World Cup 78 - Roleplay Thread

by **Red Blackiland** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 1:19 pm

Red Blackiland Sports and Off-topic Chronicles

The Sad End of McCarthy

RB Fans walking in the streets of Anthor

Author : Mathias Gërdorffen

It was millions of millions of millions of millions of years of evolution until McCarthy was born. Who was McCarthy? A cockroach, of course. But not any cheap - the cockroach that resulted from those millions of millions of millions of years of evolution. He was born with a mutation in his genetic code, which made him superior to all his fellows, and such a mutation would be passed on to all his descendants, who would also be superior to the descendants of other cockroaches, and so on until a new species Superior of cockroaches completely supplanted the previous one, and continued to evolve to the point where cockroaches eventually became the dominant species on the planet.
McCarthy soon realized how superior he was to the other cockroaches of his brood. He saw frightened his brothers being slaughtered one by one by the terrible gas that was expelled to the place where they were born, and realized that it was sufficient not to be touched by him in order not to be asphyxiated. Thus, he avoided to the maximum being deceived to places too closed, where he would be easily intoxicated; Always sought the safety of open places, where he could more easily escape from the evil giants who chased him with the killer gas. Never before has he been able to flee from death: he pretended to go to one side and waited for his enemy to begin to move there, but soon he left the other side; It began to rise on a wall waiting for the gas to be expelled, but before it was struck it would fall and fall gently to the ground; Ran among the pursuers, making them fall against each other. No one could catch him.
So McCarthy cleverly disregarded all those who tried to kill him, and once he was safe, looked back, seeing his inert, massacred, dead brethren. If cockroaches had tears, it is certain that McCarthy would have shed them at that moment; Swore to himself that he would avenge them all, and would make it the sacred mission of all his descendants. And it was at this moment of pain and determination that McCarthy, distracted, was struck by a large rubber object at the feet of one of the giants. He died crushed by a human slipper, before he had the opportunity to pass on any of his superior mutant genes.

The Cash Machine

Insert your card, says the bank teller screen. I'm entering.
Remove your card. Retreat.
You are using a chip card. Insert it again and only remove it when the operation is complete. I enter again, I choose the operation. Remove your card. Retreat.
Insert your card again. A little suspicious, I enter.
Remove your card. Retreat. Please enter one more time. I'm entering. Remove it again. Retreat.
One more little insert. Looking embarrassed to the sides, I enter. Remove ... Retreat. That, will ... Insert again ... I enter. Retreat again ... Retreat. Insert ... I enter. Go ... Not for ... Not for ...
I take the card out of the bank and look for another agency.

Drawkons Wise Warriors: The next game of Das SpielHaus

Learn about the dragons in the land of Drawkland

Group Storyline Quest #6 - To Fall In Love At First (Cvallach)

When it comes to romance, Cvallach prefers the ideals, someone who sweeps her off her feet with candles, poetry, and flowers, so just track these things down for her. In Blárach, if you have gained enough approval, flirted at every possible opportunity, and completed her previous companion quests, Cvallach informs you that your advances haven’t gone unnoticed, she however remains conflicted as she wants an ideal storybook romance and feels that this isn't possible with the Insection leader/Insector (you), so if you still insist on courting her this way, this mission will unlock, you will need to find a poetry book, flowers, and candles. Talk to the Mennghen Bookstore seller in Shenich about poetry books, however, before you'll need to find the merchant's missing caravan in the northeastern Drawklands to retrieve the book, after it, talk to the gardener in the mainyard of the Ghlais in Brand Ashkal'ech Shop Center about the flowers, the candlers can be found in MacSporain's store in the Brand Ashkal'ech Shop Center in Brand Ashkal'ech, then ask to Cvallach and ask to speak privately. If you're successfull in these tasks, the relationship between Cvallach and the Insector becomes official.

Group Storyline Quest #7 - Ostracism (Catháin)

After the dust settled, Catháin was nowhere to be found, it's hard to believe he isn't hanging around somewhere in Blárach. This mission is automatically started when the Insection moves to Blárach, unless the mission Through The Past of The Times was completed and the Insection leader chose not to recruit Catháin at the end of that mission. This mission is somewhat unique as it is simply one cutscene with the Insector, Seratas and Cvallach and (if she has already been recruited) Manuela, who, or what, Catháin is and how to deal with him is at the heart of the discussion, in the end, the Insector will decide whether to recruit Catháin or not. Go down the long set of stairs beneath Blárach's main door and interact to look for Catháin.

Drawkons - Catháin helping others

You can say that he helped your group or if he's a demon, he won't join the Insection. Then, Seratas says that Catháin is unique, more than that, he wishes to help and will suggest you to allow him to do so, you can ask to Catháin to explain more of possession and about what of demons at the crack (Seratas approves) or that will get rid of him (Seratas disapproves and Manuela approves). Catháin now says that learned how to be more like him, made him different, but stronger, that he can feel more and can help, you can tell him to stay and help the group or to leave.

Group Storyline Quest #8 - Decision-Making (Catháin)

Seratas says that finding an Willpower Magic Pendant, will prevent Dhuinnian elf-mages from binding Catháin. Speak to him in the Henig's Energy Room after completing the Planing the Future's mainstoryline mission. Complete the cutscene with Seratas to further investigate Catháin's fear of being bound against his will, like the demons at Garanhon Fort.

Drawkons - Catháin and a Warrior-Templar

At the end of the scene, the Insector should agree to pursue the Willpower Magic Pendant, then complete the war desk mission Acquire a Pendant for Catháin and you are granted the magic item, then speak to Catháin again and select the special dialogue option to give him the pendant, doing so triggers another cutscene, during which Seratas attempts to charge the pendant with protective magic, but fails, then another cutscene triggers which explains how Catháin came to be and why the pendant didn't work, toward the end of the scene, you need to make an important decision about Catháin's future.

by **Free Republics** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 2:04 pm

Sudernius

The nation of Sudernius was a chaotic mess with no clearly marked communities with a sprawl that stretched from border to border. The Republican Army had never seen anything like it. The entire country was like a giant city with a small piece of nature here and there and fences everywhere. Upon arriving in Sudernius on Admiral Theriault's fleet, the troops under the command of General Tom Brooks noticed that there were several different ports, each of which was marked as "private property" with threats that trespassers would be subject to "arrest" by one of the local gangs. Fortunately, Admiral Theriault brought his fleet into port at the correct dock, one owned by the entity which they were supposed to assist in becoming the new government of Sudernius. They were fighting on behalf of a subsidiary of Nicholls Enterprises, but the troops were not made aware of this fact.

Within minutes after the troops began marching down a private walkway despite refusing to pay the fee at the toll booth, forces arrived from the local security company, ordering them to leave. This order was met by the Republican troops drawing their weapons as General Brooks spoke through a megaphone. "We're here from the Federation of Free Republics on behalf of your government to restore its rightful authority over all of Sudernius. Leave now and tell your militia boss that he may lay down his arms and surrender to the Army of the Free Republics or we will put down your rebellion by force." At that moment, the security guard panicked and fled as fast as he could.

Rumors of an imminent invasion of Sudernius by the Free Republics for the purpose of turning the region into a colony had been circulating throughout Sudernius in recent days, ever since Gregoryisgodistan's claim to have purchased nuclear weapons in Sudernius. The various security firms in the city-"nation" had all released statements condemning the sale and stating that they did not permit the sale of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction by their clients. However, none of their statements had even been reported by the Republican media as even the crazed SJWs at News Magazine agreed that Sudernius needed a government and were willing to look the other way as the entire Republican media deliberately spread fake news to gin up public support for a real war of conquest in Sudernius. Within a matter of days, the Free Republics had decided to strike, figuring that a blitzkrieg would have the element of surprise and likely overrun the entirety of Sudernius before anybody realized what was happening.

This was a wise military decision as the Sudernians were caught completely off-guard and were unable to muster any significant resistance as the FFR marched through the various private streets and walkways of Sudernius, ordering all private property owners to recognize the legitimacy of the "Government of Sudernius" and all of the competitors of this firm to shut down their businesses in exchange for a "full pardon" from the new CEO of Sudernius, a local woman who had sold a majority share in her security firm to Nicholls Enterprises 7 years ago. Throughout the nation, they met some resistance that was quickly neutralized by firing squad but, for the most part,the Republican Army managed a bloodless conquest of Sudernius.

Several days later, Consul Nicholls arrived at First Airport of Sudernius on a Nicholls Air flight and rode in a tank to the headquarters of the new Sudernian government for a joint speech and press conference with CEO Stefanie Baer, the new ruler of Sudernius. At that speech, Consul Nicholls announced "The restoration of law and order in Sudernius is now complete" and quickly jumped into a speech about how the military action had created "a better Sudernius and a safer future for the Free Republics." Until that point, the operation had remained secret in the Free Republics where the press, with the exception of NewsWars, was still calling for military action against Sudernius. NewsWars host Walter Snyder, previously a staunch supporter of the government, had recently started going off on wild conspiracy theories about how Consul Nicholls had "sold nuclear weapons to Gregoryisgodistan" and how both the Sudernius story and the Guayabalense terror attack were "fake news" spread by the government to start wars. For this, he was invited onto RSFBC's Jeremiah Lynch Tonight program and questioned about why he believes these things. In the end though, Mr. Lynch was unable to do anything but laugh at the radio host's latest conspiracy theories.

The speeches of Consul Nicholls and CEO Baer were relatively uneventful until CEO Baer dropped the bombshell announcement that Sudernius had agreed to a trade deal and military alliance with the Free Republics. CEO Baer would go on to announce her plans to establish a proper government which would be run like a business and would seek to bring the maximum possible return on investment to its shareholders. After the CEO finished speaking, Consul Nicholls delivered some additional remarks:

Consul Nicholls Speech Announcing the Formation of the Lunian League

I wish to thank CEO Baer for her wonderful speech. Ladies and gentlemen, today is a historic day in the history of the Lunia region. Today, I am announcing the formation of the Lunian League, a new international organization which will provide for peace and prosperity throughout Lunia. The Free Republics is fully committed to the success of the Lunian League and will seek ever closer friendship amongst its members. For too long, our region and the multiverse have suffered under the forces of hate, division and chaos. Today, we move on from that sad and unfortunate past toward a brighter future of unity and mutual prosperity.

Traditionally, the Free Republics has refrained from meddling in the affairs of other nations. We are a people with a strong tradition of freedom and a healthy disdain for those who would get in the way of our ability to get rich and have fun. Unfortunately, our "live and let live" attitude has permitted certain rogue areas of the multiverse to endanger the safety of all through the proliferation of evil weapons that could wipe all of us out in mere moments. The Federation of Free Republics simply cannot stand idly by as other nations sponsor acts of terror against our people, permit the open distribution of nuclear weapons on the street or try to prevent our great businesses from doing business within their borders. From this day forward, we will never again stand idly by as peace, ordered liberty and public safety are put in danger by lunatics of any persuasion.

Already, we have secured the membership of many great nations in the Lunian League including the Federation of Free Republics, Sudernius, Acedonia, Nordernious, the Kingdom of Saintland and the Holy Kingdom of Saintland, amongst others. In the coming days, months and years, we will further expand the Lunian League. I will have further announcements at a later time but, at the present time, I am going to conclude by thanking each and every one of you for coming out today and opening the floor to questions.

by **Union of Socialist Alpine Republics** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 2:58 pm

The Alpine Union draws with Cosneolta

Dynum City, Cosneolta - (NAP) The Union of Socialist Alpine Republics travelled to the evil capitalist nation of Cosneolta for an away game. Cosneolta attacked at the 22nd minute when Saulius Laukkanen passed the ball to Dominik Bartosz who made a cross to Danil Kowalczyk who shoots and score. 1-0 Cosneolta. 10 minutes later, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed the ball to Amelia Zalwowska who passed to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski. Zbigniew Zajaczkowski shoots but he hits the post, Jean-François Kleineheismann takes the lose ball and shoots on the cross bar, Sarah Schroffenegger takes the lose ball and shoots right into the net, the game is tied at 1-1!

At the 79th minute, Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz passed the ball to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who made a cross to Jean-François Kleineheismann but Paulius Takala blocks the pass. The ball is lose and Sascha Welzmüller takes the ball and shoots from 40 meters and score the Bisons are leading 2-1! 4 minutes later, Metodi Kijek dribbles with the ball and passed to Dominik Bartosz who shoots but Zofia Kwietniewska makes the save. Zofia Kwietniewska passed the ball to Krzysztof Januszkiewicz. Krzysztof Januszkiewicz passes on the left to Bartosz Strzyzowski but Remigiusz Jokinen intercepts the pass and shoots. The ball is in the net it's a goal and Cosneolta have tied the game at 2-2.

The Reprezentacja Alpejski still sits in 6th place in group 8 with 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses for 8 points. On next matchday, the Bisons will recieve New Lusitania and the Algarves at Estadio Santiago Abreu in Manzanilla, Republic of Castilla. Lusitania is in last place in group 8 with no point in 7 games. Coach Wlodzimierz Jastrzebowski has announced that Jedrzej Kosciukiewicz will replace Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz and Tearlach MacEachthighearna will replace Krzysztof Januszkiewicz in the starting XI. Zofia Kwietniewska will still be in net.

BOXSCORE
22nd minute: Danil Kowalczyk assisted by Dominik Bartosz
32nd minute: Sarah Schroffenegger unassisted
79th minute: Sascha Welzmüller unassisted
83rd minute: Remigiusz Jokinen unassisted

YELLOW CARDS
Cosneolta: Alfredas Valdis, Erik Malinowski
Alpine Union: Przemyslaw Zawistowski, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz, Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz

RED CARDS
Cosneolta: None
Alpine Union: None

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 3:26 pm

OOC - The Mammoth Compendium of World Cup Lies lives up to its name; you're free to believe it IC'ly, but please don't believe a word of these RPs OOC'ly. They're a compendium of lies.

THE MAMMOTH COMPENDIUM OF WORLD CUP LIES
World Cup 78 Qualification

Matchday 8 – Limerick Slam!

The Holy Empire national football team travelled to the nation of San Regada last night for a football match.

Unfortunately, due to a bizarre paperwork mix-up, the scheduled football match was replaced by a Limerick Slam, which the Holy Empire won 3-1. The reasons for this mix-up remain somewhat unclear, but may relate to an an Imperial bureaucrat accidentally confusing las super águilas (the Regadan national football team) with las super águilasde la poesía (the Regadan national poetry team).

Despite the confusion, an exciting limerick slam soon broke out.

Michael Glycaso, whose 47 superpowers include not just shooting fire from the tip of his platinum-clad penis but also the ability to write a limerick blindfolded, opened the scoring for the Empire with the following effort:

Our glorious coach Juan Tzimisces
Scores goals with the sides of his feetses
He shoots and he scores
The crowd calls out for more
But the goalkeeper shudders and weepses

Complaints from the Regadans about the awkward 'Tzimisces/feetses/weepses' rhyme were quickly brushed aside by the referee.

The Holy Empire then took a 2-0 lead with this pithy little predictive meta number from Theophilus Palamaso:

The Regadans are awfully nice
To allow us to score past them twice
Our wonderful fans
We see us win this slam
After watching us score past them thrice.

While a weak and repetitive effort, they all count (or so goes the cliche).

Palamaso's confidence was dented, however, when Franco Hernández pulled one back for San Regada:

Substitute Jorge Bardanes
Has swallowed a packet of grass seeds.
In less than an hour
His head is in flower
And his feet are all covered in weeds.

The Imperial squad tried to have this one disallowed for unoriginality and plagiarism, claiming it was a 'lightly edited cut and paste effort', but the referee let it stand after ruling that the Empire could only provide proof of this plagiarism by breaking the mysterious and inviolate 'fourth wall'.

But Palamaso's prediction turned out to be accurate when the prolifically fertile Heraclius Phocaso closed the scoring with this thunderous little number:

A gentleman once told a story
Of curious things in Turori
Their great flightless bird
Is slightly absurd
But still leads the team on to glory

Phocaso was rightly pleased with what was undoubtedly the best limerick of the night.

Hopes of a late Regadan comeback were dashed when David Santos Borré was a awarded a late penalty limerick, but was declared to have missed due to the disastrous final line in the following effort:

I went for a walk in Starblaydia
Possessed of a curious mania
A hero I sought
Fleet of foot, swift of thought
But 'Simeone Di Bradini' just doesn't scan.

by **Eshan** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:36 pm

Finally back to winning ways, it was amazing how even just one loss can throw off the entire tempor of the qualification campaign. Especially when just a single loss could set back the campaign by so much. Just a single loss, one tiny little hiccup and we now sit four points behind the qualification spots. Of course, there was still plenty of time left in the campaign……except not entirely, coming up on the 8th game, the final one of the first half of qualifying and the Echani team has plenty of ground to make up if they wanted to push forward into qualification.

Fortunately, the Echani team took a big step towards qualification with a 1-0 win against Acapais thanks to a goal from Jean-Marie Bentacur. 3 points saw just keep pace with Acronius and group leaders The Holy Empire. A tough match lay ahead for the Eshan national team, but victory was possible and should certainly be expected. If not, we could go into the break as many as seven points outside of qualification, and with only 24 points to play for, that’s not a lot of time to pull back a miracle comeback, so our only hope is to continue win win win and win no matter what.

Octavian Salazaar leaned back in his high-backed leather chair, closed his eyes while running his fingers through his hair, before letting out a long sigh to an empty room. He got up from his chair, and walked around his desk to the wall of ceiling to floor glass panels that looked outside, finger tracing the mahogany as he paced his six foot one inch frame to the windows, bracing against it with his left hand as he stared out into Rosaria.

From its perch at the top of the city, the view from the top floor of the Salazaar Tower was simply magnificent. With naught but a simple sweep of his eyes he could peer down on the financial, political, and social capitals of Eshan, looking over and down upon all those who were important and indeed essential to the Echani nation. He was among them.

Octavian had created, grown, and evolved Salazaar Industries into a titan of Echani industry; a massive multinational conglomerate corporation that was involved with manufacturing, trading, investments, and ownership of various private facilities only part of an extremely diverse portfolio that Octavian had created to ensure his family name would live forever. He remembered that day, so many years ago where he stood in another building bearing his name, but one much smaller and less permanent than his current kingdom. He had become an absurdly wealthy and influential man. And yet while he had the survival and well-being of a large part of the Echani at his fingertips, he lacked that sort of truly…well, truly powerful power. The type that doesn’t fill men with jealous like his fortunes did, but the type of power that made men fear. The type of power that could raise the country into prosperity and instill in men the frenzied lust for war and conquer. The type of power that only a political career could bring.

So he jumped straight on in.

At 32 years old, just one year after founding Salazaar Industries and headquartered the fledgling empire out of the newly opened building he was then standing in, he campaigned for and won election to the People’s House as a Representative for his home district of Dragoon in Gracmeria. He almost certainly could have gotten elected as a Senator, but he felt that the three-year terms of Representative would allow him more campaign experience and an opportunity to build the sort of vital voting infrastructure and core constituencies around Gracemeria in preparation for a Presidential bid.

After serving six years in the House, he was faced with a crucial decision; launch a Presidential bid with a little less than two years into one of the weakest liberal Presidents in history, or go back to Salazaar Industries and work for a few more years to further expand his company and build name-brand (quite literally) recognition for himself in preparation of a run for President. Either way, it was the Presidency or nothing.

So he ran.

It was an easy decision to make; by being so absurdly wealthy he removed the need to fundraise and all the nonsense tomfoolery, both of the legal and illegal variety, that came of it, and that freed him up to focus solely on campaigning, connecting with voters, and focusing on the political strategy needed to win.

Salazaar felt that he had a certain connection with the average Echani, and certainly considered himself the embodiment of what they ultimately wished to achieve; going from nothing to riches and power and influence. He could leverage that, an image of himself as a successful, winning businessman who went from broke to rich by he was 30 and then nobly gave it all up (however temporarily) for serving his country as a legislature, and then got even more unimaginably wealthy and successful at the head of his own self-started and managed company.

He ran on enabling the individual and allowing the sheer drive of the Echani character and strength of their individual identity as Echani, and what their nationality inherently meant they were capable. Which was literally anything, and Octavian Salazaar was committed to making that a reality. And also engineering a massive military buildup, aggressively expanding Eshan’s borders, and generally fostering an environment that was far more friendly towards businesses and corporations while promoting industry wide technology by creating conditions to draw in the best and brightest money can by. Innovation that would be powered by infrastructure expansion and maintenance, relaxing workplace regulations and hour requirements, increased military numbers, and a comprehensive tax scheme that would build upon what the current administration had accomplished and slice down on the Echani tax load and draw the investing class to Eshan’s shores. Of course, his own capital holdings would see a very nice increase in overall value, exponentially growing his wealth but that wasn’t anything he was particularly keen on mentioning in his speeches. No, his sort of delivery and skill as a politician allowed him to wrap up all of this talk into neat little soundbites the didn’t betray the true intent of his words. Octavian smiled to himself.

What luck for rulers that men don’t think.

Salazaar strode back over to his desk and sat down in the chair, he had much to do to win the election. With only four and a half months until election day he would need a strong finish to challenge Revan Bernat. Octavian let out another loud sigh as he polled up the latest support figures from his campaign staff.

OS,
Below are the latest levels of support as aggregated from the usual pollsters.

Revan Bernat 41.5%
Octavian Salazaar 38.5%
Caelius Hugo Makélélé 16%
Sergius Domitian 4%

So close, and yet so far. He had buried Alexandre Hamilton under a flurry of ads and stump speeches blasting him for being uneducated on foreign affairs and seeking to isolate Eshan from the rest of Atlantian Oceania. All of those voters had gone into his camp, as had the last few tenths-of a percentage point the was the doomed from the start MoralEshan! Presidential campaign, and yet he was still trailing, even with the socialist Caelius Huge Makélélé still in the race, bleeding 16% of certainly left-leaning constituents voters away from Senator Bernat who would ultimately end up going to him once Makélélé’s campaign finally started to die. Salazaar felt he could get the majority of fascists voting for Sergius Domitian; while they might not share a similar political platform (even without the racist parts), but Salazaar did own the issue of nationalism and military might, which he was sure would be appealing to the fascist voters.

So the issue became, how to knock voters off of Revan Bernat? How to leapfrog him, if only for a second in order to grab the narrative?

Octavian Salazaar let out another long sigh and leaned back, fingers pressed against his temple, mind racing for answers.

by **Damukuni** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 7:40 pm

Damukunians drop 1st game of qualifier against Chromatika
4-1 loss holds position on match tables
Staff Report



CHROMATIKADAMUKUNI

ANTONIO 28', 72'31' J.A. JONES

HELLION 56'
ANDÍSORÍ 69'

The Football Legends fought hard, but a three-goal late-game explosion for Chromatika led them to victory, 4-1, over Damukuni at their home stadium for the first leg.

Captain and striker Jannie-Aurelia Jones scored the only goal for the Football Legends, an equalizer for what seemed would be a 1-1 tie after Chromatik striker Gabriella Antonio scored three minutes earlier. After goals by Rachel Hellion and Kéirâ Andísorí, and a second by Antonio, the Football Legends found themselves bested at full time.

"4-1 from the number-ten team in the world is not the worst outcome in the world. It could have been worse... as many as seven goals could have been let by," remarked Nagayo Yamamoto after the match. "With a little more work, we'll beat them when they come to us in Shinzoba."

Further requests for comment were received by the national team's agents, but never responded to.

The Football Legends (5-1-1, 16 pts, 3rd-Group 5) wrap up the front half of qualifying with a match at home (the Shinzoba-zayu) against the Equestrian States (4-0-3, 12 pts, 5th-Group 5) tomorrow.

by **Mriin** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 7:55 pm

"So, how the hell are we going to do this?" Gerard sat at the head of one of the pub's long tables, the rest of his "defenders" stationed around it. He's used to a fair bit more, at this point, having four other backs starting with him when he's playing for Bruul domestically and another four on the bench ready to go at a moment's notice, while here he has four total backs--only two of which that smug dragon let start--Zilia, who was certainly a fine keeper but was used to the similarly heavily defensive playstyle of the Angels, and Janna, who a charitable person could call a defensive midfielder. "We all know the Farve offense is insane. They've got, like, three of the world's top 20 best players starting up front. I've been doing some reading--shocking, I know--and every single one of their backs is apparently a right danger to just sprint down the wing and put one in themselves. We have to do something different if we're not going to get horribly drubbed like Buyan did; the poor saps had seven bloody goals against them!"

"Well," Janna cut in, "I know one thing we shouldn't do, if we're talking about Buyan. Don't throw all our defenders at one player. They were putting everything they could to stop Ror Jev-whatever his name is and pretty much letting everyone else have free reign. Which is honestly inane--Ror is like, the third or fourth best scorer on their side at best. The only thing I can think of is that he was on the same team as the Buyan keeper and there was some rivalry going there, but I can't believe they'd sabotage their own chances like that just to keep their keeper's fragile ego together."

"Especially since Ror ended up scoring, anyway," chimed in Mari. "Three times, actually. Marciak did look pretty distraught by the end of it, although I guess any keeper would when they've given up seven."

Zilia took a swig from her pint and nodded. "I'd still be drinking down the shame if I was in his spot. Hell, I'm still reeling over giving up three against Barunia."

Gerard rapped his knuckles on the table while staring into his own potion. "And that's precisely the problem we've got. If we had another competent back, two of the Barunian goals wouldn't have gotten further than a flash in the striker's mind. We just don't have enough legs to cover the ground we need to, and considering all our goddamn goals are scored by Solara and Joren it wouldn't have changed a fucking thing if we were down a centerpiece or two! What's the use of a three-four-three if two of the four don't do jack on any given play? 'Making space', they call it, some stupid catchphrase to keep midfielders who can't read a play employed!"

An awkward moment passed after that outburst, and Gerard coughed. "Uh, no offense meant, Janna."

"No, no, I get what you're coming from. It's true that most plays we're not keeping everyone active; either on the fast breaks I never see the ball and it's just Malia or Wanny finding a way to get it to Aldo or Solara, or on the slower rollups I'll be knocking it around between Kalia and myself until Joren gets himself open. And it just kind of goes like that over and over; I never thought about it that way but you've got a point."

Uhlon let out rather unpleasant grunt. "So what are we gonna do about it? Just walk up to Don and say 'Wanny ain't startin' no more, put Qual in'? Why do you think he'd listen to us?"

"That's the thing," countered Gerard, "he wouldn't listen to any one of us like that. Joren's the only he gives enough of a shit to take 'suggestions' from. But if all of us go up and demand it? He can't just ignore us. We say we get a proper formation to let us do our jobs, or we're just not going to do our jobs."

"I'm... not sure about that." Mari shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I know it's real intimidating to give a dragon orders." Gerard gave the young 'back' the most sympathetic look he could muster, which didn't mean much but at least she'd know he wasn't threatening her. "But this is something we really need to stand up on. We've had some high-flying scores that made up for it, but we can't just let the defense rot like this. Playing against better teams like Barunia we can't just pray we're going to slide more in, we actually need to make a stand and show them we can hold them. We've got talented enough forwards, long as we can get the occasional cross in to Solara or Joren we'll get what we need to win. On average, at least. Does that sound so outrageous?"

Mari still looked uncomfortable, but at least a little more at ease. "I... guess not. If we're all doing this together, I... think I'm okay with doing this."

Zilia took her teammate's hand. "Don't worry, I'm with you. I need all the help I can get here."

Uhlon gave a grave nod. "I still don't think it'll work, but fuck it, it's worth a shot."

Janna gave a more enthusiastic nod. "It'll be interesting to see how it changes our play, at the very least. Sparking a drive will be harder, but... I think we'll be able to manage."

Qual gave an exaggerated sigh, having been a quiet observer so far. "And here I thought I was finally going to get some quality rest for my old bones. But if you want me so badly I can do it!" She finished with a hearty chuckle.

Vernan, still by far the youngest player on the team, and a player who quite honestly probably shouldn't have been on the team but for a bit of Don favoring the club he owns, was the last to nod. "I don't know if I'll really be of any help at this point, but... I'm still here if you want me."

Gerard gave him a healthy slap on the back. "Atta boy. We might not be sending you out all the time, Vern, but keep yourself sharp; you never know when it'll be your time to shine."

"And I wasn't joking about these old bones," Qual said as she pulled up Vernan's chin, "I'm thrilled get more playing time but I can't keep up like I used to. I'm sure you'll do a fine job when I can't go on."

by **Farfadillis** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:19 pm

The Kamikaze

A site dedicated to Farf football

Youngsters Section

Lüí Wçêíl
submitted moments ago

Lüí did not get a call-up to the Di Bradini Cup this year. Why? Absolutely no idea. "Minduruguatzel's an idiot" is probably the correct answer, but you can't be sure. Lüí's got nothing to envy Oskar or Xíxì, let alone the other members of that DBC squad. Not calling up Lüí might very well have been the team's undoing, as he could've made an immense difference in midfield, linking up with the other two. He doesn't start for Mâ Âlâmëómë just because he's lucky.

So, yeah, as far as domestic status, Lüí is actually the most impressive of the current Farf youngsters. He's only become a starter just now, though, so he could very well hit a bad patch of form and lose his place. But, still, starting for Mâ Âlâmëómë aged nineteen is not for everyone. The last two players who managed that were Risko Kâí and Fôrté Wínrôuge. It should be noted, though, that Wçêíl has a bit of a head start over Oskar and Xíxì, since he's slightly older.

As for his personal life, his parents, Hân Wçêíl and Vânâ Drâás, perished in the Rulandese bombings. So did a few more of his relatives. I would say he was unlucky, but the sad truth is this is just par for the course. Leaving genocide aside, Lüí has played for Mâ Âlâmëómë since age fifteen, limiting himself to playing in the Rulandese streets before that. This shows in his playing style; he's got a lot of flair.

What makes Lüí stand above the crowd? It's a combination of things. But, mostly, it's his speed and his dribbling skills. Blink and you'll miss him. He's not quite the dedicated attacker, though. Much unlike other Farf wingers, he is actually fairly good at tracking back and recovering the ball. This brings me to another notable attribute of his: he's got a lot of endurance. As I already said, he's got flair; he likes to wind up opponents with cheap tricks. He is pretty good at them, but chances are he'll grow out of that after a few studs-up challenges. I would compare him to Risko Kâí, but he's actually slightly more defensive. What Risko had in goals, I think Wçêíl will compensate for in balls recovered.

As for his potential, I actually believe he edges out both Oskar Holst and Xíxì Êns. I know this is a bit of a controversial opinion, but I do believe it. If you disagree, I invite you to tune in to the next Mâ Âlâmëómë match and watch him. I think you will at least understand my position. I'd even go so far as to say he could reach Dandalleion-Kâí heights. Maybe Wínrôuge heights?

Lüí has made no statements about his future, so I'm afraid I can't write much in this paragraph.

Summing up, you should expect Wçêíl to overtake Meier for the NT starting spot at latest by WC 80, plausibly earlier. Yes, I do believe he is that good, no I wasn't bribed to write this. And, also, yes, I am very much hyped for these three youngsters in our ranks. This could turn out to be our very own golden generation.

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:38 pm

Super-Llamaland 4–2 Gegernia
Lineup: Sheffield; Strausburg (Myers-Briggs 77), Ynoa, Wagner, Van Dijk (Abel 70); Møller, Santana, Bao (Karjalainen 59); Velasquez, Trevelyan, Vorobyov
Goals: Trevelyan 9, 17; Vorobyov 45+1, Møller 80

A rather sloppy start to World Cup qualifying for a slightly-rotated Tigers team, but three points is three points. It was starting striker Sophia Trevelyan who gave the Tigers an early lead...and proceeded to double it eight minutes later with a pair of excellent goals. The Tigers were in complete control of the game for the first half, and Miroslav Vorobyov managed to put them ahead 3-0 going into the break with an impressive volley off an Eva Velasquez corner-kick.

Unfortunately, the second half was as poor as the first was good. While the offense remained dangerous, they just couldn't finish their chances and put the game truly out of reach. Meanwhile, the defense (especially Strausberg and Van Dijk) and midfield seemingly fell apart, as Gegernia managed to score twice on the break and make it a close game again. A few calming substitutions later, though, the Tigers were back in control, and Elias Møller finally put the game away with a strong free-kick from just outside the box with ten minutes to play.

Gumusservi 0–1 Super-Llamaland
Lineup: Bernholm; Lindberg, Ynoa, Wagner (Reichart 51), Abel; Møller, Candelario (Santana 60), Bao; Mandelbrot, Korborg, Vincent (Vorobyov 45)
Goals: Korborg 25

While an experimental front line of Francis Mandelbrot, Axel Korborg, and Carsten Vincent struggled to convert the numerous chances the midfield created, the Tigers' defense never even came close to conceding as Super-Llamaland ground out a one-nil away win over Gumusservi. The lone goal of the match, Axel Korborg's twenty-fifth-minute screamer, was also one of just five total shots on target from both teams.

Although neutrals who actually managed to finish the match would've called it dull, Llamanean fans were enamored with the defensive quality that the Emily Ynoa - Ephraim Wagner pairing showed. Although Gumusservi is hardly top-tier opposition, Curtis Steeling must still be encouraged by the center-back partnership's progress so far, and both Adrian Lindberg and Francesca Abel have shown themselves worthy of their starting spots.

Super-Llamaland 1–0 Polkopia
Lineup: Sheffield; Lindberg, Ynoa (Reichart 79), Wagner, Van Dijk; Fournier (Santana 63), Bao (Candelario 45), Vesely; Trevelyan, Penbrooke, Vorobyov
Goals: Penbrooke 53

Welcome to "Explosive Football", Tigers fans. Although Polkopia at home was expected to be one of the more entertaining matches of these qualifiers, Curtis Steeling's side once again ground out a boring one-nil victory. Ansel Penbrooke was the man of the match for a Tigers side that executed their gameplan perfectly and shut down any chance Polkopia had of equalizing. Once again, the center-back pairing of Ynoa and Wagner showed improvement, while Jonathan Van Dijk played exceptionally well at right-back and young Trevor Fournier impressed in an attacking midfield role, getting the assist for Penbrooke's goal.

After three games, the Tigers had been perfect - none of their wins had been particularly convincing, but Curtis Steeling's side still looked fairly impressive while adjusting to a new system. Would it hold up?

New Gazi 2–3 Super-Llamaland
Lineup: Bernholm; Strausberg (Lindberg 57), Reichart, Myers-Briggs (Wagner 48), Abel; Møller, Adrian (Candelario 53), Santana; Vorobyov, Penbrooke, Vincent
Goals: Penbrooke 29, Vincent 60, Vorobyov 63

One of the more exciting matches of the qualifiers, as the Tigers were forced to claw their way back from a 2-1 deficit to win the game. Ansel Penbrooke's early strike was the second of his qualifying campaign, and the Tigers played very well in the first half. Unfortunately, an early second-half slip led to New Gazi scoring a pair of goals in quick succession to take the lead, putting Curtis Steeling behind for the first time this cycle. Luckily, the Ethanian was able to adjust, using up all three of his subs within ten minutes and slightly changing things up. The new tactics worked perfectly, and the Tigers re-established control of the game while winning the lead back. Miroslav Vorobyov was the man of the match for a devastating free-kick that put the Llamaneans ahead for good.

by **New Gazi** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:40 pm

New Gazi (82) faced Lisander (UNR) on the last game of the first leg. The Gazilians went into the game looking much more relaxed than they have in earlier matches. This was visible in some of the smiles on the march onto the field. New Gazi has fought hard just to cling onto the fourth spot. This matchday would not be the one where they quit.

Coach Hausta was asked how he felt about his team's ranking as well as their Group standings.

"We want to win. We'll give it everything we can to squeak out as many wins as we can. Our strategy is on long term building though", he said to reporters from a Pan-African sports network, sponsored by New Gazi. "We are realistic about this. Here's the thing about sports."

He leaned forward and shifted his stance. "Everybody isn't going to win all the time. Everybody won't get into the top 5. Those are goals. Not entitlements. Sports in general don't work in a way where everyone gets a chance to be at the top. That has to be fought for."

He shifted back to his original position. "That doesn't mean we aren't focused on winning. It's just important to set seasonal goals and stick to a formula. We have a plan in place. We've made some changes that we feel are improving the team. With the new formation and additions, it's a very different team. We could make bigger changes. The thing is, that could backfire. Of course we can't be too moderate or we won't advance. I like our balance."

When asked if fourth was good enough, he replied, "Of course not. We're pushing for the second place spot. We're too games back, which won't be easy. The three teams ahead of us are pretty strong."

Asked similar questions, Amare Contee responded with "You can look at our scores and see that we've kept things as close as we could. This led to a draw against Kaboomlandia. That's one point in our favor as an underdog. We lost against the top two teams, but gave them both their closest games."

Coach Hausta also added, "It's that fight, the challenge, that struggle to reach the top that we value. One day our team will be up there. But I'm not downtrodden over being ranked 82nd. We fought for that spot."

The Gazilians, like the Vannish, seemed to enjoy the journey more than the destination. The game against Lisander ended 6-2 in New Gazi's favor. There were a lot of highlights. After the first goal, the players would only celebrate with a meager huddle. They didn't want to put off too bad of an image of gloating.

Center Back Thao Yeboah hurt the sportsmanship by picking up a red card. He put just a little too much into a tackle with an aggressive push just before tripping someone. He was ejected and will miss the next game against Gumusservi.

"I promise you, I meant no harm", said Yeboah in a statement. The truth was that he was getting slightly burned (out-accelerated) and he didn't want to give up a goal against this team. Not him personally, that is. That was an issue and Coach Hausta could sense it. Thao put his selfish wish against what was best for the team.

Anita Jarlsdottir was back and was the main facilitator of the night. There was a lot of keepaway played and all midfielders had plenty of time on the ball. Jarlsdottir just has a way of sneaking through tight spots of players to get space. She has enough technique to cause problems for some defenders or draw a double team. That creates space for her teammates. Then it's up to her field IQ to move the ball at the right time, again, with a freestyler's technique.

She's all finesse. Contee was the main scorer of the night. He's the opposite of Jarlsdottir. He's the team's center forward. He's all about strength, screens and power. He's 6'2 and scrappy. He made the highlight reels for scoring a header against a challenging 6'6 player. Granted, that player was a young rookie defender who was nervous against guarding one of New Gazi's best.

Against Lisander, Contee finally picked up a 3 goal hat trick. He was just a little strong and quick. The constant passing also seemed to wear away at his defender, as New Gazi seemed more used to the fast pace of World Cup games.

"It's not easy to make that jump into the World Cup", said Contee after the game. "They came out and fought against us. They have our respect." Contee leads New Gazi in career hat tricks over all three WC seasons New Gazi has participated in.

Jarlsdottir looked healthy enough on her return after two weeks of recovery. She scored 1 goal and got 2 assists. One was to Contee. The drama created by a few trolls between her and Contee had fallen off. Part of that was because of her injury. Many were happy just to see her come back fairly healthy. She did play less minutes, giving Vincent Vinsson rare playing time.

The other CM, Imari Leffise also scored a goal. Ifeatu Jamuike was the sixth goal scorer, playing Striker. New Gazi controlled the ball, moved it up and down the wings and controlled the center. This led to the shots they wanted. Their technique helped them get close enough to the goal or in the right position for accurate shots.

Now New Gazi has the second most goals in their Group. Their offense has really got off to a hot start. The defense has given up much more goals than the top three teams though. Still, that's an important building block New Gazi will look to refine as they chase their goals.

by **Flardania** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:52 pm

Opening Theme

Bonjour et Ohayōgozaimasu Kirishima. Welcome ladies and gentleman back once more to another World Cup 78 edition of the Kitsune Report, brought to you by the Nagatomo Sports Network (NSN), sponsored by Air Pacifica, and Pocari Surge. Here at the Kitsune Report, it's all about Kirishinan sports. With football currently taking center stage and with matchday seven of World Cup qualifiers having been completed,135 teams continue their battle for 30 spots with 11 matchdays to go. I'm your host, the fan you can count on the most, to bring you Kitsune news, Keitaaaaaaa Woo! Without any further delay let's get grooving to some world cup football once more!

Frejo 0–2 Kirishima Review:

In the aftermath of Kirishima's nail-biting win against Taeshan at the Aincrad in Akihabara, the Kitsunes were off to Frejo for their next match. Frejo was coming into the game coming off of a 3-1 loss to Sulsuland completely losing the moment they had from defeating Eura. However, the last time they were home Frejo did, in fact, beat Eura so this match would be a test as to whether the Kitsunes would meet the same fate as Eura on the opposing ground or will Kirishima power though ahead or neither. In the goal, Miyoko Hojo was back in the starting goal spot over Ai Takagawa while Filipino refugee Miguel Tamayo remained in the starting position over Eizan Iwamoto at right back. A win for Frejo would put them tied for 5th while knocking Kirishima to second. On the other side, a win for the Kitsunes would keep them in first with their bye already completed while Eura who is close behind in second has yet to have a bye. Frejo would remain in 8th.

Ever since their match one draw the Kitsunes seemingly went to a Doctor in seek of treatment. Since that point it seem the Kitsunes were prescribed a match daily dose of ruthless aggression. As a result the Kitsunes have benefitted from making full use of their offense. Joseph Yabuta tried to catch the opposition with their pants down with a nice run towrds goal in the 2' minute but the shot was off-target. Renée Guidice would tried her hand at goal with a pass from Rin Mizoguchi in the 8' but it was saved by the opposition goalkeeper. In the 12' minute Renée made a nice run at goal before passing the ball to Yabuta who fired the shot in for the goal to the far side of the net. It was too fast and hard for the opposing keeper to stop. Yabuta and Guidice would run off towards their supporters before celebrating together. I must say the attacking chemistry and friendship between Jo-Kun and Renée on and off the pitch is really fun to see. Kirishima led 1-0.

The opposition would have their first shot attempt in the 16' minute with Miyoko Hojo making the save. Yabuta would try to score again in the 25' but he was off-target. The opposition attempted scoring in the 29' and 31' minutes but the former was off-target and the latter was saved by Hojo. Ichikawa and Mizoguchi would try their luck in the 33' and 35' minutes respectfully but both shot attempts were saved by the opposition keeper. Frejo would mount one more attempt before the end of the half but Hojo would not let a momentum changer occur before the halftime break with another save. Both teams entered the half with Kirishima leading 1-0 with the shot attempts reading 6-4 in favor of Kirishima.

In the second half it was becoming hard to imagine the opposition repeating their performance against Eura with Kirishima as the Kitsunes not only had control of the game and the lead but opened the second half just as dominate as they were when they began the game. With shot attempts from Izumi and Ichikawa in the 47' and 49' minutes respectfully but both shots were saved by the opposition. The opposition mounted an attack in the 56' minute but it was saved by Hojo. The Kitsunes would lead an attack via Izumi and Yabuta in the 59' and 60' minute with the first being saved and the resulting corner being off-target. The opposition would try to tie the game up in the 65' minute but they were unsuccessful. The Kitsunes led an attack in the 69' minute via Mizoguchi but was unsuccessful. In the resulting corner, Izumi delivered a pass that connected with Pandazi Papadopoulos who scored his first goal in years in the 70' minute to put the Kitsunes up two. The opposition would try to fight back in the 74' and 79' minute but the former was saved and the latter was off target. The Kitsunes would have one last attempt at goal in the 85' and their resulting corner in the 86' minute Kitsunes get the job done. Final score Frejo 0, Kirishima 2.

Seong Mi-Soo, had this to say following the match. "We were a little concerned going into this match since they did beat Eura. We wanted to do our best to avoid making the same mistakes. We are in a good place in the table and with this win, our spot in the group is becoming more and more favorable. The team is feeling good and we just need to properly chain as many wins as possible. Our next game against New Danican will be really important. Getting a win while Eura is on bye is too much of an opportunity to pass up. Just like every game we will be taking our next opponents very seriously and fight for another win."

Frejo 0-2 Kirishima 
           J. Yabuta (12')
           P. Papadopoulos (70')

Kirishima v New Danican Match Preview

Kirishima will travel home to the Dayangseong Stadium in Imgeum for their next match. Their opponents are ranked 277th and while the Kitsunes will also have home field advantage they should not let their guard down. If the Kitsunes can get another win with this Eura by then the Kitsunes will be four points ahead meaning even if they were to lose to the veteran Eura side on Matchday 11, the Kitsunes would still lead. If that isn't a cushion then I don't know what is. The Kitsunes should try to score multiple goals just in case the opposition hs a trick up their sleeves. Until next time, Lets Go Kitsunes!

Post by: Keita Woo

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:02 pm

This is the final Cosumarite cut-off
But there's no need to cry
For nine still remain with no play-off
Now go on and fly into the sky!

Matchday 9 RP Cutoff
Scores

by **Frejo** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 7:12 am

Kalumba 2–0 Frejo

And we lose, Once again.

We have lost yet another round of the qualifying tournament, to "Kalumba". As this is the WC78 qualifying rounds, we have doubts we will qualify.
As the other news broadcast described the match, as it really was, let's meet with the people.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think you will make it to the WC17?
COACH: No.
FORWARD: Not really.
INTERVIEWER: What was it like?
DEFENDER: It was actually quite fun, I think we just aught to try again.
COACH: We had a good run, as he said, we aught to try again.
GOALIE: It was interesting, but boy, did a lot of people kick through my net.. I am not gonna be on the team next time.
INTERVIEWER: What is it like outside of the field?
COACH & OTHER TEAM MEMBERS: For wins, we were showered with cheers and surprises, for losses, we were given a bunch of cards and e-mails.
COACH: Well, see you next year.

-blacks out-
SPONSORED BY Frejo Airlines

by **Spaam** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 8:20 am

Spaam Dominate Furby Islands

Spaam have finished the first half of the qualifying season on a high, dominating the dark horse of the group by four goals. Up to this points, Furby Islands were in equal third position on the table, had beaten fourth seeds Quakmybush and had drawn with the top two seeds Gregoryisgodistan and Krytenia. On the other hand, though Spaam had managed to stay on top of the table unbeaten, they had come off a surprise draw against the bottom ranked team in the group, and were uncertain how they would fair against the giant-killers. In any case, there was more attention as to how the return of SyLy would boost the Spaamanian attack, along with the already successful Urk and Merlara Sehelin.

Sehelin opened up the scoring in the 19th minute, after Spaam pressured the visitors early, dominating the midfield and making the Furbish keeper earn his keep with repeated shots on goal. The header off the cross of Gibelar Ralora saw the home team go to a one goal lead, but also saw the visitors change their formation to a more Karelan style. With the natural game of the Spaamanians also defensive, this saw a long period of slow football, but the fans were still in good voice during this time. Eventually, it took some Syku Lyku brilliance to break through the Furbish defense, and with support from Sehelin, he struck the top left corner of the goal in the 40th minute.

Going into the break with a two goal lead, there were fears that there would be a repeat of their last match, where Allahakbarium put immense pressure on the Spaamanian attack in the second half to draw the match. However, the fears were unfounded, as the Orange and Black played very safe football, and maintained possession for the majority of the first half hour after the restart. Eventually it was up to Urk to break the deadlock, who managed to stay onside and latch onto a long ball from Thalia Fenzana and bicycle kick it past the Furbish keeper in the 77th minute. Merlara Sehelin sealed the deal with her second goal in injury time, and saw Spaam go back into the winner's circle and cement their position at the top of the table. Spaam next travel to Cosumar for a friendly, before they host Ko-oren for their next qualifier.

 Spaam         4
      (Sehelin 19', 91', SyLy 40', Urk 77')
 Furby Islands 0

Mid-Qualifying Update

Group 1
Top seeds San Jose Guayabal have stayed unbeaten to top the table, but third seeds Tumbra are just one point behind and are looking very strong so far. Second seeds Abanhfleft are just two points off qualifying, and not only have beaten Tumbra, but scored seven goals in their demolition of Hirvania this round. While San Jose Guayabal should qualify, the battle between Tumbra and the Flefts will be one to watch, and no-one can afford to slip up in the second half of the season. Prediction: San Jose Guayabal and Tumbra.

Group 2
It looks like both third seeds Spaam and top seeds Gregoryisgodistan have sewn up qualification, with the next challenger seven points off the pace. Spaam have amazingly managed to stay unbeaten, thanks to the inclusion of Urk and Syku Lyku, but with Gregoryisgodistan looking strong, they will probably not stay in first place. Second seeds Krytenia have had a shocking season, though their only win was against long-time foes Quakmybush, they are just too far behind to catch up. Prediction: Gregoryisgodistan and Spaam.

Group 3
No surprise that the ancient top seeds Audioslavia is topping this table unbeaten, but second seeds Osarius' second place is looking precarious, especially after their loss against the unranked Kiaser Colonies. Fourth and fifth seeds Tinhampton and Coldfield look like the top challengers and are no more than a win behind qualification, with Coldfield looking the strong with only a single loss against Osarius. Third seeds United States of Devonta are having a very average season and will probably not challenge for qualification. Prediction: Audioslavia and Coldfield.

Group 4
It looks like top two teams Eura and Flardania will cruise through qualification, but second seeds Flardania have impressed by making it through the first half unbeaten, while top seeds Eura have had two losses so far. Though Solsteed are ranked 154th, they are in third position and performing very well on the field, but probably won't overtake the top two with a four point deficit. Prediction: Flardania and Eura.

Group 5
Tenth ranked Chromatika are one of the form teams in the multiverse, and are on an eight game winning streak, to make their qualification almost a done deal. Second seeds Damukuni have only lost to Chromatika and are in second position, but they are being challenged by the 179th ranked Free Republics, who have also only lost to Chromatika, and managed to draw Damukuni. Third seeds West Angola are also only a win off qualification, but have looked unconvincing and will have to do too much to make it. The next match between Damukuni and Free Republics will probably decide the second spot. Prediction: Chromatika and Damukuni.

Group 6
The second best team in the world, Farfadillis, are unbeaten and will probably continue that way, but they are only a point ahead of fourth seeds Mriin who have had a great season so far. Second seeds Barunia are only two points off the pace, and, like Mriin, have only lost one match. Third seeds Boring Paradise are the best of the rest, but at ten points off the pace, look like they're already given up the game. This is a tight group, and though its hard to see Mriin keeping up this level of football, Barunia will still need to have a great season to overtake them. Prediction: Farfadillis and Mriin.

Group 7
The top two teams in Group 7, Valanora and Semarland, look almost certain to qualify, with an eight point gap to third position. However, second seeds Semarland are on an eight game winning streak, and are currently looking unbeatable. Valanora's only blip was their loss to Semarland, but it just doesn't look like they will be able to overtake them. Prediction: Semarland and Valanora.

Group 8
There are just two points separating the top three seeds, Valladares, Electrum and Jeruselem, and it looks like the qualifiers will come from these teams. Second seeds Electrum are on top and have only lost to top seeds Valladares, while third seeds Jeruselem were just beaten by Electrum in their last match. Valladares are actually looking like the weakest team of the three, though they are still in second position, with two losses already. 134th ranked Cosneolta are impressing in fourth position but have to overcome an unlikely six point deficit to be considered. Prediction: Electrum and Jeruselem.

Group 9
Top seeds Ceni are in first position and will probably stay there, and have only lost to the unbeaten second seeds Turori. Third seeds Nova Anglicana are currently in second position, but they are not convincing the critics, and are only a point ahead of Turori, who have looked a little unlucky this season. Prediction: Ceni and Turori.

Group 10
Second seeds Red Blackiland are looking very good this season, and are top of the table after only losing to Pasarga so far. In second place are the surprise qualifiers from the last World Cup and third seeds, Drawkland, who are only trying for qualification for the second time, but look like they might repeat their success. The top seeds, Pasarga, are only two points off qualifying, but are severely underperforming, and are only a single point ahead of the dark horse of this campaign, the unranked Cassadaigua. This will be a tough group for all involved, and each match will be vital. Prediction: Red Blackiland and Drawkland.

Group 11
Vilita are ranked fourth in the world, but are currently playing like it's World Cup XX, with an eight game winning streak, and their only conceded goals coming from their six-to-three massacre of Garifunya. Second seeds Ethane look like they are also safe, with their only blip against Vilita. Prediction: Vilita and Ethane.

Group 12
Widely considered the Group of Death, there is almost nothing separating joint group leaders, second seeds Starblaydia and fourth seeds Darmen, who have had strong seasons so far. Top seeds Nephara are only two points behind qualification, but are tied with the surprise packets Sargossa, who are only ranked 127th in the multiverse. Third seeds Mercedini are another two points behind, but the top five teams have all only lost one match each, and this could go down in almost any way. This has been so exciting, most fans, after checking the results of their team's groups, quickly scroll down to Group 12. Any prediction will almost certainly be wrong. Prediction: Starblaydia and Sargossa.

Group 13
The Holy Empire is unbeaten in first position, where they belong, and their sole draw was against the third seed Eshan. Fourth seeds Acronius are in second position, but Eshan is behind by one point, and is widely backed to overtake them for the other qualifying position. Second seeds Eastfield Lodge have had a shocking season, and look like they are preparing for a big run into the Cup of Harmony. Prediction: The Holy Empire and Eshan.

Group 14
This has been another close group, with a single win separating the top four seeds, and no team winning more than five games. Top seeds Brenicia are unbeaten and will probably go through, but the other position will be close. Third seeds Qasden are currently looking very strong, one point off first and maintaining their second place, but Tobiasia and Port Christopher are only two points behind. No team can afford a loss in the second half of this season, as it will probably spell the end of it. Prediction: Brenicia and Qasden.

Group 15
Top seeds Schottia are the last team that is on an eight game unbeaten streak and looks like continuing their form. There is only two points separating their next three teams, with second seeds Super Llamaland with a one point advantage. Third seeds Kaboomlandia are next, and have only lost one game so far, while fourth seeds New Gazi have kept up with them. That last spot in the World Cup will be close, and anything could happen. Prediction: Schottia and Super Llamaland.

by **Coldfield** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:47 am

World Cup 78 qualifying stage summary

Facts brought to you by John Postman, from Coldfield One

Coldfield played eight matches so far and surprised in the final round by tying a game that looked lost against one of the biggest nations in multiversal football: Audioslavia. The campaign so far has brought us three victories, four draws, and a single loss. Currently, in Group Three there are four teams competing for a place in the world cup: favorites Audioslavia and Osarius; And Tinhampton and Coldfield. They still have Kyrjasmark, the U.S. of Devonta, and Achesznya fighting for a place in WC78, however, Devonta and Kyrjasmark are seven points behind the top two and the latter is ten points behind group leader Audioslavia. To understand better, let us take a look at group three standings by the end of leg one:

   Group 3                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia                            8    6   2   0    25    8  +17    20 - World Cup 78 group stage
 2 Osarius                                8    5   1   2    19    8  +11    16 - World Cup 78 group stage
 3 Tinhampton                             8    4   2   2    16   16    0    14
 4 Coldfield                              8    3   4   1    25   19   +6    13
 5 Kyrjasmark                             8    3   2   3    18   16   +2    11
 6 United States of Devonta               8    3   2   3    16   19   −3    11
 7 Achesznya                              8    3   1   4     7   16   −9    10
 8 The Kiaser Colonies                    8    2   0   6    10   17   −7     6
 9 Gim                                    8    0   0   8     5   22  −17     0

Nation with best campaign - Audioslavia (Undefeated|Eight wins, 2 draws, no loss)
Nation with best attack - Audioslavia/Coldfield (25 goals each)
Nation with best defense - Audioslavia/Osarius (8 goals against)
Nation with worst attack - Gim (5 goals)
Nation with worst defense - Gim (22 goals against)

Coldfield top scorer - Nathaniel Balogh (8 goals)

There is another eight matches for Coldfield. You can stay informed with the schedule below:

~~MD10: Bye~~
MD11: United States of Devonta vs. Coldfield
@??,??
MD12: Coldfield vs. Gim
@National Olympic Stadium, Orangefish
MD13: Osarius vs. Coldfield
@??,??
MD14: Coldfield vs. Tinhampton
@Crownsville Palace Colosuss, Crownsville
MD15: The Kiaser Colonies vs. Coldfield
@??,??
MD16: Coldfield vs. Achesznya
@National Olympic Stadium, Orangefish
MD17: Kyrjasmark vs. Coldfield
@The Folkvang, Freyrhold
MD18: Coldfield vs. Audioslavia
@Crownsville Palace Colossus, Crownsville

Coldfield 4-4 United States of Devonta
Lineup: Green; Workman, Cockburn, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Kucera, Chamberlain; Kovacova, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Balogh 40', Tjelvarsson 45+1', Kucera 53', Own goal 90+2'
Devonta Goals: Shirt n°10 15', 56'; Shirt n°14 23', Shirt n°7 59'

The first match was disappointing. Chamberlain missed two shots against a goal without a goalkeeper and Green had failed to receive a pass from Workamn, allowing the opponent to steal the ball and score a goal. At the end of the first half everything was equalized, and to create advantage the manager changed Coldfield's structure: substituted Kovacova by Murray and Chamberlain by Simmons. It quite worked, Murray's high speed and the ingenious dribbles of Simmons created an opportunity for Kucera to score with his big head and turn the game in our favor. With the goal our national team was certain of the victory and the defense relaxed; in five minutes Devonta had turned the match again; Green was lobbed twice by shirts 10 and 7. The crowd was furious and began to support the visiting team. During the remainder of the match, no dangerous chance for both sides was created, and the draw came with a terrible own goal; Balogh tried a pass to Murray, but the ball was deflected by a defender who pushed the ball straight to the goal with his heel.

Gim 0-3 Coldfield
Lineup: Green; Workman, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Simmons, Chamberlain; Klerken, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Simmons 25', Chamberlain 50', Tjelvarsson 63'
Gim Goals: -

It was a walk in the park the match against Gim. Coldfield's ten kicks went straight to the goal, but seven of them were defended by the goalkeeper. Simmons was the first to score when dribbling the goalkeeper from outside the box and kicking the ball straight into the naked goal. In the second half Chamberlain increased to the team as they swung the net in a foul 35 meters from the goal. He went calmly and managed to send that bullet to the bottom corner, passing through the middle of the wall. The last goal was a lucky play: Tjelvarsson's good positioning allowed him to take advantage of the rebound, sending the ball to the back of the goal with his knee in an awkward angle.

Coldfield 2-3 Osarius
Lineup: Green; Houghton, Stephens, Osborn; Rodgers, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Simmons, Chamberlain; Vestergaard, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Vestergaard 40', Balogh 88' (pen)
Osarius Goals: Shirt n°10 5', Shirt n° 9 46', Shirt n°5 73'

The match against Osarius was a complete disaster. The first half ended in a draw after two goals scored on a corner and several demonstrations of violence by Coldfieldian players. The second half started very bad for our compatriots; In less than a minute, Osarius unveils the game with a midfield goal, taking advantage of David Green's bad positioning. 30 minutes later Osarius scored another goal - this time in a controversial move where shirt n°5 supposedly dominated the ball with his hand and be able to score from a volley. Several players from Coldfield complained to the referee, and three were sent off: Houghton, Simmons, and Montgomery. The match was resumed after 8 minutes and then a penalty was awarded to Coldfield: shirt 2 had prevented a goal with his both hands! Balogh kicked and did not disappoint; He pretended to go to one side and went to the other, stuffing the nets.

Tinhampton 2-2 Coldfield
Lineup: Green; Workman, Cockburn, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Kucera, Chamberlain; Kovacova, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Balogh 42', Kovacova 90+3'
Tinhampton Goals: Priscilla Evans 47',82'

The game against Tinhampton was played in a small stadium typical of a club in the Third League of Coldfield - Tin Park. It was the game that gave the most headache for our television team since the cameras are almost at the field's height; Certain good plays were not captured by our team, as well as the first goal of the match where Balogh sent the ball to the back of the net in a funny move: he kicked the ball right in the face of goalkeeper Josh Smith, the ball returned to Nathaniel Balogh's just to hit his own face and then touch the crossbar, slowly entering the goal until it hit the net. Luckily a VHS camera from one of our fans has managed to capture such a feat, but the image quality is not the best. At the start of the second half, Tinhampton star Priscilla Evans scored with her heel after dribbling David Green, who was probably astounded by how much skill a woman can have when playing a men's sport. Priscilla would score again a long time later when receiving a cross from James Wright, scoring in a bicycle kick. In extra time Coldfield's Kovacova scored with his shin when receiving a pass from Lund, equalizing the game.

Coldfield 4-1 The Kiaser Colonies
Lineup: Green; Workman, Bianchi, Osborn; Lund, Ferguson, Montgomery, Kucera, Chamberlain; Kovacova, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Balogh 3', 32', 60' (pen); Workman 24'
The Kiaser Colonies Goals: Mazziotta 90+1'

The match against The Kiaser Colonies was extremely easy. Balogh scored a hat trick: in two occasions he dribbled the goalkeeper and in the last converted a penalty. Jaxon Meredith was sent off after injuring Kovacova in the bix, being replaced by defender Dylan Horsfall. Balogh did not disappoint again and sent a kick in the middle of the goal; Horsfall, inexperienced in such position, jumped to the right side. Workman also scored a goal, accidentally; He crossed from inside the area but the curve the ball did made it hit the top crossbar and cross the goal line. In extra time Matteo Mazziotta decreased to his team with a goal of lack to 23 meters of the goal.

Achesznya 1–1 Coldfield
Lineup: Green; Workman, Cockburn, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Kucera, Chamberlain; Murray, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Balogh 35'
Achesznya Goals: Shirt n°11 76'

Certainly the worst, most boring match of all. Few chances were created and Coldfield played unwillingly, unmotivated by the storm that rocked his pre-game training and the match itself. The field was completely flooded and the bleachers empty; Absolutely no Coldfield supporters were present there. The first opportunity of the match was followed by a goal; Balogh kicked the ball into the crossbar, but the intense gust of wind pushed the ball into the goal. The opponents asked to cancel such Balogh's goal, but the referee refused. So was the goal of Achesznya where the initially low kick took off and reached the top corner of the goal, precluding an easy defense of Green. Our players did not even try to convince the referee to cancel that goal.

Coldfield 5–4 Kyrjasmark
Lineup: Green; Stephens, Cockburn, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Simmons, Lewerenz; Kovacova, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Simmons 1', 40'; Lewerenz 60'; Kovacova 75'; Tjelvarsson 84'
Kyrjasmark Goals: Halstein 31' (pen), 89'; Hanssonn 47'; Ostergaard 58'

The match that served as preparation for the confrontation against the giants of group three. Coldfield finished the first half with a 2-1 win with two goals from experienced dribbler Robert Simmons. On the first occasion he dribbled the goalkeeper with a filp flap and kicked without enthusiasm for the empty goal. Minutes later Cockburn knocked out Sunden in the corner during a corner. Halstein scored for Kyrjasmark. Nine minutes later Simmons would score again when he risked a low kick from out of the box. Early in the second half Hanssonn would draw the game and Ostergaard would turn the game with a thigh goal; Only for Lewerenz equalize the scoreboard with his head at Scott Lund's cross. Kovacova scored a goal for Coldfield in the 70th minute and Tjelvarsson would swing the nets in the eighth minute with Nathaniel Balogh's assist. Halstein had not given up and still scored one last goal before the end of the game.

Audioslavia 4–4 Coldfield
Lineup: Green; Workman, Cockburn, Osborn; Lund, Tjelvarsson, Montgomery, Kucera, Chamberlain; Kovacova, Balogh.
Coldfield Goals: Chamberlain 49'; Kucera 80'; Balogh 87'; Green 90+4 (pen)
Audioslavia Goals: Guerricaechevarria 3'; Calanndi 8'; Abbracciabene 35', 76'

What about this match that will go into the history books? Audioslavia, the team of wins suffered and Coldfield, the team of draws suffered. Audioslavia, the fall guys, and Coldfield, the manmores. The two teams clashed at the national stadium of Audioslavia - the tension was big for our compatriots. At three minutes Guerricaechevarria scored for Audioslavia to after dribbling Green with a reverse flick-over and thus accidentally scoring for his team with a lob. Five minutes passed and Audioslavia scored again, this time with Calanndi who risked a kick from outside the box and miraculously scored; Our goalkeeper stood still without reaction. After 35 minutes of the game, Abbracciabene was the target of a cross from Gael Marquez; He did not disappoint and headed the ball, making it go between the legs of David Green, scoring for Audioslavia. At this moment everything seemed lost as the first half ends with no goals. The first chance for Coldfield came from a move involving Montgomery and Chamberlain: Montgomery crossed to Chamberlain, who applied a 360 turn on Eduardo Giuffrida and risked a shot at 25 meters from the goal - the fast ball was deflected by Goalkeeper Ozuna and entered the goal: 3-1. With the goal Coldfield attacked Audioslavia with all forces; It did not work, and Abbracciabene scored again - part of the Kontrapuntzeka, a tactic that consists of holding teams for long periods and then applying quick counterattacks and short bursts of activity. It worked and Guillaume scored a humiliating, low and slow goal. Coldfield now was seeking a desperate draw. The King Edmund Meyer changed the formation from 3-5-2 to the classic 1-2-7, which had been used in WC77. It worked well and in 4 minutes Kucera made 4-2 by intercepting a Ryan Gordon pass and kicking into the inferior corner. With every minute that passed away, more chances and more chances for Coldfield were created. Crossings dominated the plays until Balogh managed to head the ball by leaning on Edrigu Verhagen; The opponents requested a foul, but the judge did not concede. Audioslavians became extremely aggressive and fouls also became recurrent. Five minutes of extra time was given; however, that extra time would have to be lengthened due to a fight caused by a penalty. Javi Esqueda applied a sliding tackle behind Balogh and was warned by the judge; Nonconformist Balogh asked for a red card for the opponent and HE was sent off! Such a feat started a confusion in the field that resulted in the expulsion of four players from Coldfield who wanted to fight the Audioslavians. Our opponents remained calm, yet the police entered the field and paralyzed the game for 15 minutes until dust bent down. With seven players on the field - 3 defenses, a goalkeeper, two sidelines and a jaded midfielder, goalkeeper David Green was chosen to convert the penalty. All were anxious when they saw that the famous right-handed goalkeeper who possesses two left feet would be responsible for the final play of the game. Green was calm and cold. He walked back 10 meters away from the ball and then ran to her. He kicked for the middle of the goal. Ozuna went to the left; The ball went to the exact center of the goal. The entire Coldfield vibrated with the penalty; the referee decided to end the match with the play, canceling the remaining two minutes of extra time. The Audioslavian crowd booed, cursing both the referee and the Coldfieldians; Our compatriots cheering on the stadium attempted to invade the pitch but they were restrained by the police. It was a happy day for every Coldfieldian.

by **Apox** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:21 am

Gavin Hughes Rolls The Dice - Inexperienced Apox Side Confidently Dispatches Suize

by Clement Ashley

The Apox National Team ended the first half of qualification on a high after Gavin Hughes plays a rotated side against fellow unranked Suize and finish the game with the strongest win of qualifiers yet. As a result we reach the halfway point sixth in our group, although in touching distance of Sameba in third. Hauling in Ethane and Vilita in the top two spot may be a step too far this time around though, and we cannot reasonably expect to gain qualification to the World Cup proper on our first return back to the tournament.

However, we are now definitely proving that we're not the "traditional" unranked side - although that was always likely to be the case with players of the calibre of Halyos Anaximander, the Palmisano brothers and the Gandhi siblings in the squad.

The game against Suize, at the FCB Stadium in Brimstone, saw a raft of squad players starting, and many made a very convincing case for their addition to the Starting XI in the second half of qualifiers. Captain for the day was Alpha Gandhi, with James Palmisano rested today. Gandhi himself spent the majority of the game being an absolute threat up front and he was partnered today by his younger sister Ozaria Gandhi. Between them they would get four of the goals, Alpha opening the scoring in the sixth minute after a through ball from Imriel Townsend found him in space with only the goalkeeper to beat. Alpha Gandhi doesn't muck up those type of chances.

Two more Apoxian goals followed before the half-time whistle - Ozaria Gandhi in the twentieth minute, putting her head on Bryton Menheniot's free-kick, while Alpha Gandhi just slipped through the defender cordon in the forty-fourth to power one past the Suize keeper and already finish the game off.

However, there was still a full half left to play and the second half wasn't any less of a let up from the first, with sustained Apoxian pressure against Suize resulting in yet another goal in the fiftieth minute, this time a corner kick which Imhotep Jekyll got his head to, the corner coming about after Ozaria Gandhi's shot from range was just tipped out by the Suize keeper.

Hughes changed up the tactics to one not previously seen by Apox, with the team reverting to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Imriel Townsend dropping back a bit to partner Bryton Menheniot in defensive midfield. Ozaria Gandhi transitioned out to the right in the line behind Alpha as the main striker, with Titan Vladimirescu pushing forward on the left. In the centre of the field, Aspen Bridges replaced Llorent Llangolan, playing in a ten role behind the striker.

While this new formation took a little adjusting to in a match setting, with Suize having their best chance of the game in the seventy-first minute, Ulysses Abujamal making a great reflex save to deny Suize a consolation, after about five minutes the team looked settled in this role. Alpha Gandhi completed his hat-trick with a well worked move, Imriel Townsend once again supplying the ball forward from deep to Aspen Bridges, who flicked it out wide to Ozaria Gandhi. A simple cross into the box to the waiting Alpha Gandhi, unmarked, and Apox had five - doubling their goal tally from the preceding seven matches in this one game.

It was nearly six in the first minute of injury-time, as Winston Arrowsmith, brought on for Alpha Gandhi, just shot wide of the bar from thirty yards out. Slightly wasteful, considering Titan Vladimirescu was unmarked and in space, but it won't tarnish the final result. This will give the team a real confidence boost heading into the second half of qualifiers, with third seeds Sameba at the Barbaria the next match up.

by **Tinhampton** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:35 am

0612 hours - 13th April 2018
The sun was rising over the Self-Administrative City (and respective Barrier Islands), and every pensioner up and down the land knew what that meant: Tolerium o'clock. Now, you may be wondering just what Tolerium is exactly. Well, nobody really seems to know, but the people who create it file it under the pretenses of "a drug designed to increase tolerance of multiculturalism, different genders and sexualities, et cetera. Particularly suitable for those aged more than seventy years of age."
As poor old Marty walked into the pension office at 9 Southend Street, he claimed his daily pension of some $20. Following this, he was bestowed a small tablet of Tolerium. "Take it... Take it! Or else they'll hunt you down and kill you! I'll be joining them!" He took the pill, put it on his tongue, then rolled it back out. Subsequently, a loud thwonk was heard, followed by footsteps leading to... well, I don't know where, but suffice to say that somebody left.

1342 hours - 13th April 2018
Just how exactly Madeleine Jane Halford AM - that's Maddie to you and me - became Mayor of Tinhampton is, to say the least, a downright controversial exercise into conspiratorialism. With the Social Democrats having narrowly forged a coalition of parties established and dubious, their leader was forced into resignation. An unusually fast conclave followed, in which Halford - otherwise a bright young backbencher with well-recieved ideals at the time - was voted in as leader.
I say "at the time". It was thanks to several rebels on both sides of the fence that many of the bills that the coalition would otherwise opposed - Tolerium, the Voter Freedom Act, FAIR GAME, etc. - somehow passed. She had not recalled signing any of those bills, and was no doubt hell-bent on her belief that this was a pile of signature fraud "and other such nonsense".
And yes, the "bright young backbencher" of which I speak of was - for the most part - no longer the ideal she had promised to the city. She already logged in at 44 years old, soon to be 45 and her vote halved; accusations rang around from the lesser cabinet that the VFA was "a cross-party deal to kill our politics... an oxymoron, to say the least." You were not just dealing with a backbencher any more, but the woman at the top of the tree. Of course it was going to be hard, but now was tougher than most times. And I think we can all understand why the Minister for Veganism consistently slammed her as a "fucking dimwit" most of the time.
At eighteen minutes to two sharp, a man stylising himself solely as "The Inquisitor" entered the Mayoral Office in some way or another. It was then that he asked "Under what circumstances have you approved laws that you are opposed to?" It was to this that the Mayor quickly replied "I haven't! If I'm being honest, I never got to sign them anyway! If you want to talk to somebody, talk to the Minister for Veganism. He hates me. I suspect he appended my signature under false pretenses." As he left, a note was left on the desk, reading "YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT PREPARE FOR VENGEANCE".

1733 hours - 13th April 2018
The Friday Congress was well-renowned as the best possible way to end the leaders' Assembly Week. As we join the meeting, we discover that the Mayor is currently engaged in a hearty discussion with several other of her ministers. "If you can't see the wood for the trees, you have two options. Try and find your way out and escape, or bring out a giant axe and bring it to the forest and escape anyway. Within confusion, there's always a light."
One minister asked "But Mrs Halford, just how are we going to fund all this?" "We could increase taxes to the maximum allowed, perhaps bring in more here so that---" Immediately, a man bearing a suspicious resemblance to the Minister for Lifelong Learning complained "I'm not taking my orders from an unpatriotic traitor who plays with a hammer and sickle in her spare time. You have wasted squillions of opportunities to sort out this mess. You're not a leader at all, or a good one even, and your more-than-antithetical attitude towards pensions shows this. Goodnight. I'm off to finish my fourth uni degree now. Because after all, lifelong learning is my mantra, was my job, then a leftist nutjob had to spoil it for me."
The Minister for Retirement, whilst staying in his place with everybody else, was quick to add that "Whilst it is not our fault at all, WASPI women deserve their pensions! They need them, they need them now, and we won't stand for means testing. I'm not sure you're the right choice. I have plans in the works, you know..." Despite various interruptions, the Mayor attempted to discuss her opinions, but with little success, even though everybody could comprehend that it had something to do with how she would stay on.
And then an instantly recognisable voice said "That's more than understandable... you fucking dimwit." The Mayor, despite being a known proponent for greater government powers, wondered if there was any need at all for a ministry of veganism. With everybody else leaving the meeting, a note was slipped over the table, reading "We still trust in you, Maddie. --- your Minister for Defence"

by **Kolmya** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 1:36 pm

The Löptsegl Saga
”Löptsegl Loss Still Leaves Them In a Decent Position”
July 2nd, 2017
Written by: Herjolf Kjotvisson

Goal Scorers:
‘39 Santos (SJG)
‘73 Madrid (SJG)

Löptsegl’s performance in its most recent was disappointing, but not totally unexpected. The prestigious San Jose Guayabal national team has a record with many astonishing wins, and even a win of the Cup of Harmony. They have also made it a ways in previous World Cup tournaments. Compare this to the newcomers from the north, whose first game against Goluta (4-4) was only a month ago. However, at the same time, Löptsegl’s record isn’t too shabby; they sit at the fifth position of their group with 10 points. Many in Löptsegl aren’t hoping to make it to the finals of the World Cup or anything. Just establish a place for themselves in competitive international play, and possibly qualify for the tournament.

Today’s qualifying match was played at þingvǫllr Stadium in Nordlys, Löptsegl at the nice temperature of 60 degrees fahrenheit. A decent number of Löptsegl fan’s had shown up to watch the game, but not as many as had watched the Baptism of Fire. The game started at 10:00 this morning, after many Christians had already returned from their morning Church services. Even though it was early in the day, there were already plenty of people downing various meads and ales provided by the stadium. Here in Löptsegl, alcohol consumption is considered normal at sports games, and rarely causes fights.

The game started off fairly normally, with Löptsegl playing conservatively, focusing a lot on defensive integrity, and San Jose Guayabal also playing a fairly balanced game. Both sides had several chances in the first half, but only the Guayabalense were able to capitalize on their chances, with Kevin Santos producing a goal in the 39th minute. The first half ended with an intense pressure being applied to the Löpt team. The Löptsegl defenders gladly returned to the locker room for some water and a chance to rest. The second half ended up going in a similar fashion to the first half, with San Jose Guayabal getting the majority of the scoring opportunities . However, in the 64th minute, Halldorsson got a good shot in at that went off the top crossbar, much to the ire of the crowd. Only 7 minutes later, Guayabal struck again with a goal from another forward, Rodrigo Madrid. In the closing 10 minutes of the game, Löptsegl upped the pressure in the midfield, trying to retain possession of the ball in the opposing end, however, this did not end up working out, and the game concluded 2-0 in favour of Guayabal. Löptsegl is now seeded 5th of 9th in Group 1 with a record of 3-1-4.

by **Farfadillis** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 1:52 pm

"Polar Islandstates' record against Farfadillis is good" would be an understatement. I don't know the exact numbers, but I do know one thing: we'd faced them many times, and we'd only not lost once. Many Farves stil remember that one match fondly. The day when we finally came out of a match against the Terns as the better team. It was World Cup 73, so I was just a kid, but I still remember the match vividly.

Some of those on the pitch had played that day. Ten minutes into that match, Röènôùjýâ made a mistake that cost us a goal, for example. He did make up for it, though; five minutes into the second half, Delafuente pulled off a ridiculous defense-splitting through pass to him, and he didn't let it go to waste. After that, Otkupschikov almost eliminated us putting the Terns ahead with not that much to go, but we uncharacteristically turned the game around against the most boogie of our boogie teams. Kâí scored off a rebound, and finally Fuego scored a fairly floppy goal. If I remember correctly, Fôrté played his part in the set-up of that goal.

It's incredible how quickly things can change. That was eight years ago. Now, we were one of the best teams in the World, and, somehow, the Terns were among the worst. Results-wise obviously. Many expected them to underperform after so much time away from the international stage (why was that, again?), but not to this degree. So far, in seven games, they were winless, and dead last in the group. On the other hand, we were unbeaten and atop. We had been underperforming ever-so-slightly, but you could just chalk it up to Tíbürçìó's tinkering of the starting line-up.

It's also incredible how some things don't change at all. Even under these circumstances, the Polarians were winning. An early missile from Robin Geirsson had put them ahead and, after that, they seemed to go back to their past World Cup-winning selves. Obviously, we were still the better team, so we dominated for most of the match, but at some points it was them that looked like the better team. At any rate, this was highly frustrating.

By about minute eighty, still down one-nil, the gaffer told me to warm up. So, I began warming up. About thirty seconds later, he said "You know what, fuck it, no time for that, come here." Truly ahead of his time as a physiotherapist. Anyway, that was my first international match. I was just nineteen; not too shabby.

We had about ten minutes to get a result out of that game. We were at home. This was pretty humiliating. At least we wouldn't let be letting down that many people, I thought. After all, there weren't many in the stadium, with how unstable things were.

Ruy Monrazón, who had put in a commanding performance that night, once again recovered the ball and gave us some breathing space. The ball went to Wínrôuge, who had been marked very professionally that night. I wouldn't say he had been neutralized, but he certainly had been diminished. Nonetheless, he consistently drew two defenders towards him. This time, though, only Holzhauser marked him. A thirty-four year old, at the eightieth minute, tasked with marking Fôrté all by himself? I was later asked how I'd managed to find space in that play, but to me it just seemed stupidly obvious. So, yes, as soon as I saw that I began running towards the box, hoping to sneak between Bjerregaard and Otkupschikov.

Wínrôuge got past Holzhauser with two feints, and as a result finally found himself with some space. He looked up, saw me, and placed the ball in just the right place in the box. Otkupschikov threw himself to the floor in attempt to stop the pass, but missed by centimetres. After that, the ball stopped at just the right place for me to get to it before Bjerregaard and have about half a second before he could bother me. When I got to the ball, I just shot. A bit of a risky choice, but I always follow my gut. I placed it well, so Brandt-Caledon could not stop it. In two seconds, we'd turned an average play into a goal. This was the kind of thing that made us Farfadillis. To that day, I'd never been proud to wear that shirt. But that goal changed that.

We couldn't win, but getting a tie out of that game didn't feel like a loss for me. The papers did not agree with that sentiment, though. Without exception, the papers tore the team apart for our performance that day. Except for me. Every single article seemed to have as a foot note that "that Wçêíl kid" could very well be the new Kâí. Everyone at Mâ Âlâmëómë had told me at some point that I could, maybe, turn out be the new Kâí, but reading it in the papers? It just felt so surreal.

I knew I was very far from snatching the starting spot from Scheherazade, but I'd proved my worth; that much I was sure of.

by **Eshan** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:45 pm

The Sebio Sentinel
First World Cup Loss; Five Points Behind Group Leaders

Well that was extremely disappointing. Clearly every loss is sucks ass and is the complete worst feeling in the world, yet this particular loss was the first of the campaign so far, and dropped us five points behind The Holy Empire in first place and four behind match-winning Acronius. It’s still early in the tournament, but that gap is worrisome and needs to be cut down on as soon as possible.

It was a classically high scoring Echani game, but unfortunately it didn’t quite go in our favor. We went ahead in the 42nd through a cross from Steven Tadeo on the right wing, who smoothly beat the opposing left back before pumping the ball into the box for Anthony Baudelio to powerfully head it home and give us the opening goal. They were quick to hit right on back by scoring 74 seconds later with a beautiful own goal from Steven Tadeo, who went to clear the ball out from nearly the penalty mark but managed to mishit it so perfectly that it sliced right over his head and into the net. 2-1 to them came right on the stroke of halftime when their forward controlled a shitty mishit pass from Aurélian Gautier and blasted the ball in to the net to send the Echani team down 2-1.

Second half saw our total superiority in play but we couldn’t translate that into a victory. The Acronian team went and scored another goal like jerks in the 58th minute with a admittedly nicely struck free kick and that sorta sounded the death bell for the team. While we continued to to push forward and attack, attack, attack, we just couldn’t come off with a win. Magnum Cerelius scored a second for us in the 84th minute off an assist from Artemis Montanari, but that was as far as the great comeback was going to be.

Better luck next time, we need the three points badly.

by **Ceni** » Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:55 pm

In a group full of familiar foes, Ceni managed to win all of their games but one under the leadership of a new manager, the Cenian Elidyr Lyndainium, to top their World Cup qualification group with twenty-one points out of a possible twenty-four. They faced countries as diverse as two fellow participants from the Baptism of Fire in which Ceni competed and a team that has a long history of matches with Ceni - and a history in which the tables have turned from the beginning of the relationship.

Surprisingly, the team managed to sneak five goals past Nova Anglicana at home, evening their head to head record. The highest ranked Pot 3 team, Nova Anglicana had previously won the teams' only previous meeting, an encounter in the first round of the Beltane Cup, a tournament solely for Baptism of 54 alumni, 2-0. Yet that was several years ago, and Ceni's side has demonstrably improved since then. However, Lyndainium didn't want to take any chances on this match, so he fielded his full-strength squad on this match. The results were quite pleasing; Ceni's top-class attack, with the likes of Kel Koromin and Andrew Arrowsword, cut through the Nova Anglicanan defense like a hot knife through butter. Koromin, Marc-André Onasi, and Adrián del Toro all scored one apiece, while Arrowsword scored two goals - an indication of his skill despite being only 22 years old. Yttribia, another Baptism of 54 alumnus, previously had a perfect head to head record against Ceni, with both games previously played in Beltane Cup group stages; Yttribia had won 5-1 and 2-0 in the teams' first and second encounters, respectively. Ceni took steps to even out that record with their 1-2 win, a little bit closer than expected (one might have predicted a less even match considering the rank disparity between the two teams) but nonetheless a valuable three points.

The team's next two home games after the Nova Anglicana match were almost as dominant as that one; Ceni thrashed unranked Joaquin States 4-1 while next taking on unknown Miloscia, defeating them 4-0. With these two fairly easy home games, manager Lyndainium chose to field lineups without Ceni's main starting threats, instead choosing to play younger, less experienced players in more experimental formations. Players such as Cesar Corvalan, Sofia Falcon, Voren Reth, Asher Koromin, and Xavi Caldera were able to get caps and goals in these matches, proving their worth to their country; Lyndainium was able to try super aggressive strategies with only a couple of defensive players to try and maximize goals. The results seemed impressive, giving him validation for his stated strategy of focusing on players of the age of 25 or less for the next cup in order to maximize results for the team, as well as bolstering the appeal of the more aggressive formation to score a lot of goals.

In Ceni's away matches, Lyndanium chose to act a little less aggressively, knowing that any misstep on foreign soil could lead to a dangerous counterattack and calls for his head if any upsets occurred. He therefore chose to play a cautious lineup, with three centerbacks (Lorechian, Windtide, and Guri-Montague) and a defensive midfielder (either Jaros or Valles, depending on the opponent). Although the strategy did minimize the amount of goals conceded, with Ceni only allowing 2 goals in games against Tomikosan, Elgenstad, and Astograth, the team's attacking side did not keep up its intensity as it had in home matches, scoring a sum total of five goals in those aforementioned matches. Perhaps some tweaks to this formation could improve the defense while not sacrificing attacking power by taking out the defensive midfielder and adding in a playmaker to ease the transition from the defense to the offense.

The only loss of the campaign came to the group's second seed, Turori. The game was significant for a couple of reasons, with some relevant to control of the group and qualification and some only relevant for the history books. Interestingly enough, the game marked a couple of firsts for the Cenian national team: it was Ceni's first loss in the Cenial Halcyon National Stadium (having previously only dropped two points over dozens of games in the stadium), as well as Elidyr Lyndainium's first loss in nine matches, ending a period in which Ceni's new manager had been undefeated. It was also Ceni's first loss to Turori in three previous matches, in which Ceni had led their head-to-head two wins and one draw to no losses. More immediately, the match ended hopes for Ceni to emerge from qualifying undefeated, and perhaps raised concerns that Turori would overtake Ceni in the group standings and qualify over them. The game was tight all the way through, with the game seesawing back and forth between the two teams; Turori managed to score the winning goal deep into stoppage time, through a last-gasp counterattack after goalkeeper G. Q. Disterfred saved a last-minute Arrowsword shot. Corran Celgis and Jacob Zajon, two of the players from the last generatrion of Cenian players, played well in the match, with Celgis acting as a playmaker and Zajon scoring, alongside a goal from Kel Koromin.

Manager Lyndainium, on told that, so far, he has the highest winning percentage of any Cenian manager with ten wins and only one loss, dismissed suggestions that he could be the best Cenian manager of all time. "This is qualifying," he told journalists. "We are the first seeds, and we are expected to win most of our matches. Just wait until World Cup finals - when we are a second or third seed - before trying to praise me. We still have a long way to go here." That long way's first step is actually qualifying for the World Cup - something Lyndainium doesn't think the team should take for granted. "I think we're going to be going in way too overconfident against Nova Anglicana, and of course, Turori gave us a good thumping at home. We need to focus on our next steps, and not get ahead of ourselves here."

The most pivotal matches of the second half of qualification will occur in Nova Anglicana and in Turori as Ceni will travel to the third and second seeds in the group, respectively, in matches that could determine the final placings of the group and who qualifies out of the three. Lyndainium hopes that the team can make progress in both of these away matches, but warns that the team must not be complacent. "The away game against Turori might actually be easier than the home game against them - thank the cocoabo - but they've seemed to hold up pretty well for themselves as well. We have to be confident and optimistic, but not overly so. We shouldn't doubt ourselves, but as Han Solo says, 'Don't be cocky, kid.'"

by **Schottia** » Mon Jul 03, 2017 12:24 am

SBCNEWS Online...
Football special - The Road to Cosumar and Bonesea. Part One

Schottia found themselves once again in uncharted waters, drifting aimlessly on a sea of discombobulation, as they had somehow cropped up in pot-one for the World Cup 78 Qualifiers. This wasn't a dream, nor was it an admin error; a lot had changed in Schottia's ten WC-cycles. It would seem that through a combination of hard work, timing - and a lot of luck - they had shaken off their minnows tag. Eleventh in the world was quite something - and while journalists would be entitled to the opinion that it was perhaps a little flattering - there was no doubt that it was a tag that came with much pressure attached. To say that, historically speaking, Schottia have performed poorly under pressure would be putting it mildly, a 7-1 defeat to Nova Anglicana in the last sixteen of the CoH 64 need be the only exhibit presented to the jury. However, there seems to have been something of change in the air; and especially since Lionel Mah took the reins, we've definitely seen more resilience from the boys and girls in white and green. Schottia have a very settled squad of players, with the majority of the first team having grown in stature together over the last ten years. Six of the starting eleven played together in the same Di Bradini Cup-33 winning side, and that trust and understanding has no doubt played a big part in Schottia's recent good fortunes.

Schottia were drawn in a group alongside Super-Llamaland, Polkopia, Kaboomlandia, and New Gazi - with Gumusservi, Gegernia, Coraspia and Lisander also there, acting as potential banana skins. The Tigers are no strangers to the world stage, having made the World Cup finals on five previous occasions. Whereas, Polkopia - who were one of the rising sides of WCC football before a brief hiatus - will likely be tricky opposition. Kaboomlandia and New Gazi have are both ranked in the top-100 sides in the world and undoubtedly have a fair bit of quality about them; however, Schottia will have been encouraged by the fact that they defeated the Kaboomlandia 3-0 during the most recent IAC. On the face of it, Group 15 is a challenge; but with nine pots of fifteen, you are almost guaranteed to at least one good side in your group.

Schottia 2–0 Kaboomlandia
Line-up: McNott, Watt, Doig, Souter, Paul, Conjure (J.Ünterhausen), McDonald, E.Killanen, Rudden (Rexmont), Coultan, Martel-Burns (Brankovič)
Goals: Martel-Burns, Rexmont

It's debatable whether or not it is advantageous to open with such a crucial match, but Schottia got through it unscathed. The three points will most certainly have acted as a springboard, as a clean sheet, and a solid performance, gave the Auks a dream start. There were no crazy experiments, as Lionel Mah went with his strongest starting eleven. Corrine Martel-Burns returned to the loan striker role after pending assault charges kept her out of the IAC 2, and Evelyn Conjure was once again preferred to Johannas Ünterhausen in the centre of midfield. After those deputising for the Half-Quebecois did so well during the Independents Cup, Mah showed real faith in the youngster by throwing her straight in from the start. However, his decision was soon justified, after the striker burst free of Marco Ciliano, finding the bottom corner with a well aimed strike from the edge of the area.

In the second half Schottia looked to exploit Kaboomlandia's one at the back system, with Killanen and Rudden pushing forward in the wide areas. Kim Coultan fired just wide with side-footed effort from the centre of the box, and substitute Višnja Brankovič saw her header tipped over the bar by the very impressive Duncan McEachern. With only a one goal lead to protect, the home side always had to be mindful, and it wasn't until substitute, Steven Rexmont, scored the second, that they could be sure of all three points. Rexmont has by all accounts had an excellent first season in the Nepharim Premiership, and he showed real power and precision, finishing from a tight angle with a powerful left footed drive.

It was the dream start for Lionel Mah and Schottia, a good attacking display against a side who are surprisingly defensive given that they play one at the back.

Lisander 0–3 Schottia
Line-up: Gould, Watt, Doig, Souter, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, McDonald, E.Killanen (James), Rudden, Coultan (Soria-Luna), Martel-Burns (McCormack)
Goals: Killanen (2) Coultan

Next up for Schottia was a trip to Lisander, a nation much better know for their exploits with the ball of the egg-shaped variety. Due to a regulation preventing Lisander's sportsmen and women representing the national team if the ply their trade abroad, Schottia were left facing something of an unknown entity. Schottia were forced to travel to the Vermillion Arena without the services of Jeremy McNott, Stephen Paul, and goal scorer against the Phoenix, Steven Rexmont. This meant there was a rare start for Soessch keeper Harry Gould, while Jansberg's Mark Ünterhausen filled in at centre-back.

After a very open first half hour, Schottia made the breakthrough, possibly even against the run of play. Eion Killanen looked like he was going to go past Milen Kaplanoski down the right, however the Mâ Âlâmëómë attacker cut inside before cracking in powerful drive from nearly twenty metres out. Lisander looked like a decent enough side in attack, and Gould had to be on his toes to punch wide a strike from Racing Club de Soria's Tristan Walker. However the first half was the Killanen show, and the veteran saw another strike cannon back of the post, before he added a second just before the interval.

The Schottia attack continued to probe the Lisander defence in the second half, with the Auks looking particularly dangerous on the counter attack. Crawford City girl, Kim Coultan made it three for the visitors, after some good footwork took her past Luís Ávila. The 30-year-old was perhaps a little lucky with her final strike however, a wicked deflection took the ball past the outstretched Martin Garmin. The goal was to be Coultan's last touch of the game, as the attacker was hooked to make way for Marine Coast playmaker, Camila Soria-Luna. There was also a run out for Nick James in this game, with the Dwile Warriors winger causing the Lisander defence problems with his direct running. Three nil looks very one-sided, but anyone watching this came would have realised that it was a very hard fought win.

Schottia 4–3 Gegernia
Line-up: McNott, Watt, Doig, Souter, Paul (M.Killanen), Conjure, McDonald, E.Killanen, Rudden, Coultan (Soria-Luna), Martel-Burns (McCormack)
Goals: Martel-Burns, Rudden, McCormack, Soria-Luna

Baptism of Fire round of sixteeners, Gegernia, wee probably not a side Schottia expected to struggle against at home, but things rarely run that smoothly in WCC football. Gegerina were a late addition to the BoF, after Dutch Semarland pulled out, but the nation's journalists have been strangely quite since the end of the tournament. It was a more conventional Schottia side which took to the pitch in this match, with Paul and McNott going back into the first team. However, the Cornellians keeper was badly at fault in the opening goal, which left Harbour Hill Stadium stunned. Schottia didn't expect to find themselves chasing this game, but after Alice Freyell's opener, that's exactly what happened. The home side battled hard, but for all their possession, they had to head up tunnel at half time, with the scores level at 2-2. A Martel-Burns header, and a deflected half volley from Rudden were not enough to get one over on a dogged Gegernia side.

There were groans and murmurs of discontent in the crowed, as the "Old Schottia" had seemingly reared its hideous head: and while John McCormack put Schottia back in front with his first goal of the campaign, it did little to mask what was looking like a lacklustre performance. Schottia found themselves hauled back level once more with twenty minutes left on the clock, as John Garraweald's header left McNott flapping, setting up a nervy end to the game. One of the shinning lights for Schottia in this match, however, was the performance of Camila Luna, who made something of an impact after she came on. The U15 WC winner struck the decisive goal that let the side off the hook, five minutes from time.

Gumusservi 0–3 Schottia
Line-up: Gould, Abner, Doig, Souter, Paul, J.Unterhausen (Cummings), McDonald, Coultan (James), Rudden, Soria-Luna, Martel-Burns (Crew)
Goals: Martel-Burns (2), Souter

Lionel Mah for made four changes to the side, which struggled against Gegernia; one through choice, and three imposed on him. Harry Gould was given another run out in goals following a poor performance from Jermey McNott, and Esther Abner, Johannas Ünterhausen, and Camila Luna all come into a team which has ended up being a bit of a patch-up job. Killanen's injury, while causing one headache for the manager, will have solved another, as he wasn't forced to choose directly between Coultan and Luna. Gumusservi, since making their debut during BoF-63 have gone on to do very little or so it seems, so on paper at least, this should have been a straightforward one for Schottia.

This won't exactly go down as a classic, but luckily for Schottia, Martel-Burns had her scoring boots on, and that's really where this tale starts and ends. A clever through ball from Luna set the Polaris striker through for her first after fifteen minutes, and she added her second with a crisply struck freekick just before half time. Marine Coast starlet, Luna, was then instrumental in the side's third, picking out Sporting Cenial's Gareth Souter, who scored with a powerful header.

Schottia 2–0 Polkopia
Line-up: McNott, Watt (Abner), Doig, Souter, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, McDonald, E.Killanen, Rexmont (Rudden), Coultan, Brankovič (McCormack)
Goals: Brankovič , McCormack

Earmarked as one of the big fixtures for Schottia, the visit of Polkopia was not going to be one they were relishing. Martel-Burns was missing through suspension after reaching the yellow card limit (the only real surprise being the fact that it took her so long). Killanen was back in the starting line up with Soria-Luna nursing a pulled hamstring, and Brankovič would be the one asked to fill in up front. Spartak Stenin's side were going to have a tough job in clawing their way back up the rankings, but they looked a very decent side in this match, - despite going down 2-0 - and we reckon they'll get there.

Brankovič had been particularly impressive during Schottia's run to the Independents Cup final, and she showed that killer instinct again in this match. Always a handful up front, the Eastern Stars striker tested Leonti Vinogradov early on with a powerful effort. The 29-year-old then broke the deadlock, after an excellent cross from Rexmont found her on side to finish past Vinogradov with a left footed volley.

Polkopia did create chances, and had Lada Kirovski striker, Dimitri Petrov, connected with an Aleks Kovač cross just after the restart, then things might have turned out different. However it would be Schottia who scored the decisive goal, after John McCormack ran onto a clever forward ball from Evelyn Conjure, to double his tally for the tournament. Five wins from five was a very good start, and possibly a even little better than Lionel Mah would have hoped. The likes of Polkopia and Kaboomlandia are no slouches, and winning these home matches is likely to be very important to the nation's chances of progression.

New Gazi 3–5 Schottia
Line-up: McNott, Thompson, Robertson, Souter, Paul, Conjure (Bánach), J.Ünterhausen (Soria-Luna), E.Killanen, Rudden, Coultan (Cummings), Martel-Burns
Goals: Martel-Burns (2), Coultan, Killanen, Soria-Luna

Schottia had Martel-Burns back as they made the trip to face the Gazilions, and she marked her return to the first team with a deadly double. With the way Group 15 was shaping up, this was a very important match for Schottia, and one, which promised to be a high scoring affair, going by score lines we'd seen so far. Schottia were crucially without team captain Jenny McDonlad, while wingbacks Doig and Watt also missed out on the trip through injury and suspension respectively. A threadbare defence meant that Lionel Mah was forced to go with Thompson and Robertson in the wide areas, with Johannas Ünterhausen picking up the defensive midfield duties.

This was a match where we saw the best and the worst of Schottia, as the side managed to find the net five times, but also displayed many of their defensive frailties. There was a first cap for Dilon Bánach, and the Handon United kid did well, replacing Evelyn Conjure with twenty minutes to go. Second half goals from Coultan, Killanen, and Luna, helped get Schottia over the line, but make no mistake, this was difficult match on the road. Not an ideal warm up for the visit of Super-Llamaland, the Auks would need to be much tighter at the back when they faced the group's second seeds.

Schottia 3–0 Super-Llamaland
Line-up: McNott, Watt, Doig, Souter, Paul, Conjure (J.Ünterhausen), McDonald, E.Killanen, Rudden (Rexmont), Soria-Luna (Renshaw), Martel-Burns (s/o)
Goals: Martel-Burns, Rudden, Soria-Luna

Harbour Hill Stadium was packed to the rafters for the visit of the Tigers. Group 15's second seeds were a nation of considerably sporting pedigree, who boasted some serious players among their ranks. Notably, Velasquez and Penbrooke, both play in two of the world's top leagues, and Schottia would need to be on their toes. Schottia's task wasn't made any easier by the fact that they were without Kim Coultan, as her propensity to find herself in possession, inevitably means she picks up a few knocks. Add to the equation the fact that the Llamaneans have beat Schottia 7-1 in the not too distant past, and you can see why this game was a big one.

Despite the question marks hanging over Schottia in the build up, this match ended up being one their best performances of the qualifiers so far. McDonald and Conjure worked their socks off in the centre, keeping the likes of Möller and Boa quiet. Winning this tough midfield tussle was key to Schottia's victory, as was the combination of two U15 world champions in the attack. Martel-Burns and Luna really came up with the goods in this one, even if a red card for the former slightly soiled an otherwise coming-of-age performance. There was also a late run out for Ross Renshaw in this match, the second Blue Coast player to be capped this season, but he had little to do once he came on.

A win, and a clean sheet against top opposition will hopefully inject a little more confidence into the side, as they look to keep this momentum going into the second half of qualifying.

Coraspia 0–4 Schottia
Line-up: Gould, Abner, Doig, M.Ünterhasen, Ross, Conjure (Cummings), McDonald, James, Rudden (Soria-Luna), Coultan, McCormack (Brankovič)
Goals: McCormack, James, McDonald, Brankovič

Schottia couldn't have been sure exactly what to expect as they travelled to face Coraspia. The side finished bottom of their BoF group with a grand total of zero points, but then again, that was the same amount Schottia came away with after the WC-68 qualifiers. Lionel Mah fielded a somewhat untested side, suspension to Martel-Burns and Eoin Killanen forcing his hand a little. John McCormack, on from the start, put in a good performance as he astutely led the line. The Centralis Heart forward used his pace to good effect on the 22nd minute, ghosting inside the left-back before firing the ball into the far corner past the outstretched keeper. Nick James also equipped himself well on his first Schottia start. The Dwile Warriors man was always willing to take players on, and proved to have good end product, too. Icing on the cake for him would have been his goal on the half hour mark - one that may give Mah food for thought.

Schottia didn't let the tempo drop throughout the 90 minutes, and added another two goals in the second half. Jenny McDonald scored the third after a neat exchange with Kim Coultan, and substitute Višnja Brankovič completed the rout after being played through by person-of-the-match, Nick James.

Lionel Mah and his players can't have any complaints about last eight results, even if one or two of the performances weren’t perfect. The fact that played themselves into a little trouble in the matches against Gegernia and New Gazi, will have been entirely glossed over by the some of the far more convincing score lines. The challenge, of course, will be in maintaining this form, and not getting complacent. Given the fact that their wafer thin squad has caused them problems in the past, the form that some of the understudies are in right now, could be very important come the later match days. In particular; Rexmont, Brankovič, Soria-Luna, and James have pushed themselves more and more into Mah's plans, and now look like a first team in waiting. So much can happen over the second half of qualifying, and it would be crazy to get carried away, however, our professional journalistic diagnosis would be: So far so good.

by **Sargossa** » Mon Jul 03, 2017 2:35 am

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport

Group Of Death Lives Up To Billing

Blanco Borrayo reports from Torreón;

Prior to the start of this campaign we asked Football Federation president Hernán Sandoval what he believed would constitute a successful competition for Sargossa. ‘I’m not setting any specific targets’, he said. ‘Because they only act as a millstone around the neck. Instead I have two unofficial goals. Firstly, I’d like us to regain our double-digit world ranking. We’re not too far from that so with a few good results that should be eminently doable. And secondly, I’d like us to finish in a position higher than our seeding. Top four, that’s would I’d like to see. But no heads will roll if that’s not the case. Too many knee jerk decisions have been made by this organisation in the past, I like to think we’ve learnt from those mistakes.’

After the win in Jhanna the sky did in fact seem the limit for Rafael Barrios’ Corsairs, to go to the Starblaydi capital and take all three points was a serious statement of intent from the new coach and his charges. But football is a fickle game and victory would not be tasted again for three whole fixtures. The solid defensive unit that had taken highly creditable results from the trips to Mercedini and Starblaydia suddenly found themselves flummoxed as Yuezhou arrived in the port city of Jucaro and resolutely refused to cross the halfway line. Forced onto the front foot the Darker Blues took a long time to get going but, even after finding their attacking verve, couldn’t pierce The Red Dragon’s stalwart defence. Wave after wave of attacks crashed against what was essentially a flat back five but Wei Haidong and his defence stood annoyingly firm. A turgid goalless draw against an unranked side was quite the come down following the heroics in Jhanna.

Sadly, the fixture list had not been kind, with the hardest fixture of them all hot on the heels of that disappointment. Not so long-ago Group 12 top seeds Nephara won the greatest prize of them all and there was a sense that the Cormorants would quite like it back. In the surrounds of Treason’s Gauntlet they certainly played like a side with the capacity to top them all. For much of the match it was a real battle, between two nations that had been playing matches like this for a long, long time. But the contest would come down to just two factors, the prestigious fitness levels of the Nepharim and the predatory instincts of a genuinely world class striker. In truth, it had been a deeply frustrating campaign for Penumbra Amokachi thus far but, following her 55th minute introduction, the Eastweald striker was clearly determined to make up for lost time. She put the home side in front with her first touch, equalling her nation’s goal scoring record in the process. She then broke both Sargossan resolve and that said-same record with her second goal twenty minutes later. And would ensure she’d have another memento of the historic occasion with a stoppage time third.

Spirits may have been low after the trip to Treason but the fixture list was kind enough this time to provide a real pick-me-up. There’s nothing quite like a blood and thunder Rushmori derby to lift the spirits (admittedly the game against Nephara was also a Rushmori derby, but that is down to a recent political realignment and we’re not quite used to it yet) and against visiting Darmen the Corsairs have a long history. This was the 15th meeting between the nations, dating back to the seventh Copa Rushmori. The Darmenis may have won that day but they would go on to win just two of the following thirteen matches between the nations. Admittedly this match may have lacked some of the gravitas of previous encounters in the Copa (a quarter final, two semi-finals and, of course, the final of CR XIII) but Soluca was rocking as international football returned to the capital after an absence of nearly three years. And, as is so often the case with occasions such as this, it was a damp squib. Quite literally. The heavens opened on Soluca, drenching the Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado and making a football match of any real quality an impossibility. In amongst the rain and the mud Felix Lucanus managed to put the All-Greens in front before Rodrigo Marcellán broke his international duck to drag Sargossa back level. It would finish all square, an eighth game without defeat against the in form Darmenis.

After a run of two points from three games Sargossa was starting to lose sight of the group leaders, happily the trip to St Saratoga provided a suitable tonic. If there was an archetypal display of what Rafael Barrios is trying to achieve this, the home side’s consolation goal notwithstanding, was it. The hosts favour an attacking brand of play and threw themselves at the Corsairs with gusto. Those attacks were soaked up by a well drilled defensive unit before counter strikes were launched with almost surgical precision. Having gotten off the mark against Darmen striker Rodrigo Marcellán added a couple more, either side of club mate Miguel Marí’s twenty yard thunderbolt, before substitute José Arroyo rounded off a well-deserved three points with a fourth two minutes shy of the ninety.

As the campaign approached its halfway point the Sargossan road show left the beaten track, donned its mountain boots and headed up into the Chalacos Mountains and the rocky fastness of the city of Torreón. The Corsairs have a formidable record at El Torrigal, with six wins and two draws from the eight previous fixtures hosted here, and visiting side Tveidalen looked unlikely to upset that run of form. It may be the smallest of Sargossa’s qualification venues but 30,000 fans got to enjoy their side’s most dominant performance of the campaign. With nearly seventy percent possession and a stack of efforts on goal it was fine viewing for the home faithful as Vecino, Marcellán and substitutes Mayoral and Amaro all found the back of the net. The visitors were confined to the smallest whiffs of chances but, as is tradition, they did manage a consolation, although the match at that point had long been put beyond them.

So Sargossa ended the first half of this long campaign with a pair of hefty victories, taking the points tally up to fifteen and leaving the whole Group 12 picture looking a lot like this.

   Group 12                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Darmen                                 8    5   2   1    18    8  +10    17
 2 Starblaydia                            8    5   2   1    15    5  +10    17
 3 Nephara                                8    4   3   1    14    5   +9    15
 4 Sargossa                               8    4   3   1    14   10   +4    15
 5 Mercedini                              8    3   4   1    19   13   +6    13
 6 Yuezhou                                8    2   1   5     4   14  −10     7
 7 Tveidalen                              8    2   0   6     9   17   −8     6
 8 St. Saratoga                           8    2   0   6     8   20  −12     6
 9 Makongo                                8    1   1   6    12   21   −9     4

It’s a tired cliché but several media outlets did indeed pick Group 12 out as this campaign’s ‘Group of Death’ and, with four points separating the top five sides, we’re doing little to disprove that tag. Surprisingly it’s been fourth seeds Darmen who have been the early pacesetters, only losing their unbeaten record in Starblaydia during the most recent round of matches. Starblaydia have been challenging at the top since round one and will take some toppling but, ominously, top seeds Nephara are building momentum after a slow start. The top five have only lost one match apiece so far in this campaign. Mercedini tasted defeat in Darmen, Darmen were downed in Starblaydia, the Blaydis were bested by Sargossa, Sargossa fell in Nephara and the Nepharim were shocked by little Tveidalen. It’s been a thrilling competition so far and one that will surely only get better as five are inevitably whittled down to just two. There’s a top seed bent on topping the world once more, a dangerous second seed racing through the world rankings, a World Cup legend intent on reclaiming their fallen crown, two Rushmori veterans still capable of packing a real punch and four minnows only too happy to rain on big boy's parade. It’s the road to the World Cup. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

by **Brenecia** » Mon Jul 03, 2017 3:24 am

Brenecia 0-0 EEC
(4-2-3-1) 20 - Calhoun; 2 - Szukala, 22 - Heneghan, 6 - Szubanski, 3 - Levein; 4 - Alweather, 16 - Drover; 15 - Hamilton, 8 - Evans (21 - Hartsdown 80'), 13 - Ashbrown (10 - Carroll 64'); 17 - Charnwood (9 - Rankin 64')

Poggers 0-1 Brenecia
(4-2-3-1) 20 - Calhoun; 18 - Carrack, 5 - Scrivener (c), 6 - Szubanski, 19 - Quill; 23 - Ruffan (4 - Alweather 86'), 21 - Hartsdown; 7 - Trevelyan, 11 - Balliol (8 - Evans 58'), 10 - Carroll (13 - Ashbrown 71'); 14 - Lynch
Goal: Trevelyan 39'

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Mid-qualifying report cards - Brenecia's squad rated out of 10, player by player
Laura Mulholland

GOALKEEPERS
Mathis Woodgate (Myrmidon) - 7 - On the Plane
4 appearances, 2 clean sheets
First-choice goalkeeper, indisputably. Has been his usual - solid, not spectacular. One nightmarish mistake against Tobiasia cost Brenecia two valuable points.

Rostyn Calhoun (Cenial United) - 7 - On the Plane
4 appearances, 3 clean sheets
The debutant has only been deployed against the weaker opponents, but aside from one poor error - pushing a cross into the path of Yesopalithan forward Roswell - hasn't conceded. Isn't a serious contender to replace Woodgate, but has performed admirably and shunted Aidan Hartigan out of contention and may even be backup ahead of Urquhart.

DEFENDERS
Anaximander Scrivener (Brigham) - 9 - On the Plane
6 appearances
An outstanding defender and vice-captain. Other players are calmer around him, and he's a defensive rock. Has gelled very well with Szubanski.

Niko Szubanski (Rozelle) - 8 - On the Plane
5 appearances
Szubanski has been outstanding as the quicker foil to Scrivener's solidity, and the two are establishing a fine partnership. Was not, however, used against Port Christopher. Still, while not the first name on the team-sheet, he's definitely made the most of his chances.

Brun Carrack (Lotus Park) - 7 - In the Mix
4 appearances
Momentum is on Brun Carrack's side. The hard-knuckled young rightback has been faultless in defence, and done decently going forward. Yet to be tested against the big sides, though.

Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries) - 7 - Staying on Course
4 appearances
Very quick and very physical. Quill was an unknown a year ago but has burst into prominence as, at the very least, backup leftback. One of the fastest in the squad, but lacks Lovelock's polish in attack.

Ophelia Lovelock (Sabrefell Athletic) - 7 - On the Plane
3 appearances
A known quantity who has only appeared against the toughest sides so far. Impressive against Qasden and Savojarna, but disappointingly failed to add an X-Factor against Port Christopher. Coming off the back of an outstanding club season, she'll hope to step up.

Rostyn Bradden (Lajuno) - 7 - Staying on Course
3 appearances
Is a proven quantity, and thus hasn't appeared much. The injury didn't help. Doesn't appear to be an automatic starter, however, with Szubanski breaking into that role - but then, he started and looked rock-solid against Port Christopher.

Czeslawa Szukala (Phalanx AF) - 6 - In the Mix
6 appearances
Hitherto the established starter, Szukala is the most attack-minded rightback in the squad, but was invisible against Port Christopher going forward. It's plunged her place in the squad into doubt, and she will need to improve.

Brigid Levein (Rosbank Town) - 6 - Must do More
1 appearance
Is probably fourth-choice leftback. Did alright against EEC.

Cheney Heneghan (Gallant Cross) - 6 - Must do More
1 appearance
Had an uneventful match against the EEC. One for the future.

Eoin Cascarine (Peynol-Lunas) - 5 - Out of Sight
1 appearance
A big, solid centre-half. One of many, and did not stand out from the crowd in his hour or so against Savojarna. His time may come next cycle, but it's hard to see him on the plane barring injuries.

Peter Uffington (Eastal Lunar) - 4 - Must do More
2 appearances
Uffington's utility and ability to play across the back four has always been appreciated in prior squads, but he was very shaky against Qasden and has vanished since. Likely to get further chances, though.

MIDFIELDERS
Squire Trevelyan (FC Jansberg) - 8 - On the Plane
5 appearances, 2 goals
Appears thoroughly revitalised after his dark period of briefly losing his place in the squad. Powerful, direct and always, always threatening. Looked the most likely to manage something against Port Christopher, even if he ultimately didn't.

Elsie Drover (OAS Royal FC) - 8 - On the Plane
5 appearances, 1 goal
Started the campaign with her position in the squad under threat, with her first three appearances coming off the bench - now appears to have muscled Skorupska out of her role as a starter in the base of midfield. A full package - industrious, versatile, cunning and technical. Probably the player of the match against Port Christopher insofar as she was the only person on the pitch who ever looked like maybe she was up to something.

Catherine Gryphon (Starling) - 8 - On the Plane
5 appearances
The heroic captain. Has been there for all the big matches and has been an integral part of the defensive shieldwall. If there is one disappointment, she could have done more with her passing range and set pieces against Port Christopher.

Sander Balliol (Tanrisal) - 7 - On the Plane
7 appearances, 1 goal
Couldn't escape his tight marking against Port Christopher, but has otherwise continued in his role of dictating the flow for Brenecia, a role in which he has no equal in the squad.

Alex 'Keohane' Conlan (Ramusok United) - 7 - On the Plane
5 appearances, 1 goal
Excellent until she was needed most, against Port Christopher, against whom she vanished. Still provides a unique je nais se quoi to the Brenecian attack, and a key X-Factor. Importantly, can play across the attacking midfield, though has continued to mostly start on the left.

Adelina Macbeth (Club Stein-los) - 7 - In the Mix
4 appearances, 1 goal
Scored on her debut against Yesopalitha, and lively off the bench against Port Christopher. Too quiet against Tobiasia, but this has been a strong showing from Macbeth, the daughter of Baptism of Fire veteran James, who has a lot of pace and directness to her game.

Meghan Hartsdown (Kings Park) - 7 - In the Mix
4 appearances
Quick and industrious going box-to-box, though raw technically. Has done better than anyone expected, and now has to be seen as a contender to make the final squad.

Catsidhe Alweather (Marque) - 7 - In the Mix
4 appearances
Two of Alweather's appearances were just cameos, but she has consistently impressed despite her youth. Tidy on the ball, calm in defence. One to watch.

Roisin Carroll (Violence Chariots) - 7 - Staying on Course
2 appearances
Hasn't shown up much in qualifying, but was the only attacking player to actually offer something against the EEC after coming off the bench and dictated play well against Poggers. Still offers something that few others in the Brenecian pool really have.

Aleksandra Skorupska (Trothwands Evolution) - 6 - Staying on Course
4 appearances
Poor against Qasden, mediocre against Tobiasia, outshone by Drover and even Hartsdown. Skorupska's position is under serious threat, but her previous achievements are not in doubt, and it's still hard to see a best 23 that doesn't contain her. Will need to win back her starting role, though.

Matt Ruffan (Halholzer United) - 6 - In the Mix
3 appearances
Still a solid option in midfield, especially for late in a game when shutting up shop now that Duguid has been snubbed of late. Still does not offer anything when it comes to moving the ball forward.

Tiferet Ashbrown (AFC Swanbridge) - 5 - Must do More
2 appearances
Looked out of her depth at international level, even against the lowly EEC. Did better once the pressure was off coming on as a substitute against Poggers, but has too many better players ahead of her too early in her fledgeling career.

Caitriona Hamilton (Westpike United) - 4 - Out of Sight
2 appearances
Spirited, but clearly limited at international level. Has had two full home games to impress against weak opposition, in which Brenecia scored one goal and drew twice. Has likely won her fourth and last cap.

Mathew Evans (Kingsgrove) - 3 - Out of Sight
2 appearances
Lively and clinical when it comes to his club form, but listless and out of ideas against the EEC and failed to inspire in a cameo against Poggers.

FORWARDS
Griffin Riordan (Northern Stallions) - 7 - In the Mix
2 appearances, 1 goal
Only in the squad to deny Nephara the chance to cap-tie her. Too young and not nearly established enough. Regardless, she has a goal to her name and has looked lively in her match and a half. Still, Bardsley is far more likely to either persist with Charnwood, try Aelfwynn Bannion or, most likely, go with the proven Foran.

Fionn Lynch (SC Rinaldi) - 6 - On the Plane
4 appearances, 2 goals
Strong goal record, but hasn't looked exactly on fire. Goals against Yesopalitha and Savojarna came on the break, and it's telling that he wasn't trusted to break down Port Christopher from the bench. Besides as a sprinter off the shoulder, lacks a Plan B aside from being tallish. Still, has no real challengers as first-choice striker.

Ursula Rankin (Tanrisal) - 6 - On the Plane
5 appearances, 1 goal
Poor goal ratio, but she's yet to see out a game. Aging, and hasn't looked at her sharpest, but is still Brenecia's best natural goalscorer. The goal she did score was essential to beat Qasden away.

Fox Charnwood (Hellinic-Rouge) - 4 - Must do More
3 appearances
Failed to achieve much in either of his starts. Did at least cause a bit of chaos off the bench against Port Christopher. Offers something different as a piece of tall timber, and will be given more chances.

MANAGER
Catherine Bardsley - 7
Bardsley promised to be a steady pair of hands at the wheel, and she has been just that. She's looked for depth where she can to bolster an aging side, and it's been a mixed bag - some players have been found out badly at this level - but there's been some genuine shoots of life unearthed as well. All she needs to do now is get the side to score some goals. Just nine, with no player managing more than two, just isn't good enough.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 5
Goalkeepers: 1 - Mathis Woodgate (Myrmidon, CEN), 12 - Geneva Urquhart (Olympia FC, EFL), 20 - Aidan Hartigan (Westpike United)
Defenders: 2 - Czeslawa Szukala (Phalanx AF, CEN), 3 - Ophelia Lovelock (Rosbank Town), 5 - Anaximander Scrivener (Brigham, EUR), 6 - Niko Szubanski (Rozelle), 18 - Tara Hassett (Club Stein-los), 19 - Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries, EUR), 22 - Garwyn Varney (Westpike United)
Midfielders: 4 - Catherine Gryphon (Starling), 7 - Squire Trevelyan (FC Jansberg, SEM), 8 - Harper Conroy (Rozelle United), 10 - Adelina Macbeth (Club Stein-los, PAS), 11 - Sander Balliol (Tanrisal, PAS), 13 - Keohane (Ramusok United, COS), 15 - Ronan Bowditch (Real Azuris, COS), 16 - Elsie Drover (OAS Royal FC, COS), 21 - Meghan Hartsdown (Kings Park, SCT), 23 - Catsidhe Alweather (Marque)
Forwards: 9 - Ursula Rankin (Tanrisal, PAS), 14 - Fionn Lynch (SC Rinaldi, VAL), 17 - Aelfwynn Bannion (North Hall)

[size=75]SCHEDULE
Brenecia 2-1 Yesopalitha
Goluta 0-1 Brenecia
Brenecia 2-0 Savojarna
Qasden 1-3 Brenecia
Brenecia 1-1 Tobiasia
Port Christopher 0-0 Brenecia
Brenecia 0-0 EEC
Poggers 0-1 Brenecia
Friendly: Brenecia vs. the Askari Union
Yesopalitha vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Goluta
Savojarna vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Qasden
Tobiasia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Port Christopher
EEC vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Poggers
Bye

by **Red Blackiland** » Mon Jul 03, 2017 7:29 am

Red Blackiland Sports and Off-topic Chronicles

The Symphony

RB Fans mosaic in the match against Dutch Semarland

Author : Mathias Gërdorffen

Julian walked out of the balcony as he did every morning upon waking. The street where she lived, in the middle of the big city, was covered with silence. He quietly opened the score, set it in front of him, and slammed his cane on the edge of the house.
He turned slightly to the right, and in short movements began to govern the passage of the passers-by. The sound of his steps was steady and steady, like the percussion that marked the rhythm of an orchestra. He lifted his hands a little more, and his feet hurried; Pointed slightly forward and people began to leave their homes, leaving the gates behind them to knock as they closed, at the rate the old man ruled them. On the right, the car quartets passed by, dictating with their engines the bases for the soloists - birds that came to their nests, singing to the puppies.
So he followed during the day, the life in the rhythm ruled by Julian, with refrains and crescendos at noon and at six in the afternoon, until closing in a last vestibule of doors and gates exactly at dusk and everything to return to the silence of always.

Airport's Reading

Twenty-five years. That was the time that Lars waited for this moment - the moment to finally know how his favorite series of books ended. Delays, division of volumes, even accidents and health problems of the author, and the constant fear that he would never complete the story. He went through all this and more, but now the journey has finally come to an end. A little less than fifty pages remained - fifty pages in which everything was revealed, the real villains showed their face, and the loose ends of seven past volumes met and began to close. The great mystery that surrounded the protagonists since the first book was about to be unraveled; Just turn another page, read another sentence. The villain laughed sadistically. So it began, just as the plane Lars was returning home after a long holiday crashed into the ocean.

Drawkons Wise Warriors: The next game of Das SpielHaus

Learn about the dragons in the land of Drawkland

Improvements #1 - Increase Your Warrior-Magician

Increase Your Warrior-Magician is a sidequest mission in Drawkons, it is one of three potential mission which a magician or elf-mage Insector can acquire to obtain improvements and specializations. Craft a hilt to hold a spirit blade, study the methods required to wield the blade, and the General MacGriogair, the trainer of the elf-mage improvement training, will reveal the secrets of this specialization, take the essence from wisps at the Dalais, the spires and granite from Màrnach Valley, readings can be found among the belongings of followers who share the discipline. This will be available after completing the main mission, Planing the Future and moving to Blárach, a mission in the war desk room will be available, completing this operation unlocks all the other improvements quests, three potential trainers will arrive at Blárach for the Insector can choose only one training.
Warriors and Magicians in the game, learn to manifest their will as a physical blade, but first they craft a hilt, it must be as sturdy and powerful, for within is bound a willing spirit that will weave mana into a blade that can wink in and out of existence and never break, it may not be the weapon they will fight with afterward, but its construction teaches them much. Training's notes methods can be obtained from the table near Manuela in Blárach or from merchant Beitean in the southern Brand city, the essence can be found from the wisps in Dalais, and the spires and granite near a big house in Màrnach Valley, but they can also drop from spyrits encountered at rifts, then you'll need to find some mineral with sulfite, and good one it's lazurite, which can be picked up in reliefs at Klinein, MacCaibe Forest, Chrìosd Plateau, or obtained by completing the repeatable war desk mission 'Natural Wealth of Chriosd Plateau' with Gerward or Anna, then craft the item 'Blade of Soul Build' at any requisition table and bring it to General MacGriogair to complete the quest and learn the Warrior-Magician improvement.

Improvements #2 - Increase Your Warrior-Magician

Increase Your Necromancer is another sidequest mission in Drawkons, and one of three potential quests which a elf-mage Insector can complete to obtain a specialization. Wear a skull in jewels, study the art of necromancy, and Neachdainn MacCaibe will reveal the secrets of Sitara death elf-mages, then destroy demon-possessed or undead to gain Sitaran ceremonial skulls at Granndach's region, readings can be found among the belonging of followers who share this discipline. This mission will be available after completing the main quest, as all the other improvement quests, uncloking them by the war desk as said before. Trainer Neachdainn MacCaibe will teach you the improvements of Necromancers.
They do not take on apprentices to teach their craft, at least, not until after they have passed on, a true necromancer creates a relic that will house the soul of another who is already dead, they must ensure it is respectful, and that it pulses with power enough to demonstrate their serious intention, that will draw one of them to teach them the final arts, whispered from the mouth of a polished skull. You'll need to find the Sitaran skull, which can be looted from the three skeleton heaps on the Granndach's region, first set of skeletons is just north of the southwest military base on the hill, but not around the cave as shown on the map, the second one is in a camp in the south of Brus Temple, the third and last one can be found at further north, next to a lake, on top of the hill between the road you're coming from and the lake. Bloodstones can also be found in the MacSual's Cemetery or obtained from the repeatable war desk mission 'Natural Wealths of Mhoirein' in Mhoirein, craft the 'Skull of Glory'at any requisition table and bring it to Neachdainn MacCaibe to learn the improvements towards the necromancers.

Group Storyline Quest #9 - Don't Give Up (Gerward)

In this mission which can be available after completing 'Planing the Future' mission, an Insection scout will greet the Insector upon entering Gerward's room in Blárach, the scout explains that Gerward has gone to discuss something with Cvallach, then enter the smith near Cvallach and a cut scene will start, they are in the middle of an argument, when Gerward notices you, he leaves, Cvallach says that he wants her to find another commander for the Insection, then Cvallach urges the Insector to talk Gerward into staying his course, go to Gerward's office to follow up with him and continue the mission.

Drawkons - The Refined Likitia

Right after entering the room, Gerward will throw his likitia kit off the desk in a fit of rage, he tells you about his past, about being tortured by demons in Drawkland, and how it's changed him and further explains how his experiences in Clambroch (a coastal city-state and a major population center located in the Sual Zone, a group of city-states situated in eastern Aekras, they are independent-minded descendants of tough barbarians as well as the other cities of the region)'s madness have affected him, then he says that he should give as much to the Insection as he did to the Mecha'dah, and concludes that he should take likitia, this prompts a dialogue choice: "That could be better." is what Gerward says if he starts to take likitia again, or "No likitia. That's an order." is what he says if won't take likitia. You can also respond "You don't need lyrium.", then Gerward won't take any likitia, or "Good. Just do your job.", Gerward will start to take likitia again, or that you care about what he wants. You can also tell him to don't give up and he'll not take likitia, or to Gerward don't risk it and that he should take some likitia.

Group Storyline Quest #10 - Life Contracts (Anna von Herank)

Anna attempted to reinstate her family as a trading power in Tunidria, which triggered an assassination contract taken out more than 200 years ago by a family known as the GilleChrìost, despite the contract's age and the fact that the GilleChrìost are no longer nobility, the contract is still binding, a group of assassins honoring the contract, called the Comnhall, won't rest until Anna is dead.
Right after explaining her attempts to allow her family to trade again in Tunidria, only to have her couriers carrying the appropriate documents to Brand Ashkal'ech murdered, and her documents, destroyed, before they reached their destination, then Anna explains that Leilara found out that a comte in Brand Ashkal'ech claims to know who killed her couriers, and is willing to tell Anna so long as the Insector comes, she requests that the Insection leader meet up with her in Brand Ashkal'ech, and accompany her to a meeting with the comte. Anna can be found at the north of Brand Ashkal'ech, talking to her and telling her you're ready to go will lead to the Phàdraig Mansion to meet the Comte, he'll explain that more than a hundred years ago a contract was taken out by the GilleChrìost family with the Comnhall that should anyone try to reinstate the von Heranks trade with Tunidria that they should be killed, after sharing this, the comte reveals himself as an assassin, the Insector now can choose to kill him or let him leave, choosing to kill him results in a combat with three assassins, with some experience and a minor drop.
Go back at Blárach and talk with Anna, she'll explain the steps needed to properly reinstate her family's trade by making a member of the GilleChriost family a gentry who will be able to cancel the contract, Leilara offers her spies to destroy the contract at the Comnhall's base, the conversation concludes after you are given a choice to support Anna's choice, or Leilara's action, or neither. Go to the wark desk and complete 'Finding Partners to GilleChriost Family', once this is completed, you can either speak with Countless Calum or Anna in Brand Ashkal'ech to discuss the next steps in her plan and unlock the war desk mission 'Favors', you have to complete both tasks but the order in which you do them doesn't matter, once you return from Brand's city, a cutscene starts which Anna, in her office, explains that an assassin infiltrated Blárach and made an attempt on her life.

Drawkland - The Assassin

Once the operation is completed, speak with Anna again to discuss the next steps and trigger the war desk mission 'Talking with the Minister at the Celebration', complete that operation and travel to the new area next to Brand Ashkal'ech on the map to speak with the minister, and convince her to assist you and note that the Insector, can persuade her through seduction. After the task is complete, speak with Anna again then travel to Brand Ashkal'ech to meet her there and complete this part of this side-mission. Complete 'The House of the Comnhall's Agent', which Leilara sends her agents to find the contract on Anna's life, and with the destruction of the physical contract, the Comnhall will have no reason to keep sending assassins after her, however infiltrating them will take time and possibly several lives. Speak with Anna in Brand Ashkal'ech to complete the quest, she regrets pursuing this course of action but is thankful that she is safe and her family's trade status can now be restored.

World Cup 78 - Roleplay Thread

MD9 Cutoff

The Saga of Maddie Halford - episode 1

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