in to his meal, gobbling it down quickly as if famished; the hours and hours of speeches had made Eric fairly hungry. He washed everything down with a glass of eghajira, a thick, sweet drink that went well with everything on offer. Around him, the members of his team ate equally quickly; they were ready for a taste of home after two weeks of the tastes of Spaam.

After the celebratory meal, Eric gathered the team together for a conversation about the upcoming World Cup. "Alright. That was the Baptism of Fire - you saw what that was like. Now, we're coming up to World Cup qualifications - which are a whole different ball game. It will be hard. It will be tough. It will be long. We will face hard teams, and we will face easy teams. It will not be a snoozefest, it will not be easy." The team murmured among themselves, probably about the campaign to come. "Tomorrow, you have the day off. Do whatever you want, but take it easy on yourselves. Wednesday, training starts again. We will be as prepared as we can be - I don't know if that will be enough, but we will do our best, and that's all I can ask of you. See you soon."

---

KEL ASSUK WINS FIRST WORLD CUP MATCH IN BONGO JOHNSON

The Baptism of Fire 3rd place winners notched their first win of the World Cup qualifying campaign against unranked Bongo Johnson in their first ever away match and only second game of World Cup qualifying in a 0-2 victory over a squad with very little experience playing in World Cup matches, although one could say the same for Kel Assuk. The side itself, though, has a long history in the World Cup, first playing in World Cup 61.

Both teams started out rather slowly in a sparsely attended home match. The first half proved to be a bit tough for both teams as neither team was able to do much in the sticky humidity of the stadium in Bongo Johnson's capital Murbley. Bongo Johnson's goalkeeper, whose name (and the names of the rest of the squad) had not been released to the press as of the time of publication, made an excellent save against Isula Azellay's shot from the left, while Saden Khalej's one-on-one shot from the middle landed just wide. Bongo Johnson didn't put much pressure on the ball in the first half, which left Kel Assuk high and dry. At halftime, neither team had scored a goal, much less had very many chances on goal.

Kel Assuk broke through in the second half of the match, when Saden Khalej broke through the Bongo Johnson defense in the 61st minute of the match and made up for his earlier mistake by chipping the ball over the goalkeeper. Saidi Ait Ahmed followed through twenty minutes later with a screamer down the left side of the goal after a pass from Ashur Ben Hassi left Bongo Johnson's defense unprepared for his strike. Bongo Johnson didn't have many chances throughout the match, but Karim Khattabi, in for new goalkeeper Aksil Saidi-Sief, who was out with a slight concussion suffered in the match against Tumbra (he will be ready for the next match against Hirvania) was able to coordinate the defense well and deny the few attacking chances that Bongo Johnson did have.

The team will next face Hirvania, the #100 ranked side in World Cup play, who lost their first two matches, to Tumbra and to HUElavia. It could be an interesting encounter, as Hirvania is 51 spots above Kel Assuk in the rankings but only about 2 KPB points ahead of them overall. The match leaves Kel Assuk sitting in 5th place in their World Cup group, behind Baptism of Fire compatriots Löptsegl (which the team beat in the Round of 16 of the tournament) and ahead of the group's second seed Abanhfleft, who had the bad fortune to lose to San Jose Guayabal on the first day of play. Kel Assuk, meanwhile, hopes to put their opening-day loss to Tumbra, number 40 in the world and the group's third seed, behind them and move up in the rankings.

The team's coach Eric Desmond thinks that the team can probably get fourth in the group overall, and get valuable World Cup qualification experience. "This win was a step in the right direction," he said. "I know our team has the talent and drive to succeed on the international stage, and this win was an important confidence builder. However, we still have a long way to go in this campaign and it will be a long slog for our team. I only hope that there will be more success for us down the road, but you never can tell." Bongo Johnson's coach was unavailable for comment.

[Red Blackiland]

Red Blackiland Sports and Off-topic Chronicles

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Red Blackiland achieve a big triumph over Drawkland

RB supporters watching the victory over Drawkland

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Author : Mathias Gërdorffen

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Red Blackiland had no trouble winning the Drawkland team on Saturday night for the second round of Group 10 of the World Cup Qualifiers, which in this edition will be held at Cosumar and Bonesea. Playing at Red Glorious, the home team put a 5-1 lead in the Dragons' home team and continues to fight for the lead of Group 10, especially after Pasarga's loss to Cassadaigua, even though it was only at the beginning of the competition, with a lot of Still to be disputed. Schwartz, Eberhard, Marckeiller, Silverplatz and Diechmann made the goals for Red Blackiland and Archer discounted a penalty for the visitors.
Favorite for departure, Red Blackiland started pushing, but it was Drawkland who by very little did not open the scoreboard at Red Glorious. Cross received the ball in the entrance of the area and hit hard. The ball passed from Hargreaves and hit the foot of the goalkeeper's right post. Red Blackiland arrived soon after and opened the scoring. The ball looked to have taken a deflection on the way in, but he's claiming it!
Minutes later it was Silverplatz's turn to extend the count to the home team. Beckenstander rolled over to the midfielder to hit first from the entrance of the area, he still counted on the deflection of the rear to take away the opponent's goalkeeper of the move. Drawkland narrowed the lead with Archer, who took a penalty shootout and saw Hargreaves fall away from the ball. Peter's side still scored the third before the final whistle. Carmona received in the area and rolled on the whim to Diechmann beat placed in the corner.
With the advantage on the scoreboard, Red Blackiland was up for Drawkland, but the visiting team held the pressure in the early minutes and cheered at the attacking field. Seeing his team tired, Peter put Eberhard and Ferreth. The changes of the coach were affectionate and Eberhard extended the advantage for Red Blackiland. Schwartz received on the left and crosses for Eberhard to catch first, angry, and score the fourth goal. Marckeiller would seal the big victory in the sequence. Carmona takes a corner kick for Marckeiller to receive the ball in the left side of teh area, dominate in the chest and kick the ball to the net before the goalkeeper's exit. Schwartz still lost a goal on Everett's face when he tried to kick the ball. Thompson, for his part, tried to finish by the left upper side of the goalnet's, but the ball missed the target.

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Drawkons Wise Warriors: The next game of Das SpielHaus

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Learn about the dragons in the land of Drawkland

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Group Quests #1 - Alone in the Drawklands

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One of Leilara's spies and agents reported a man, calling himself Bondi Marrick, dressed in Enskrik'en uniforms and last seen travelling through the Drawkland Drawklands. With so many Enskrik'en disappearing in the wake of the Celestial Nagallah's death, Marrick should be interrogated. This quest is automatically triggered after the second one, The Ongoing Enemy.
Just travel to the Drawklands, where you can find Bondi northwest from the hill camp. He's located at the opposite side, of the place's lake, so the player-controlled charachter needs to turn around it. The player will find him rallying a couple of conscripts to fight off the gangsters, who will attack shortly afterwards. When talking to him after the fight, he offers to join the Insection.

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Group Quests #2 - Remembering the good old times

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After recruiting Bondi, you'll discover that he possesses maps that shows old Enskrik'en camps, bases and centers through Drawklands and Tunidria. The Enskrik'en members who abandoned these camps may have left behind artifacts of interest to Bondi. The quest will automatically be given to the player after speaking with Bondi, in Smallah'ch. Two of the items are located in the Drawklands, one is in the Calane'd shoes showing maps of deep structures and roads of Enskrik'en camps and in the northwest at the forest, you can find griffon feathers. Another two are in Rain Sanctuary, in an abandoned camp, you'll find some Enskrik'en Pacts Papers, and in the northeast in another abandoned base, you'll find the Enskrik'en General's Badge. Other two items are in Revelen Falls, a rainy-fog location, you can reach a Enskrik'en home, behind the locked door on the upper level of the entrance to garden keep, also contains important mosaics and fine tools. A Enskrik'en banner can also be found at some boxes on the far-left near the house, in one of the Genskrih Enskrik'en Leadership Base. In the Klienein, a arid and expanse band of land in the southeast Tunidria, you can find the two-penultimate set of items, a Enskrik'en sword in the top of a wood tower, and a bottle of Dhubhaich (sleeping beings called Catach manifested in the form of powerful and terrifying dragons blood, the story tells that the Catach teached the elf-mages and another people how to use magic and develop powers) blood, inside an abandonated Tekri fort. The last two can be found inside the Riabhaich's Vigil at Bhiocair, a cold and craggy castle-region filled with elf-mages ruins. A Enskrik'en armor, in the landmark's room and a royal chalice is in the top of a balcoon at the altar in the far-left from the landmark's room.

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Mainstory Quest #3 - Paranoias and Behaviours

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This mainstoryline quest mission starts right after exiting Brand Ashkal'ech during The Ongoing Enemy. Great Magician Eretreah calls the player and invites him to a meeting in Shenich Temple. You must meet the elf-mages in Shenich before the operation becomes available on the war control desk. You can either choose to side with the elf-mages or templars/warriors. The Shenich Temple and the elf-mages who could close the crack are under the command of Master Imler Mhaighstir, a Dhuinnian 'globalist' believer. Dhuinnians generally are globalists working to sow chaos in other nations across Aekras, they truly thinks that the Gensinkach will restore the glory of Bruis, although they are not officially registered in any means by the Bruisian Empire, longest existing human nation in the world of Aekras, the universe of Drawkland.
Mhaighstir has an unhealthy interest in the player, and the power to reorganize time and space itself and nicely invited him to the castle without company to negotiate, but for Leilara it's a obvious ambush, however she says that her spies and agents can remove the Dhuinnian menace, while distracting the Mhaighstir's attention, it's dangerous but for Leilara, a very good opportunity. Return to Smallah'ch to discuss Eretreah's offerings with your counselors.
When you reach the Smallah'ch again, a cutscene begins, everyone tells their opinions about which group to approach for help sealing the crack. If you choose to side with the elf-mages, the quest goes on. As the group approaches Shenich, a rift opens just outside the main gate. This rift will be different from other rifts encountered at the moment. With spawning devils and creatures, time distortions on the ground will happen, in forms of arrows or circles, arrows will make the devils slower, but the circles makes them faster, including the attack's velocity and the time to destroy the rift.
A member of the group and the player will talk about these distortions after the rift is closed, and the guard will return and open the gate. After passing through the arch, a scene begins in which an Insection agent will inform to the player that no one was expecting them. A mage named Lisard will then arrive and say that a Master Imler Mhaighstir is in charge, but they can meet with Eretreah in the meantime. Now, on the way to the tavern, the group shall meet Riabhaich if he survived the attack of a village in Shenich, in a past quest which'll be explained here. Enter the tavern to begin a scene with Eretreah and she will claim that hasn't been to Brand Ashkal'ech since before The Celestial Enclave, an attempt to reach an alliance between the warring elf-mages and templars with the Dhrostain company as a neutral party to stand between them. Eretreah also tells the player that the rebel mages have pledged their service to the Bruisian Empire. Master Imler Mhaighstir will show up at this point, and the player starts to negotiate with him to acquire the assistance of the elf-mages but they are interrupted when Mhaighstir's son, Chemaichili, falls into the arms of the player, however this is a merely evasion to pass a note to the player, then concerned about his son, Mhaighstir leaves with Chemaichili and Eretreah telling the player that they will have to continue later, right after the player are leaving, he reads a note: ''Just come fast to the Mecha'dah, you're in danger.''
You can also find new Insection text entries before leaving. When exiting the tavern, go to the right and fall down into the grass. The elf-mage who greeted the group when they first entered Shenich, Lisard will be standing near a tower and the player can choose to speak to him, he asks to the player if really wants to ally with the elf-mages, you can respond that mages should be free, with all of your counselors disapproving, or that Lisard sounds dobtful, or that he should be contained with the approval of all the counselors. Now, go to the Mecha'dah.
Upon reaching the Mecha'dah, the group will find a elf-mage fighting off Vallash Demons, and he asks for assistance closing the rift. The temporal distortions will be present again, so the group needs to use them to their advantage. Right after closing the rift a cutscene triggers, and the elf-mage introduces himself as Arailt MacBhraonaigh and he will explain his relationship with Mhaighstir as well as how Master Imler managed to arrive before the Insection. He explains that Mhaighstir is using his wildly unstable, and it's unraveling the world, the player can asks for evidence or says this is a lot to swallow or that don't trust in Arailt. Chemaichili shows up and explains that his father is involved with a group of Bruisian globalists, the Dhuinnians. He also tells the player that whatever he's done for them, he's done it to get to the player.
Now, you're back in the war desk, then a scene starts. Mhaighstir invited the player to Shenich to continue their negotiations, and it's obvious to everyone that the invitation is a trap again. So, Leilara remembers the secret passage that leads from the partially ruined windmill in the village near Shenich to the main castle, then the Insection decides to set a trap of its own, requiring the player to distract Mhaighstir, while Leilara's spies and agents infiltrate the place via the secret passage. You shall have level 15 of energy to begin and only two other group members can go to the mission with you as Arailt is locked. This is the point of no return with regards to which group you side with. Once you commence this operation the templars are no longer an option.
A long cutscene starts with the player's group arriving at the castle. Mhaighstir reveals that his motive in all this is to cure his son, as Gensinkach promised it could be done. Mhaighstir says to Eretreah that she would not have turned her followers over to his care if she did not trust Mhaighstir with their lives, the player can respond that they should include her or that Mhaighstir simply ooze trust or get right to the bussiness. Mhaighstir says so that The Insection needs mages to close the crack and he has and asks the player what shall he offer in exchange. The player can say that they have connections (with the disapproval of Manuela), nothing (with approval of Manuela), or that Mhaighstir wants the player dead (with approval of Manuela), or talking about magic or request Mhaighstir to tell him about the Dhuinnians. Mhaighstir asks Chemaichili what he done, the player can respond that the son is just concerned about Mhaighstir (with the approval of Serata), or that Mhai's trap has already failed (Dark Wrath approves) or asks why are he really in such place, then Mhaighstir says that he's nothing but a mistake. The player so, can ask what was supposed to happen or what's the mark or who killed the Celestial Nagallah. Mhaighstir now tells that the Gensinkach has power that the player would not believe and he will raise the Bruisian Empire from its own ashes. The player can ask who's the Gensinhack (Seratas approves), or says that Mhaighstir is a fanatic (Dark Wrath approves) or asks what kind of power he has.
After all the conversation, Mhaighstir uses a bracelet to create what appears to be a rift. Arailt attempts to block it, but chaos ensues and the scene fades out. The player and Arailt lock up in a jail cell, which surprises a couple of guards, who will then attack. Now, you can have control of Arailt, then as soon as the battle starts, open the character record and put points into his abilities and adjust his tactics and behaviors. After defeating all the enemy guards, a cutscene starts showing Arailt surmising that the rift not only moved them to a different location within the castle, but a different time. Use the conversation to investigate to learn more about it. When you regain control of your charachter again, pick up the jail key from one of the defeated guards and move ahead. The stairs to the far-right lead to an end without exit but somethings to loot. Arailt will make comments on the conservation state of the castle. Return to the bifurcation, take the other set of stairs at the far-left, you'll find a larger room and Lisard will be in the first cell on the upper-right. Meet him for a brief dialogue.
Continue and then, the player and Arailt will end up in a large cavern of sorts, however, Dhuinnians Shale'dech are blocking all the way north, east and south, and there is a passage to the west that is raised, for the moment. The remaining members of the group can be found in the jail cells to the far-south. But the location of these cells depends on each member of the group. Down the stairs heading to the west, the first set of jail cells are on the left with Seratas, Dark Wrath and Menech'lech. The second set of cells is down the next couple of stairs and through the door on the north, you can find Manuela and Cvallach in there. The final ones are located more down the first ones, yet another set of stairs, find Bondi there. Then, the first rescued member of the group informs the player that the Gensinkach is the real threat, not Mhaighstir. They will also explain that the Empress of Tunidria was killed and Gensinkach has a powerful devil army at his command. Another rescued member will say that they overheard the guards saying that Mhaighstir never leaves the throne room. Just leave the cells and heads toward the northeast road to find Eretreah in a cell and a cutscene triggers, she reveals that a year and a half has passed and that Leilara is somewhere in the castle.
You shall find Leilara. So, head back upstairs, the sound of the drawbridge lowering will be heard, a group of Dhuinnian will be guarding the newly opened path. Head up the stairs again to reach out the barracks where you can find a lot of supply boxes. When ready, proceed up the next set of stairs to the torture rooms, at the top of it, another set of stairs, the group ill hear a torturer plying his trade on a victim, don't try to save her as the death is scripted, the torturer is Hùisdean and a elite nature-states orb speller, so you can expect a very difficult enemy to fight against. Right after, continue down the corridor and as you approach the door on the right, and another torturer will be heard working but this time on Leilara, open the door to start another cutscene, then kill him. Pick up the key by the dead torturer. Proceed and you'll emerge in the room. Enter the next door and the mark will begin to glow, indicating a fade rift is up ahead. After closing the rift, turn the gear to raise the gate and proceed up the stairs to the docks. Just move ahead quickly to witness a couple of elf-mages sacrifice themselves for the Gensinkach and three Shenikkans will spawn in their place. There is another supply box nearby. Move up more stairs to emerge in the greenyard.
Proceed up one of the sets of stairs and another fade rift appears. It's good to remember that an elf-mage can use spells to prevent any Vallash Demons or Devil from spawning, which certainly helps on higher difficulties. If you have a rogue in your group and don't want to fight at all, you can use stealth, command your followers to disengage and just run through the yard. The enemies won't follow you into the castle. Another rift will be encountered. The group will finally enter another part of the castle, the MacIllOnfhaidh High Platform. Enter in a corridor, enter the first door on the left, Riabhaich may be here in front of the fireplace, but he will commit suicide to avoid becoming an abomination or creature. An orb-speller newspaper can be found on a desk, which gives further insight into Mhaighstir's paranoia and behavior. Mhai's letter can be found on a desk directly across the corridor, and it hints at what exactly is wrong with Chemaichilli, the group will come to a larger room which contains another supply and ammo box, just proceed down the stairs to the MacIllOnfhaidh High Platform.There is a orb-speller and hitmans inside the next room, as well as a few Vallash Demons, who will attack the hitmans but not the orb-speller, the hitman can kill only few Vallash Demons but without a doubt, will be defeated. After it, the Vallash Demons will take formations and positions in the room after the death of the hitmans, your group can move in now, then a second wave of Vallash demons spawns from the fade rift at the right. Once all the fighting is done, locate the loot that the orb-speller left, as it will contain a Refined Likitia fragment, approach the door, head towards the throne room, the group will have denied access, for the time being. Arailt comments and now four more of these will need to be found.

Drawkons - Locate the Refined Likitia

All the remaining fragments are being held by orb-speller, and the location of each of them is marked on the map. There is no proper path to take here. In the same level as you, one more orb-speller can be found, the group approaches the room, one of them will remark that the Dhuinnians are too busy praying to be guarding the room. The orb-speller is up a small landing, almost in the middle of the room. He is flanked by two hitmans and gladiator-warriors, right after entering the room, there is a ladder that leads to some scaffolding on the far-left which can be useful to stealth archer-kill the orb-speller from there. Head back to the main yard, proceed directly across to the other side but don't enter the door. You can find another supply and ammo crate in there, head upstairs to the MacIllOnfhaidh High Platform and enter the open archway into a corridor, you'll find the orb-speller in the first room of the left, with thirtheen Dhuinnian Shale'dech are guarding the area, they're positioned quite a bit away, so the orb-speller could be sneak attacked into oblivion before his help arrives. Another orb-speller is behind a desk adjacent to a northwest wall, in a ladder leading to more scaffolding proceed down the long corridor to the next room from where you had been before. He's being procted by three hitmans and four Shale'dech's. The last one can be found reaching both doors in the current room, the same one you killed the fourth orb-speller. This time the orb-speller is by himself in the middle room, hitting one of the walls to get to him will alert him immediately, then if a stealth sneak attack is in order, then it is best to just enter through the door directly to his room. A letter in the room's desk can be found and it describes what Leilara has been subjected to over this past year and half.

Drawkons - Fight Mhaighstir in the Room

Continuing to goes up the corridor and there will be a door then goes down the stairs to find yet another supply and ammo box. Enter the main hall and interact with the large door to trigger a cutscene, regardless of the choices, the group will be forced into battle with Mhaighstir. He is immune to all disabling effects, is perceptive, huge level of HP, but he's not immune to physical attacks, so he can be panicked, chilled, shocked and knocked down. Keeping him knocked down seems to be the easiest way to victory, so rogue and warrior skills are more useful in this moment. Right after he loses near half of his HP, he'll create a fade rift which spawns couple of Vallash demons and Shennikkans, and move behind an impenetrable shield by the throne, he will do this again when he loses another half or about 75% of his health, remember again that the time distortions will happen, the shield he hides behind will dissipate immediately after a rift is closed as this shield is connected to it. Then, the player will need to decide how to receive the rebel mages help. You can offer the the rebel mages a full alliance, saying that they are your allies, or conscript the rebel mages into the service of the Insection, saying that they are your prisoners. After defeating Mhaighstir and deciding about the rebel mages case, the player can then choose to recruit Arailt permanently. As mentioned above, praising that Bondi was heroic after bringing him to Shenich Temple fields. The quest ends as preparations to seal the crack are being developed.

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
World Cup Qualifiers 78

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And So We Begin

A new manager and new tactics: how will Ethane fare in the wake of these sweeping changes?

[...]

Cosumar 0–1 Ethane
A win that excites and amazes, this is the best of the pre-World Cup results for the Red Kites team. Facing the highest of all the ranked teams in Ethane's World Cup Warmup was never going to be easy for the team, especially on the back of a number of disappointing results and the lack of confidence in the Ethanian national team's leadership. However, in testament to the players, they were able to get out there and show what they are made of, delivering a victory for the Ethanians against the World Cup hosts.

The game started off fairly even with neither side dominating, but Cosumar was quick to take the initiative with a flurry of shots in the 20th minute putting pressure on the Ethanian defence. However, some magnificent goalkeeping work by Church ensured the game remained goalless, as it did for the remainder of the half, neither team really able to push forward and get a goal. The second half started off much the same, but the Red Kites found their feet again after the rest slightly quicker than the Azure Dragons were able to and took advantage of this. A mistake by Torbjörn Jorgensen in the 63rd minute allowed Mitchell to slip through the strong defensive barrier. A foul by Stig Söderquist just outside the box gave the Cosumarite a yellow card in the books and Mitchell a solid chance to score from a free kick. An eloquent shot saw the ball sail over the keepers head and into the top right corner of the goal, giving the Red Kites the lead in the game. The Azure Dragons tried to fight back, but they were unable to break the defensive line erected by the Ethanians who, in a break from the orders of their manager, moved into a more defensive formation to consolidate their lead and keep their goal safe.

This game yet again seems to show the flaws in Comi's style of football in comparison to the defensive style of football which the team is more used to. This can be seen not only in the low number of goals during the match - not to be expected as much with such an attacking style of play - and also the way the team effectively reverted back to the old formation later in the match to protect their lead, against the manager's orders to push on and attack more to build up a greater lead as a barrier to potential goals from Cosumar. It highlights the problem of disunity within the team and the lack of authority that Comi holds as manager and paints a stark picture for Ethane's chances not just in this qualifying period, but also in any football tournaments in the near future while Gavin Comi still heads up the national team.

Players
GK: Brody Church
LCB: Bruce Washington
CB: Darien Fear
RCB: Joshua Cook
LM: Kevyn Stidolph
CM: Dexter Stevens
RM: Branden Veresoto
CAM: Keith Snyder
LF: Dewayne Boivin (C)
CF: Samuel Mitchell
RF: Wilmer Jaurequi
Subs
'55: Seth Cunningham/Wilmer Jaurequi
'65: Thresa Desantis/Bruce Washington
'65: Malachy Qunilan/Dexter Stevens
Goals
Samuel Mitchell ('63)
Assists
Cards
Bruce Washington ('58); Branden Veresoto ('83)
Stig Söderquist ('63)

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Legatorum 3–5 Ethane
Ethane started off the World Cup with what should have been a relatively easy game; the second seed giants against the unranked newcomers to the World Cup. It certainly seemed that way, to begin with; Ethane dominated for much of the first half. The first signs of a dominant Ethanian team in this match came within the first few minutes when Boivin was able to hit a beautiful shot into the back of the net, setting the game up for a succession of Ethanian goals. The second of these goals came in the '23rd minute, when Mitchell managed a one-two pass with Owen to confuse the defenders and break through onto goal, providing him with a clear shot into goal around the keeper. A third goal for the Red Kites followed not long after. Owen was fouled by a player from Legatorum - a dirty slide tackle which sent him flying to the floor - who got off lightly with only a yellow card. However, it was close enough for a decent shot by Mitchell from the free kick, who took it with ease and placed it neatly in the bottom left corner of the goal. Ethane had appeared to have consolidated and solidified their lead in the game with a flurry of attacks, finally showing the new attacking style of Comi bearing some fruit.

However, confident in their position, the Red Kites slacked off a little going into the second half which allowed Legatorum to try to regain some of the deficit. They dominated possession for the first 20 minutes of the half which is reflected in the possession figures; in the first half, Ethane had 70% of possession overall but in the second half only had 44% possession - a sharp contrast. The first fruits of this renewed vigour from the opposition came with a stunner in the 51st minute, leaving the players and the crowd astounded. However, very quickly afterwards the team from Legatorum were able to take advantage of the sense of shock that had overcome the Ethanians and scored another goal in the 58th minute, firmly putting them back in the game. This domination of possession could not last for the underdogs though, who were very soon after the second goal overwhelmed by the pressure from the Red Kites. Peone was able to score a beautiful 4th goal for Ethane off the counter attack, assisted by a long-range pass by Joseph Owen, to firmly place Ethane back in the lead and reassert the authority of the Red Kites on the pitch. A fifth goal also followed, but not until the 84th minute. Owen was given a gift by the Legatorum goalkeeper, who effectively fumbled the ball to Owen's feet for him to gently tap it into the goal. Legatorum reacted with another goal in the 87th minute, but it was too little too late; the score was 5-3, and the game would end with that scoreline.

In terms of attack, this is a true representation of the ability of Comi's attacking strategy. Plenty of goals and a really aggressive pushing style to put pressure on the opposition team. However, in defence this game has highlighted some key vulnerabilities in the Ethanian national team; the Red Kites are more reliant on 4 or 5 at the back and so are not used to only having 3, resulting in the defence being overwhelmed on a fairly regular basis, even by weak opponents such as Legatorum.

Players
GK: Brody Church
LCB: Bruce Washington
CB: Darien Fear
RCB: Daniel Moore
LM: Kevyn Stidolph
CM: Dexter Stevens
RM: Branden Veresoto
CAM: Joseph Owen
LF: Dewayne Boivin (C)
CF: Samuel Mitchell
RF: Julian Harrington
Subs
'71: Thomas Peone/Julian Harrington
'82: Byron Sodl/Dexter Stevens
'86: Kyle Cooper/Darien Fear
Goals
Dewayne Boivin ('3); Samuel Mitchell ('23)('32); Thomas Peone ('65); Joseph Owen ('84)
Player A ('51); Player B ('58)('87)
Assists
Kevyn Stidolph ('3); Joseph Owen (''23)('65)
Cards
Samuel Mitchell ('51); Julian Harrington ('59); Darien Fear ('82)
Player A ('32); Player B ('45+1); Player C ('67)

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Lineup @ Mattijana
Players
GK: Brody Church
LCB: Bruce Washington
CB: Darien Fear
RCB: Daniel Moore
LM: Kevyn Stidolph
CM: Dexter Stevens
RM: Branden Veresoto
CAM: Joseph Owen
LF: Dewayne Boivin (C)
CF: Samuel Mitchell
RF: Seth Cunningham

[Ceni]

OOC: Of course, this RP takes place ICly after the two RPs that will (hopefully) follow this one, about Goleidas and Aralen winning their respective nominations; for some reason I didn't feel like writing those others today and skipped straight to this one...

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General election 2056: Who are the contenders for Prime Minister?

With the last of the party conventions wrapping up yesterday, the country is now in the home stretch of the 2056 general election as the parties have started to campaign for their candidates in each of Ceni's 14 districts in the quest to be the largest political party in order to form a government - either by an outright majority or through a coalition. Each of Ceni's five major parties will be fielding candidates in every district in that quest - so let's profile each of the five party leaders who will be competing for the chance to become Ceni's next Prime Minister.

Audrey Goleidas, formerly a professor of government and political economy at the University of New Oxford, has been leading the Social Democrats for four years now and is the incumbent Prime Minister. She recently survived two leadership challenges from both wings of her party, widely regarded as the big tent party of Cenian liberalism and social democracy, with a progressive platform that put her squarely within the center of her party, which proved to be a winning place to be. Goleidas describes herself as a globalist progressive who believes in the rising tide of globalization but would like to make sure that Ceni is not left behind in that rising tide and has enacted measures to ensure that during her term as Prime Minister, as well as modernize the transportation and housing infrastructure within Ceni. Most polls have acknowledged that Goleidas has been one of the most popular Prime Ministers in Cenian history, with a relatively high approval rating, thanks to voters perceiving her as a trustworthy politician who follows through on her promises. Gil Korova, the chief politics editor at Cenian Public Radio, notes that the Social Democrats have constituencies throughout the nation, but especially in the Big 3 cities of Cenial, City Centre, and New Oxford, as well as a competitive election record within the mainly Hispanic north. "Of course, Cenian cities have been traditionally liberal, and the Social Democrats are the primary party of liberalism within Ceni. They have a strong progressive bent, which endears them to a large portion of the Cenian population, and have strong themes of social justice running throughout their party platform, which is a theme that has been well received among the Cenian population so far. They are definitely my favorites to win the election."

Sevisa Aralen started out her career in environmental law before winning a reputation as an effective environmental activist, which included a stint as head of the Cenian Sustainability Initiative, and winning election as a MCA and party leader of the Greens; she currently serves as the Minister of Energy and the Environment in the Audrey Goleidas administration. Of course, with her career focusing on the environment, she has also focused on the environment during her political career, as befits the leader of the Greens. She has adopted a two-prong strategy for achieving her goal of sustainability and a reduction of carbon emissions within Ceni: renewable energy and energy efficiency, with the intertwined benefits of increased sustainable energy and decreased energy usage. Aralen recently survived a tough leadership race against Eliana Silva over the issue of the Hammerhead oil field, winning only after she agreed to spearhead a change in the party platform opposing the field. Like the Social Democrats, much of the Greens' support comes from the Big 3 cities in the center of the Cenian island, while they have increasingly been winning elections in the Cenian North due to their emphasis on social justice accompanying their environmentalist gospel. "The recent platform change has solidified support for the Greens, in my opinion, because previously, a lot of ecologically-minded voters were a bit concerned about the Greens' lack of a coherent policy on the issue. Now the Greens will be able to pick up these voters," Korova, the political analyst, told the City Centre Eagle.

Artemis Kwyntehst, formerly a Social Democratic city councillor in Cenial North, was among the founding members of the Union of Leftist Cenian Workers, a Marxist party that supports the implementation of communism within Ceni. She unsuccessfully ran for First Minister of Cenial North around 8 years ago, but Social Democrats rejected her on the grounds she was too radical to win election for the party, even though she attracted a strong constituency in the working class neighborhoods away from the corridors of power in the city center. She then got together with several other far left politicians to found the ULCW, noting as there was no party available to adequately represent communists' interests; the ULCW also explicitly promotes the interests of minorities and women within Ceni. Kwyntehst has long been a union leader and a union activist, and initially won election because of this union experience. Korova expects this fairly new party to do well in areas with large populations of Afro-Cenians, such as the port and airport area of Cenial as well as the lower-wage factory districts of City Centre and some places in New Oxford. "There are two main bastions of support for this new party: students at the University of New Oxford, historically the most liberal of Ceni's major universities, and lower-income workers, especially minorities, who are attracted to the party's message of racial and economic equality."

Sharon Swift, the party leader of the Cenian Moderates, served as the First Minister of Whitehaven for eight years, governing as a moderate (in other countries, what might be called a center-left position). She took a pragmatic view of governing, viewing passing legislation and improving the lives of Whitehaven residents as more important than ideological purity. As a result, during her tenure, the district passed bills expanding Whitehaven's light-rail system, promoting environmental quality on Whitehaven's beaches, encouraging tourism, and helping to reform the district's welfare system to trim costs while expanding coverage. When her term expired in 2052, she won a seat in the district in the Cenian Assembly, hoping to take her views of helping both businesses and workers to a national audience. Although she did not succeed on many of her policy items, her willingness to work across the aisle and fight for her ideas won her plaudits from leaders of all of Ceni's major parties. She was elected party leader with only token opposition due to the respect that the Moderates have for her and her vision. Korova notes that the Moderates have generally been economically liberal but more socially conservative, which has gained them seats in the Cenian North, while they usually take on a more conservative economic message in the south of Ceni, in places like Dover, Southpoint, and Newcastle. "The Moderates are really the big tent of Cenian conservatism, ranging from all kinds of views in the right of politics, to even some center-left wing politicians. They have the potential to grab votes from all over Ceni, although I'd say their main constituency is well-educated white voters in the South, and they are definitely gaining ground in the northern Hispanic community."

Xanthas Hightower, the owner, founder, and former CEO of Hightower Industries (a technology firm located in City Centre), has long been a divisive figure in Cenian politics. He founded the New Cenians party, along with several other tycoons, promising to reverse the decline of jobs in low-skill manufacturing, massively curtail immigration, and improve the conditions for business. His most divisive issue was immigration, and he is perceived by many Cenians as a far-right wing figure for his stances on this issue. Independently wealthy through his business, he has claimed that he cannot be bought. He is only a recent newcomer to politics, having only been in office as Dover's First Minister since 2052, after he replaced the equally-conservative Johnny Menuk (who is currently a MCA) and retired as CEO of Hightower Industries. Professing to be tired of the First Minister's position, he is currently running in Dover as the vanguard of the New Cenians' push to win more seats in the Cenian Assembly. Political analyst Korova thinks that this party is very regional, confined mostly to the Cenian South, which has the right concentration of factors to be favorable for the New Cenians. "The south has a larger concentration of less well-educated workers, more factories that don't require a lot of education, and more religious and nationalist voters than any other region. The New Cenians have preyed on these factors to create a large base of support in the south - although I don't think they can expand very far out of it."

[New Gazi]

New Gazi (82) squared off against Polkopia (192) on Match Day 2. It was a game the Gazilians were hoping to win. Coach Hausta had previously hinted New Gazi needed to win games they held the advantage in.

"We need to make a playoff run", Hausta said before the game. "That has to start from the first game. There are some really good teams in this Group. We have to perform."

Left Winger Uffe Diya was also interviewed before the game. "We've made a lot of changes since the last edition. There have been a few new players. The biggest change has been our formation. We used to play with two wingers and a forward. Now we go with a center forward and a striker with the extra man playing center back. New Gazi is onboard with the 4-4-2."

Speaking of new additions, a comedian turned social media pundit went viral by saying New Gazi should keep it's African football team for Africans. Coach Hausta came out immediately.

"Artie Imoja's comments go against everything New Gazi stands for. When the original Vanns sailed here, we met them with open hands, not with arms. That led to a new era and a new Empire. Millions of us left for the Great Migration. The Vanns welcomed us as well. We were not put into a low caste or made into cheap labor", said the Coach.

He later continued, "Fast forward to today. Now you have some Gazilian sitting at home on his computer, trolling because he doesn't like who he sees on his television. This is the kind of world we need to avoid."

Imoja commented on Center Forward Amare Contee's birthday post. "Nice to see New Gazi has to bring on a woman to do your job."

Contee was outraged. He wrote back with a string of posts about equality. Mixed in were these braggadocios posts where Contee said he could do "quite fine". He quoted several domestic team stats and even talked about being on a limited run card from a previous World Cup.

Trolling achieved. Imoja replied with a sunglasses face emoji.

Finally, it was gametime. Contee came out shooting. His first two attempts were wide. Diya picked up the first goal in the 12th minute. It was off the second Contee miss. Diya was just in the right spot to the left to control the rebound and put a shot past the off-balanced keeper.

Contee seemed keen to make a point. He kept fighting and pushing. He's a tall, strong forward always looking to gain leverage. Finally Contee got a goal to drop after a long twisting shove off of a defender. He was lucky to beat an approaching second defender.

After halftime, it was clear New Gazi was winning the battle of possession. There was a lot of passing and keep away, as the Gazilians bunched up in the center and passed around the wings.

The third Gazilian goal went to Niang who scored on a breakaway run. He found a solid through ball, but had to carry the run a bit further, finding space after a juke.

The Gazilians were not afraid to charge the goal if they could find space.

Things would come back to Amare Contee during a short range free kick in the 85th minute. None other than Anita Jarlsdottir sent the free kick quickly ahead to Contee who one touched the ball into the corner net.

The two ran to celebrate together, huddling with the rest of the team. Many mentioned they enjoyed the moment because it helped quell the elephant in the room after the viral troll.

Of course Imoja wrote back to Contee. "I saw you trying to get big with two goals. That hat trick, though.. Maybe if Jarlsdottir gave you another assist, you could perform."

Five minutes later, Contee blocked the comedian, while in the locker room. When asked about it later, Contee said, "My phone buzzed, I saw what he posted, so I blocked him. Then I finished changing."

The stunt got Imoja on late night TV where he laughed about getting under the footballer's skin.

What did Anita Jarlsdottir have to say about all of this?

"If I can play on the field with guys, I can take some criticism. I just don't think it makes sense. Some people forget there are over 500,000 Scandinavian dual-Vannish citizens living in New Gazi. But I'm not just playing for them. I'm playing for all Gazilians."

When she was asked about how Amare reacted, especially if he seemed angry at being compared to her, she said, "I'm better than Amare. I'll play him one on one."

The reporter was almost in shock but was really being dramatic. He later told Contee. "I'll play her", Contee responded while looking nervous. The truth was that she was a freestyler and could probably pull some tricks to out-finesse him. She was also more familiar with one on one and panna in general. Amare had played futsal, but street soccer was different.

Jarlsdottir and her older brothers and sisters brought a specific style of street soccer popular in Vangaziland to her new town. The locals mixed the style with their own after a few battles of the techniques. The Vangazi brought one on one with the smaller goal and field. Both nations are big on freestyle. The Gazilians are more structured and technical overall. The Vangazi focus on freestyling and rec leagues.

Jarlsdottir played on a top Gazilian U13 team after she moved to the country. She played against tough opponents and received early structured training that just wasn't in Vangaziland on a wide level.

Anita may be Vangazi by blood, but she is a product of New Gazi's development system and street leagues.

Other Vangazi like Lefisse and Vinsson moved to New Gazi later in life, mostly for soccer. Vangaziland is starting to build a program. They have talented players that come up through the academic system. The national development team doesn't get much funding to even scout players. The best players don't always get the opportunity.

New Gazi took the win, but tougher games lie ahead.

[Taeshan]

The Purple Knights started qualifying at home in their third main venue the X Island Metropark as they took on a new opponent in a young untested squad from Frejo. New Captain Andrew Chesnut looked ready for his first game in his official reign as captain and was proudly wearing the armband once again after a bit of a let off not going to the Copa Rushmori. The Knights came out in their usual home Purple, with their opponents in their home whites avoiding any clash. The first half was a usual Taeshani battle of wits with the defense holding steady and the offense pushing the ball around the field trying to attack a mostly defensive and bunkered Frejo squad. Ultimately the first half only had a few highlights and none of them are necessary of mention.

To start the second half the manager inserted some pace with Elton Petersheim replacing a seemingly wary Anton Vader, but the substitution seemed to lack any sort of actual effect on the game for most of the second half. Really all the other Petersheim managed to do was quickly get a yellow card for what can only be described as a stupid challenge. The Knights ramped up the pressure nearing the 70th minute as they pushed to start their campaign with the full points at home, eventually it succeeded with another substitute, Randall Abl Bakr, finding a wide open Miles Snavely on a nicely worked through ball. Snavely does what Snavely does and scored his 68th career international goal for the Purple Knights. The Knights then brought in Jon Hutch and preceded to play defensively with a lead, and the Knights with a 1-0 lead is almost always a win, and in the end they left the first match of the campaign with all 3 points.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan Deports Taxachusetts Slaves to Quebec in Exchange for More Nukes

This just in to the live desk. Gregoryisgodistan has sent 50,000 slaves from its overseas slave islands to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec in exchange for 1,093 nuclear warheads. The slaves are among a group [url=https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=333370&hilit=warren+elizabeths&start=600#p24114620sent to Gregoryisgodistan[/url]by former Taxachusetts leader Warren Elizabeths to remove his nation from the Enemy List following [url=https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=333370&hilit=warren+elizabeths&start=475#p24053823]a blasphemous article[/url] in their national publication claiming that Lord Almighty Gregory had converted to Christianity and changed his name to Lord's Servant Gregory. An unspecified number of slaves, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, still remain on the overseas slave islands.

The slaves consist mainly of the Freedom and Prosperity Party members and supporters, which at the time was President Elizabeth's opposition. They also include all journalists from the publciation except Lydia Patterson, who mysteriously died in a car accident (supposedly) rather than serve as a slave. Unproven speculation is that the car accident was a cover for Patterson to assume a new identity (OOC: this is actually true) even though, had Elizabeths simply informed Lord Almighty Gregory that Patterson did not condone the blasphemy and, in fact, was the only decent journalist at that shitrag publication, he would have spared her. But now Elizabeths is dead, killed by the Christian State terrorists or something like that.

But, back on subject, these 50,000 slaves have been sent to Quebec in exchange for 1,093 nuclear warheads, which now brings Gregoryisgodistan's total arsenal to an estimated 33,593 nukes, many of them imported from Quebec directly or made with uranium imported from there. These nuclear weapons will one day be used to nuke heathen nations into oblivion, much as has been done to Associated Godlands, Hicana, Asuraia, Isle Benot, and Vjaalsburg. And perhaps they will be dropped tactically in wars rather than used to obliterate, as was done to San Jose Guayabal as retaliation for them nuking Gregoryisgodistan. That was a glorious day, and one day we will nuke them into oblivion. Oh look, Lord Almighty Gregory is giving a speech.

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

An image of Lord Almighty Gregory appears on telescreens on every wall and street corner, in every public area, building, and street corner all across Gregoryisgodistan. A voice says "SILENcE AND ATTENTION! LORD ALMIGHTY GREGORY IS ABOUT TO SPEAK!" and then he begins to speak.

"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. It is I, Lord Almighty Gregory. Bow to me now, your One True Lord."

75 million people all across Gregoryisgodistan bow to Lord Almighty Gregory. 27 people do not bow to him. After this speech, they and their families will be executed. One of them was too busy making diarrhea to bow to him, even though there are telescreens on all four walls of the bathroom. It does not matter. He and his family will be executed anyway, and they will kill him on the toilet if they have to rather than drag him to an execution chamber while he is making diarrhea.

Lord Almighty Gregory then continues.

"I have great, grand news. We have acquired 1,093 nuclear weapons from our friends, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. This brings our nuclear warhead count to a new high, of over 33,000. We have once again shown the world our military might. Tomorrow, all 1,093 nuclear warheads will be paraded through the streets of Capital District, accompanied by our brave soldiers. This parade will air on national television, and everyone must watch either on TV or, if possible, in person. We shall show the world our might, we will show the world our fight, and we will show the world that heathen infidels must be destroyed! And then the world will witness the Awesome Power of the Lord!

"Yes, someday we will nuke all our enemies into oblivion. We will nuke Dumbokuni, aka Damukuni, which backwards is "I nuk u mad!" And indeed, we will nuke Damukuni mad, and yes, it is pronounced "DAMN YOU KUNI" because DAMN YOU KUNI! YOU WILL BE NUKED INTO OblIVION!

"And we will nuke the Guaya Beans of San Jose Guayabal, and we will nuke Taeshan, and Britonisea, and The Royal Barangay, and The Farceregimancy, and The Unholy Empire, and Heckland, and The Serbian Empire, and Super-Llamaland, and Apox, and Eura, and Ceni, and all the other scoundrel little nations on the Enemy List! Except for the regime occupying east Saintland, instead someday, when the time is right, we will unify the Kingdom of Saintland under Feminstvs Sanctvsterra. (OOC: We won't nuke them for the same reason the Americans would never have nuked East Berlin, even if it came to nuclear war)

"And, by the way, we are sending 50,000 slaves from our overseas slave islands to Taxachusetts, slaves who were sent here as punishment for a wicked story written by a wicked newspaper so many years ago. However, there was one good journalist at that paper, Lydia Patterson, who sadly, allegedly, died in a car crash because Warren Elizabeths didn't bother mentioning her to me until it was too late. I know she would never have tolerated that blasphemy, debauchery, and everything else that comes out of this paper. There are some who say the timing of her car accident death and the crucifixion of her family by the Christian State are too coincidental, and they may well be right. They may all be in hiding under new identities. Lydia, and your family, you have nothing to fear if you are still alive and watching this. Come out of hiding. You shall be spared, for you are good people. Your heathen colleagues, and those in the heathen prosperity party, will continue to serve as slaves to either us or Quebec for as long as they live. And their children, if they have any, which they probably won't because we closely monitor their activities, will be slaves forever too. All their descendants will be slaves forever! And that is the lesson we teach heathens, along with nuking them!

"I am your Lord, Lord Almighty Gregory. That concludes my speech. Please bow to me again, my loyal followers, before I exit the stage."

75 million people across Gregoryisgodistan bow to Lord Almighty Gregory's image on the telescreens. 47 people, including the man with diarrhea from before, as well as another person, a woman, who has since developed diarrhea, and a baby sleeping soundly who slept through the second half of Lord Almighty Gregory's speech, all fail to bow to him. Secret Police hunt down them, their families, and the offenders from earlier, and take them to be executed. The man with diarrhea still has diarrhea, so they handcuff him to the toilet and use the Brownie Cutter of Death on him right there.

The others are eventually executed too. All in all, it was a glorious day in the history of Gregoryisgodistan.

[Elgenstad]

The private docks were usually a little more busy on a Saturday, but most Elgenstadders stayed home to watch the game between Elgenstad and Astograth. Otto Skavlan instead decided to get out on the boat with his family. To the west, he could see much of Havnen's downtown. Compared to the ancient stone and brick of Byen, Havnen was quite modern. A handful of glass skyscrapers reach up from the city center, complemented by other buildings made with other such modern materials. Further to the east, lie the dockyards. It does not look impressive, but it's the center of Elgish trade. Many of the facilities here were built from stone brought down from Byen to establish a naval presence at the formation of the country. The majority party in the Storting, the Freedom Party, had made a point of opening the country to increased trade. As a reflection of this, many shipping containers covered with words of many foreign tongues. But being a Saturday, there wasn't any movement going on with regards to loading or unloading.

Otto's boat was vastly smaller than the massive cargo ships that populated the dockyards. Nonetheless, his 30 foot catamaran was of exceptional quality. It was quiet weekends like this that he liked to take to the sea with his family. At 35, he was blessed to have such a good job and good family. A good enough job that he could afford a boat like this and a good family that they'd go out with him. His 12 year old daughter, Nora, especially loved to go out sailing. The only thing she loved more was soccer, so she wasn't particularly happy about taking to the seas this day.

"Dad," she whined, "why can't we watch the game today? It's the World Cup."

"It's only the qualifiers, Nora," Otto replied in an even tone, "There'll be plenty more games."

"But you love soccer," Nora retorted, unwilling to drop the subject, "Why don't you want to watch?"

"There's 16 more games we can watch after today. I knew the docks would be quiet and I wanted to get the boat out. Now, if you'd be willing to drop the issue, please help load the coolers onto the boat."

Otto had actually been paying very close attention to the team through the Baptism of Fire and had kept a keen eye on the television during the game with Turori. He was very impressed with Olaf Ribur's play at right back. A very young and energetic player, he wasn't one to let a forward get by him unpunished. Otto had played soccer for quite a while. In fact, he continued to play in one of the local adult leagues at the very same position. When the national team was first forming, he was invited to one of the preliminary tryouts, but didn't tell his family for fear of disappointment. Disappointment is exactly what he got. The coaching staff said they liked him and that he was a solid player, but they were concerned about his age. At 35, he was three years older than the oldest player selected for the team, Ansgar Moen, the reserve goalkeeper. Sometimes, it hurt to watch knowing that he would've made the team maybe four years ago. So instead, he sailed.

[Chromatika]

Previously with the Chromatik squad...

"How are you feeling, Jill?" asked Mia Ria of Jillian Nier after the 3-1 win against West Angola. Nier had taken a hard fall late in the match, and was holding her left shoulder gingerly. Jillian had performed exceptionally through the first two matches, one well-placed shot being the difference that stopped back-to-back shutouts from occurring. It was nice to see that Jillian was concentrating on her game - perhaps even a little too much after what had occurred with her when Nikolai had left for the Western Sunrise Islands.

"I wasn't lying when I talked to Sil, Mia," replied Jillian, rather curtly, "I just need to ice it and then I'll be fine. Besides, if Sil decides to hold me out in the match against Leopian and start you instead, then that's his decision. I have no doubt that you'll do well if he does call upon you."

"I wasn't talking about your arm. It's been two games now that you've started with Nikolai gone, being the for sure #1 keeper. Has it gotten any easier?" queried Mia, while appearing a little scared to ask the question.

Jillian forced a wry smile onto her face. "I'll be fine, Mia. It'll take time, but the sport now means even more to me than it used to be, so don't you worry about that. I'm making sure I take care of myself."

"Glad to hear that," said Mia, giving Jillian a quick hug. "With the way that we're scoring too, Keira and Kaytlyn working together spelling each other, Meagan getting back into form and incorporating Alyss's playstyle in the midfield... I think we're handling this pretty well."

"The team's never been just about one player. Nikolai was a big loss... But he left because he knew we could handle it. That I could handle it. And that's what keeps me going. Sure, the bench is not as deep as last qualifying - but I think Sil's doing that on purpose to work on our endurance. Don't you worry though. I'll be on top of my game, and when I can't be, I know you'll be." Jillian gave Mia a thumbs up, got up, and headed to the showers.

Mia Ria sighed. Always the cerebral one, that Jillian Nier. She had been Mia's role model from a young age, and it hurt her deeply to see her role model suffer from such a deep level. It took people different lengths of time to grieve, and Nikolai and Jillian had indeed been close. There was something that Mia could only suspect, though, with the glances from Gabriella to Keira to Alyss at times when Jillian was in the room, with the way that Aysu seemed to check on Jillian very often, that perhaps Jillian had wanted to be even more than friends with Nikolai. Mia knew better than to ask in person, but she kept this fact to the forefront of her mind when dealing with Jillian.

Instead, Mia decided to go off and track down the Manager and ask to start the next game. It would be against an Unranked opponent, and perhaps it'd be best to give the starters a break...

Lineup vs. Chailanka: Nier; Morningstar - Aart - Ellen; Kelly (C) - Montague - Hellion - Liam; Rien - Andisori - Antonio. Subs: Damjana -> Ellen ('51), Sybill -> Hellion ('62, Antonio Captain), Victoriane -> Andisori ('81)
Goals vs. Chailanka: Antonio '41 assisted by Montague; Andisori '72 assisted by Rien. Player of the Match: Jillian Nier (seven shots on goal, zero goals allowed)

Lineup @ West Angola: Nier; Morningstar - Aart - Ellen; Kelly (C) - Montague - Hellion - Liam; Rien - Andisori - Antonio. Subs: Stef - Aart ('55), Dragana -> Antonio ('62), Harbin -> Liam ('77)
Goals vs. West Angola: Hellion '12 free kick; Rien '23 assisted by Hellion, Andisori '51 assisted by Ellen. Player of the Match: Rachel Hellion (one goal, one assist)

Potential Lineup vs. Leopian: Ria; Ilya - Stef - Damjana; Etienne - Montague - Sybill - Harbin; Niro - Victoriane (C) - Dragana.

---

Colonel Erik Monett of the Chromatik Air Force entered the room, saluted, and stood at attention. He had no idea why he'd been summoned to the Premier in secret. His work had been espionage under the old regime, but as he had worked directly under the Dark Queen herself, he had switched sides long time ago. Indeed, he was one of the foremost confidants Alina had in her inner circle.

"Erik. At ease, man. You don't have to do that formality shit with me," chastised Alina.

"You're not just the Dark Queen anymore, you're the Premier. That carries respect, a formality that I can't ignore. You know that. I'm military," stated Erik.

"At least you don't end all your sentences with ma'ams," admitted Alina.

"I could change that if you'd like," joked Erik. Alina frowned.

"I need you to head up a project, Erik," said Alina. She handed Erik an envelope. "It's been a few years since the Revolution. Efforts are under way to bring up the ROYG population up to speed, and we've really been trying to bridge the gap. I'd like to know if it's possible at all to bridge the gap that the Chromatik Party drove between the color castes. Included are dossiers on people I'd like you to recruit for the project. Ten Chromatiks in total. Get five or so foreigners. Make the Chromatiks at least one person from every previous color caste, including one from the used-to-be-elites. Make the foreigners be eccentrics who would do their own thing and not give a damn about the Chromatiks. Get them in a semi-contained environment, and see if they can adapt to each other. I'd like to know that what we are trying to do is not hopeless and also not impossible."

Erik frowned. "Are we like playing God to this environment?" he asked, concerned, "I don't think that'd be very ethical..."

"Oh, don't worry. We'd let people what they're getting into. And if push really came to shove, we'd be there to pick them up. But I was thinking the Eyroi Jungle... The details are on your brief. You have a week to give me the answer to whether you will take it or not. If you won't, though, I won't go through with it. I've never seen someone who put their conscience first instead of their duty as much as you have... I trust you with this," answered Alina.

Erik smiled. "Understood. Glad to know you haven't changed much, and haven't let power get to your head. I'll give the project the look-over that it deserves."

He saluted, thought about it, and extended a hand. She gladly shook it.

Colonel Erik Monett then marched out of the room and onto a waiting helicopter. He took a look at the dossier.

"OPERATION NEW HOPE".

Trust Alina to make everything sound better than it was...

Or maybe it was that good?

[Turori]

Citizens Falter At First Hurdle
Cocoabo Take Early Lead with Opening Match Victory

For a more complete backstory regarding Cocoabo Forest please visit the Historical Record on the Atlantian Oceania Forum

Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest :: The final whistle blew and the Cocoabo had done their part. It was an emphatic 4-0 victory over Miloscia - an inexperienced, unproven and poorly skilled team that was a perfect first test for this seasons Flock.

With the Citizen Squad having been held to a draw on the opening matchday away to lowly Elgenstad, it meant that the Cocoabo were already two points clear in the Citizen v. Cocoabo battle and now controlled their own destiny. If the Cocoabo could win out from this point forward, it would be them and not the Citizens who would represent the Island Emirate in post-qualifying competition.

But it would be the Citizens getting their chance at redemption first. Off to Rushmore to square off against 'that other purple nation' - Yttribia, they will be looking for motivation from their Mliona-Lpaka teammates in getting back to form and collecting their first victory of the campaign. Though it will only be the second of 8 matches for the Citizen Squad, one could look at it as a must-win result for the team filled with players from the Vilitan League. Defeat or even a draw at Yttribia would leave the Citizen Squad with no more than two points from their opening two matches. The subsequent two matches for the Citizen Squad are against Nova Anglicana and Ceni, the Groups top two teams other than the Turori National Team itself. Should the Citizens fail to defeat Yttribia it is unlikely they will have either the momentum or the confidence to bring the fight to a Nova Anglicana squad that will have circled the fixture as a must-win on their road to stealing a spot in the World Cup Finals.

Citizen Team Schedule:
[D] MD1 @ Elgenstad
MD3 @ Yttribia
MD6 @ Nova Anglicana
MD8 @ Ceni
MD11 @ Miloscia
MD14 @ Astograth
MD16 @ Tomikoson
MD18 @ Joaquin States

Cocoabo Team Schedule:
[W] MD2 v. Miloscia (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
MD5 v. Astograth (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
MD7 v. Tomikoson (Eels Park, Eelandii)
MD9 v. Joaquin States (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
MD10 v. Elgenstad (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
MD12 v. Yttribia (Eels Park, Eelandii)
MD15 v. Nova Anglicana (Eels Park, Eelandii)
MD17 v. Ceni (Eels Park, Eelandii)

Through 1 of 8 Rounds:

For the Cocoabo, it is the first of two long-breaks in their schedule as they will not play again until Matchday 5 against the returning Astograth. Of Course, while the Cocoabo have taken an early 3-1 lead in the standings over their Citizen counterparts, there are some who have accused the Football Association of Turori (FAT) of rigging the contest, forcing the Citizen team to contest only road matches. Supporters of the system, however, suggest that the lack of travel being imposed on the Cocoabo during qualifying is actually more representative of the experience they will endure in post-qualifying competitions, as while neither the World Cup Finals nor the Cup of Harmony is likely to be held in Turori itself, They will be successive matches in a single nation without inter-region travel as is required on the Citizen team. Meanwhile, the Citizen team is already accustomed to regional travel both from previous campaigns with the National Team, and through domestic club competition with many players competing in the UICA competitions requiring multi-leg fixtures against teams from across the multiverse.

Of course, its still very early on, but if the two squads first matches are any indication of what is to come in World Cup 78 Qualification, then it seems like we'll be seeing a whole lot more Cocoabo from Turori.

Starting Lineup v. Miloscia:
Pos :: Identification  : Home (Goals)
GK  :: ( Cocoabo #86 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #58 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #57 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #53 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #61 ) : Cocoabo Forest ( 61' )
MID :: ( Cocoabo #64 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #46 ) : Cocoabo Forest ( 82' )
MID :: ( Cocoabo #62 ) : Cocoabo Forest
AMC :: ( Cocoabo #72 ) : Cocoabo Forest
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #91 ) : Cocoabo Forest ( 4' ; 7' )
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #99 ) : Cocoabo Forest

[Natanians and Nosts]

-Waht a good game,this is our first win at these World Cup Qualifiers,and it's only our second game.Sure the best teams we haven't fecs yet,but that's still something.
-I really do agree.Well,today the team played well-y and they unfortunately suffered a fool goal at the end of the match,but it proves that our team is getting better and the coach is doing a really great job,lah.
-Yeah,let's see the goals again?
"The first goal was scored at the 20th minute of the first period,Lucas Lucius Vit carried the ballfor 40 metres,then he passed to Gabriel Ápio Silva who pretended he would shoot,but he instead passed to Natan Nínnio Gonçalo who sent it straight into the angle of the goal posts.The second goal came at the 38th minute of the second period,John Karl Foster stole the ball,he passed to Natan Nínnio Gonçalo,who managed to pass to Ion Cáius Ademélsson,he shot the ball,but the goalkeeper made a deffence,but the ball went to the encounter of João Márcus Munteanu's head and from his head to the goal.Mattijana scored their goal after a bad pass from Austin Mihai Munteănu and one of their strikers managed to score."
-Yeah,this were the goals of this match.And after the break you'll see gaols from other matches of the World Cup Qualifiers and more commnet on today's match of our team.

[Yesopalitha]

Unknown Facts about Yesopalitha

Part 1

When citizens of the world see that Nadya Dostoevich, Yesopalithan Football Team Captain, is listed as a Vampire, they are surprised. How does a Vampire stand to play matches in daylight? Why doesn't she just evaporate or burn up in flames? How does she stand the heat? There are a million and one questions asked about whether or not she is a true Vampire, and if not, what she actually is. What they do not understand is what makes Yesopalithans Yesopalithans. There was a time in the annals of history when the Vampires of Yesopalitha were indeed the Vampires of old, and the same could've been said about the Werewolves only turning at the full moon, Wraiths being incorporeal, and the like. However, when Zaiden declared Yesopalitha the homeland of all Unbidden, things changed at the most basic level - the molecular level.

Indeed, the Yesopalithan Vampire could be considered a super-Vampire. The Yesopalithan variety is able to stay in sunlight without dying, although they are still not a fan of the sun, as it obstructs their vision. However, their superior sense of smell and hearing is not obstructed by the sun, and the fact that they can operate in the sun allows them to serve in many more facets than the previous Vampire, an example being Nadya Dostoevich being able to play in sun-lit fields. This also means that the Yesopalithan Vampire has no problem at all with artificial light, as it is the rays of the sun that obstruct its eyes, not man-made light.

This change at the molecular level can be traced to all Unbidden. Yesopalithan Werewolves can change at will, or not at all, and remain fully cognizant of themselves during the change. This means that they won't just attack people, unless it is their choice. It can even be considered a curse, as a Yesopalithan Unbidden cannot revert to their primal form, as the blessing of Zaiden courses through them. Wraiths can be as corporeal or incorporeal as they please; Skeletons and Zombies, as well as Mummies, are capable of intelligent thought that no Undead should be able to retain.

That should be evil and tainted by darkness is instead allowed to have the capacity for good, and all beings are returned the conscience that is to help them make the choices of their lives. That is, in fact, the true gift of the blessing of Zaiden.

This does make it so that criminals of the Unbidden species are much harder to catch than if they were the primal selves. However, there are also those of the Unbidden who serve in capacities previously not possible. Vampire police officers are highly effective, as are Skeleton Special Ops teams, Mummy coroners, and Wraith bodyguards. There is even room for creativity and the genius - Skeletons and Zombies having law degrees, Vampires cooking with blood without any problems, or even serving as Doctors.

Only in Yesopalitha can one see such behavior, and it is all because of Zaiden, may His reign last forever.

[Cosumar]

Dun Dun Dun. (Un)lucky #3. Is it A Dangerous Meeting in store for your team?

---

Matchday 3 RP Cutoff
Scores

[Semarland]

Many predicted Valanora to leave Jansberg with at least one point, but Azarai Robinson and his team proved the critics wrong with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Elves. Yes, the visitors dominated the majority of the match in fairness, but Robinson couldn't care less as he got Semarland off to the right start. The Vanorians got off to a good start - Allandren Fresco poking home Revhil Lardireil's low cross seven minutes in. That did not deter Semarland though as they levelled the scores fairly quickly - Tre Mukondo latching onto a delightful chip over the head of Rainyardil Toraandal by Marc Strand and half-volleying into the bottom left hand corner. Mukondo was a big threat throughout the game, constantly tormenting the Valanora defence with his incisive runs and quick footwork.

The scores were level until just after the break, when substitute Sellan Teltaththor, who replaced the unusually appaling va Drake at half time, bamboozled Nathaniel Oseni with some clever footwork and squared for Fresco to power home his second of the game. Robinson made his first change after that, bringing on the Claro-Hunt twins for Strand and Dequane Saint Etienne - who picked up a slight knock that would rule him out of the next game as a precautionary measure. Reiss Claro-Hunt got his name on the scoresheet 62 minutes in, heading home from his brother's cross, and Kwame Nelson sealed the game in typical Nelson fashion - a delightful run past Toraandal and Morlaithan Aldamiel before curling home past the advancing Aediron Galadirdren.

Robinson made five changes for the visit to Thesi Erevnah. Valentin Modise, Valentin Hummel, Emmanuel Sambu, Eric Nti-Bonso and Dio Longa-Mbira all came in for Oseni, Amani Chimbonda, Marcel Labonne, Saint Etienne and Nelson respectively - the latter two making their debuts. They were a constant threat to the defence all game as well, Nti-Bonso burying the ball home from a superb free kick 20 minutes in to give Semarland the lead. Longa-Mbira got on the scoresheet just before half time with an incisive finish before Thesi Erevnah pulled one back just after the break. Substitute Kwame Nelson got his second of the campaign to finish the game off - leaving Semarland in second place before the visit of Sarrbia.

This new team has gelled together already - especially the new blood, with Modise and Nti-Bonso especially playing like they had been in the team for years. Nti-Bonso is definitely one to watch and will provide strong competition for Dequane Saint Etienne and Marcel Mbonne (perhaps in the AOCAF), seeing as the attacking midfielder spot seems quite full already. Devane Marylebone is set for a run-out against Sarrbia, whilst Oseni and Labonne return to the team - with the Claro-Hunt twins starting as well, as Marc Lindholm, Modise, Sambu, Longa-Mbira and Mukondo make way. Coverage of the match will start at 18:30 on Sportsat with kick off at 19:45, plus live text updates here on sportsat.shn. Raekwon Thomas