Copa Rushmori XXXVII / CR37 - Everything Thread

by **Tikariot** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:46 am

Suddenly the tron begins to flicker and it shows...complete darkness. Crickets are chirping and we hear some breathing, uneasy breathing to be exact.

Marcus Maximus: Is this on?

The red light of the camera casts a faint glow onto the features of the CWF’s special correspondent.

Jim Gunt: Marcus, where are you?

Marcus Maximus: Well, I am not exactly sure, they didn’t tell me. Again. All I know is that it’s less cold than last time… But a lot darker!

Jim Gunt: I have a bad feeling about this…

Mike Rolash: Can’t we have matches just where we all are anymore? Especially when these two are involved?

Marcus Maximus: Hold on, I think I see something!

The camera turns and a torch springs to life. The picture zooms in and shows Elisha’s face in the torch’s flickering glow. He raises the torch high above his head, then turns and as he pushes it forward, the flames quickly move outwards in a circular motion before continuing on into the circle, illuminating a giant ouroboros-with-nuclear sign, standing at least 15 feet high. The fire now shows more of the scene before Marcus (and us).

Jim Gunt: Whoa! What is this about??

We are looking at a large forest clearing, a ring is in the centre, with everything black, ropes, mat, apron, in the centre of the mat we see half an ouroboros-with-nuclear-sign and half a heptagram with a dull glow, setting them apart from the surrounding darkness. Elisha is positioning himself in front of the ouroboros sign, as we see some commotion behind him. As the camera zooms in, we see the 12 Chosen come out of the darkness beyond, all clean cut and in their grey business suits, very precise in their movements and with the same almost blank stare on their faces, taking their place to either side of their leader.

Marcus Maximus: Looks like Elisha has taken his spot, other than that I can’t see or hear a thing!

Jim Gunt: Well, it looks as if these two gentlemen have taken it upon themselves to go beyond the regular and why am I even surprised? They have refused to go with any kind of playbook I’ve ever seen anyways…

Mike Rolash: Do we even have a referee out there?

Jim Gunt: Good question, at Frozen Over they found one somewhere, but I still have no idea who that guy was back then…

Suddenly out of somewhere in the darkness, a familiar voice can be heard…

Charles State: Ladies and Gentlemen, this match is scheduled for no falls.

Jim Gunt: Oh! Charles State is out there?

Mike Rolash: And what does he mean - no falls?

Charles State: This is a Moon and Shadow match. To win, the competitor has to light a torch, a branch or anything else flammable at the burning sign and light seven torches that are placed in the shape of a heptagram around the edges of the clearing. The torches will only stay on for 30 seconds, so it has to be done quickly. The Chosen and the druids surrounding the ring act as lumberjacks. There also is an armoury adjacent to the ring with a variety of weapons available to either competitor. Obviously there are no countouts, no disqualifications and no pinfalls. The first competitor, hailing from Eastern Europe, he is the Moonchild and member of the Eternals - ELISHA!

Suddenly a drum begins to pound, then two and then three, banging in unison. A wordless chant rises from the opposite side of the burning ouroboros sign and one torch after the other lights up, illuminating the twelve druids in a semi circle around the ring. As the camera sweeps over them, we see the differences to the Chosen, with many of the druids long haired, beards, determined and defiant, some with war paint on their faces, a stark contrast to the Chosen on the other side. Slowly they part and through their middle steps another robed figure, holding a staff, approaching the ring.

Charles State: And the second competitor, hailing from where the light goes to die, he is a member of The Forsaken - THE SHADOW!

The Shadow steps through the ropes and sheds his robe, and as Elisha comes into the ring as well, the two men stand face to face, Elisha’s full of contempt, The Shadow’s unreadable and stoic. As the staredown continues, someone in a black and white striped referee’s jersey pushes himself between them to separate them.

Mike Rolash: It’s...it’s...it’s…it’s

Jim Gunt: Great, now I have to reboot him…

Mike Rolash: Denny Davidson!

Jim Gunt: What? But he was fired!

Mike Rolash: Looks like someone unfired him!

Denny Davidson has a very stern talk with both competitors, who give an asserting nod without taking their eyes off the other, and from somewhere out there a bell rings. The two opponents begin to circle each other, while outside of the ring the Chosen and druids are sizing each others up as well, but do not make a move just yet. The Shadow runs at Elisha, aiming for a shoulder to the stomach, but the big man just pushes him down. As he leaps back to his feet, he sees Elisha taunting him to try again, but Shadow instead goes for the ropes and feigning to go for a clothesline goes down and baseball slides the legs out from under Elisha. Having caught his opponent by surprise, The Shadow jumps right on top of Elisha’s back, knee in spine, pulling his opponents arms back to increase the pressure.

Elisha howls in a mixture of pain and anger and tries to push The Shadow off his back, but only when he goes completely limp his shift of weight catches the attacker off guard and the momentary lapse in focus and balance enables him to twist his body and force The Shadow to let go. But the Weaver of Dreams does not waste any time, continuing his offense with a run into the ropes and a leaping shoulder block right into the back of Elisha, who is just getting to his feet, sending him back down on the mat, holding his back. Next we know, The Shadow is on his way onto the top turnbuckle.

Mike Rolash: What is he doing? He has to take Elisha out of action, not go for frequent flyer miles!

He leaps off with the Flight of the Night Demon, but Elisha brings up his knees to catch The Shadow smack on the back, leaving him in a writhing mess! Elisha takes the opportunity to jump through the ropes and right for the Armoury, grabbing a kendo stick and a chair. He throws them into the ring, barely avoiding The Shadow and picking up the chair he towers over his fallen opponent, bring it down hard across his back. After a second shot to the back of The Shadow’s head, he places the chair on the back of his head and goes for the middle rope. He leaps off for a double foot stomp, but The Shadow barely manages to push himself out of the way and Elisha lands on the chair that slides off, landing hard on his back.

Jim Gunt: This match already is living up to its promise!

Mike Rolash: Yes, Jim, this has been one of the most intense rivalries we have seen in CWF in a long time and people had quite the expectations. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed that this was just announced as a grudge match, but this here is more like it!

Both wrestlers are on their respective backs, trying to catch their breaths. They get to their feet around the same time, The Shadow using the ropes to pull himself up and as he tries to shake off the cobwebs from the chair hits, Elisha comes running at him with a clothesline that flips his opponent over the ropes and onto the grassy ground that surrounds the ring! Immediately the Chosen move in and while Denny Davidson tries to get them to stop their advance, they pay no heed to the referee. The druids mirror the Chosen’s movements and try to form a protective circle around The Shadow, but the truce between the factions is quickly crumbling as the first punches are being traded.

Jim Gunt: And so it starts, it was just a matter of time until this would get chaotic.

Mike Rolash: This is one thing I’m happy that they are not around here for...

Elisha is rolling out of the ring with the kendo stick and unleashes some harsh whips across The Shadow’s back. Then he lashes out at the back of the closest druid, taking him by surprise and allowing one of the Chosen to grab the druid’s robe and pull him to the ground. With an evil laugh he turns around to continue his assault on The Shadow, but his opponent is gone. He scans his surroundings, but the lack of lighting does not help his cause. Too late he sees him out of the corner of his eye, just in time to see The Shadow’s staff come down hard on his head! His knees buckle under the impact and he has to hold on to the apron to stay upright. Another swing to his stomach finally has Elisha fall to the ground, groaning in pain. As the Chosen and druids are in a full on battle, The Shadow dodges between the warring factions and grabs a tree branch, running to the burning ouroboros sign, lighting it on fire!

Mike Rolash: Oh, The Shadow is trying to use the chaos to win this!

He manages to light three of the seven required torches, but just as he sets the third one on fire, Elisha is flying at him with a blindside spear, taking him off his feet and against a close by tree trunk. He drags The Shadow back to his feet by his hair, picks him up and with a mighty heave tosses him into the darkness of the underbrush.

Jim Gunt: Uh oh, this might be the chance Elisha needs to get this one!

Elisha picks up the branch and returns to the burning sign to reignite the extinguished fire. Going from torch to torch he sets them ablaze, trying to get through the throng of battling Chosen and druids that have spread out more across the clearing, delaying him a bit. As the torches only stay lit for 30 seconds at a time, he sees the first one go out as he lights the sixth and with a frustrated look on his face runs over to hold the flame to them once more, but The Shadow comes running out of the dark woods with a huge branch, catching Elisha in the side, sending him to the ground, the burning branch flying off, being snuffed out by the impact.

The Shadow raises his branch high above his head and brings it down, but Elisha is too quick and rolls out of the way. As the impact with the ground jolts the branch out of The Shadow’s grasp, the Eastern European Killing Machine gets back up and uses his whole body to drive his opponent backwards, against the cage wall of the Armoury. The impact knocks the wind out of The Shadow, who is doubled over, just to be met with a rising knee by the Moonchild. He falls to his knees, both out of breath and head ringing. Elisha half pulls, half drags him over to the ring and rolls him inside.

Mike Rolash: What is he doing that for? He won’t be counted out…

Blake Church: No, but he is out of the way of Elisha now.

Mike Rolash: Aaaah, don’t do that! You don’t just sneak up like that, you scared the bejeezus out of me!

Blake Church: My name is Church, that’s what I do…

As The Shadow is in the ring, trying to get up, Elisha is rummaging through the Armoury again. Just as The Shadow is back on his feet, Elisha emerges with a scythe and a wicked grin. The Dark Man’s eyes grow wide as the sharp blade of the scythe glints in the flickering light of the flames and he backs away to stay out of the reach of the weapon. The Moonchild takes great care to make sure The Shadow can’t just take the scythe from him, but as he steps through the ropes and holds it high, suddenly an object flies through the ring, a morning star, not unlike the one Eris had used a while back.

Mike Rolash: Whoa, we are going medieval now!

Jim Gunt: Looks like the Armoury is well stocked indeed!

It lands with a dull thud at The Shadow’s feet and while flabbergasted about the unexpected flying object, he picks it up as he faces Elisha, head held high. Elisha is looking annoyed at his opponent’s newly found weapon, but since he does not have much of an option, he comes in swinging and twice The Shadow barely avoids the blade, but then brings up the morning star upon the third strike, its handle the only thing between him and a sure decapitation. The blade stays stuck in the wooden handle, the force of the impact tearing it from The Shadow’s grasp, but the additional weight is pulling Elisha forward and The Shadow is able to grab the scythe’s handle and wrest it from his opponent’s hands before throwing it out of the ring, where a brave stage hand pulls it from danger while barely avoiding being trampled by one of the fighting Chosen/druid duos.

Mike Rolash: This has been an all out war, The Shadow can be happy he’s still alive!

Jim Gunt: To say this has been intense is an understatement, but looks like we are looking at a calm within the storm here!

The two opponents are standing face to face, out of breath, sweating, sizing each other up, when they realize that there is silence around them. They both take a look around and all fighting has seized for the moment, with four druids and two Chosen being carried and dragged from the battlefield by their teammates and everybody regrouping. Two men are standing face to face, though, Choronzon, the newly anointed Chosen and Matthias Eddy, the latest recruit to the druids, nose to nose, when odd noises from the Armoury draw everybody’s attention and several different weapons are flying through its door, from kendo sticks to different kinds of bats. Sanford Thibodaux comes out with a wide smile as the druids gather the tools, advancing on the Chosen once more.

Thibodaux: Hey, nobody said that fun stuff was just for you guys!

Jim Gunt: Looks like things are getting even more interesting outside of the ring now and it’s true, I didn’t hear anything about only The Shadow and Elisha being allowed in there.

Elisha charges forward, but at the last moment drops to the mat and rolls himself out of the ring to go for the Armoury. Seeing his chance, The Shadow jumps out of the ring to grab a branch, but Elisha emerges from the Armoury with a long metal chain. Going after The Shadow he begins to swing the chain and releases it towards The Shadow, catching him close to his throat. With a quick yank he tightens the chain links and pulls back, stopping his opponent dead in his tracks. While he goes to his knees and tries to release the chain’s hold on his neck, Elisha runs by, grabs the branch and proceeds to the ouroboros sign to light it. The Chosen and druids pretty much neutralize each other at this time, so Elisha begins to make his trek around the clearing, setting alight torch after torch. Seeing this, The Shadow gives up on trying to get the chain off him and just grabs the long rest and starts to swing it over his head. He releases it as Elisha is lighting up the fourth torch, wrapping it around his opponent’s neck as well, using his own body as counterweight. Grabbing the chain and letting himself fall backwards, he yanks Elisha off his feet and to the ground. The Shadow crawls towards him with a mirthless smile.

The Moonchild is ready this time, though, taking the end of the chain and slamming it into The Shadow’s face, drawing some blood from the temple. With the Weaver of Dreams momentarily down, Elisha manages to get the chain off his neck and races back to the Armoury, coming out with a barbed wire wrapped bat, running at The Shadow swinging, connecting with his back/shoulder, ripping through the black shirt, leaving some red marks. Crying out in pain, The Shadow tries to get away from the brutal assault and disappears under the ring’s apron. Immediately Elisha is back on his way to the fire with a branch, but he does not get far, because The Shadow is coming out the other side of the ring, but he is not coming out empty-handed...

Mike Rolash: How much stuff is there everywhere?

Jim Gunt: I don’t think he’s going gardening, though!

As he emerges, he has a shovel in his hands and just as Elisha is setting the branch on fire, he brings it down right between his shoulders, sending the Moonchild down in a heap. Throwing the shovel into the woods, he picks up the branch, sees it take flame and races off to the torches, but is stopped dead in his tracks by Choronzon, who is holding the barbed wire bat of Elisha, smacking The Shadow in the head as he tries to rush by. With a wicked grin he raises the bat one more time, but is interrupted by Thibodaux, who brings a sledgehammer down onto the bat, snapping it in half and then packs a right punch that sweeps Choronzon off his feet.

Jim Gunt: Ooh, that was close!

The Shadow quickly looks around to try to find Elisha, but the big man is nowhere to be seen. He picks up the still burning branch and continues along the torches. But the ongoing melee between the factions slows him down to the point that he has to leave the clearing to make headway, which proves to be a costly mistake. As he re-emerges, Elisha is waiting for him, wrapping a plastic tarp around his head and pulling tight. The Shadow drops the branch and is frantically clawing at the tarp as it is cutting off his air supply, but he is quickly losing strength.

Mike Rolash: Oh my God, he is trying to kill him!

Jim Gunt: I don’t think this is in the rulebook…

Mike Rolash: What rulebook??

Elisha is laughing as The Shadow drops down to one knee first, then the second one until he collapses. The Moonchild reluctantly lets go, but reminds himself of what is at stake. He takes the branch and walks over to the ouroboros sign. Exuding an aura of confidence, sure of victory, he does not run, but walks from torch to torch, setting them afire, while the Chosen have the druids cornered.

The Shadow: You need someone else to finish your job? Cannot do it man versus man?

Elisha stops and looks at the ring, where The Shadow is standing looking like a wraith outlined against the burning ouroboros sign in the background. Shirt in tatters, flying in the wind, bloody streaks across his shoulder, blood matting the hair on the side of his head.

The Shadow: You are weaker than I thought! I did not think the Moonchild was a coward…

His face contorted in anger at the insult of The Shadow, Elisha throws the branch to the ground and jumps up onto the apron. The Shadow is motioning for him to come in and the Moonchild obliges, charging at him like a manic bull seeing red. He goes for The Shadow with his shoulder, but the Weaver of Dreams just side steps him and rams his elbow into his neck in passing. Elisha briefly drops to one knee, but then whirls around, seething hatred in his eyes.

He runs at The Shadow one more time and this time connects, throwing his opponent hard into the corner. The Shadow winces with the shooting pain through his shoulder and rest of his body, but refuses to go down. With one last effort he runs at Elisha and the running drop kick hits Elisha in the chin, knocking him out. Immediately The Shadow throws himself to the mat and rolls out, headed for the fire, while the druids see this final stand and break through the Chosen’s ranks. As The Shadow runs from torch to torch, suddenly one grey-clad man steps in front of him, the man formerly known as Anthony McMillan and now Choronzon. He swats the burning branch out of The Shadow’s hand and throws it away, but Thibodaux picks it up, throws it back across the ring, with Elisha almost getting his hands on it as he is getting to his feet. The Shadow catches it, but Choronzon is still standing in his way.

Mike Rolash: There he is again! This is between Elisha and The Shadow, these people should not be allowed to interfere!

Suddenly one of the druids breaks free of the grasp of one of the Chosen and runs up behind Choronzon, putting his arm around his neck and lifting him in a chinlock that enables The Shadow to continue along the torches. Matthias Eddy’s face is in a grim smile as The Shadow nods and runs off. Elisha runs at him as he nears the last torch, when a shout alerts the Weaver of Dreams. He turns towards the oncoming Elisha, bringing down the burning branch like a sword, hitting the Moonchild in the side of the head in a shower of sparks. The impact brings Elisha down to his knees, frantically dabbing at his hair that has caught fire. With a last chance effort The Shadow leaps forward and lights the final torch mere moments before the first torch extinguishes.

Charles State: And the winner is THE SHADOW!

Jim Gunt: Wow, this was one of the most intense matches we have seen in CWF outside of the Tower, people are going to talk about this for a while! Speaking of which, where’s Marcus?

The camera scans the area, showing both Chosen and druids tending to injuries and four of the Chosen accompanying Elisha away from the clearing, and catches a glimpse of some movement at the edge of the clearing, barely visible. As it approaches we see Marcus Maximus huddled up in a tree.

Mike Rolash: Marcus, are you ok?

Marcus Maximus: Yes, I’m ok, but this was insane, how do I always end up out there?

Jim Gunt: I don’t know, but you can come down now, everything is over.

Marcus Maximus: No, I am not!

Jim Gunt: But the match is over, there is no more danger.

Marcus Maximus: No, I am staying right here!

The camera turns around to look scan for any residual action, when we hear a crack and dull thud. The cameraman turns back and shows Marcus flat on the ground, the branch he had been sitting on next to him…

Marcus Maximus: No, I’m not going!

The scene fades as two druids come over to help him back to his feet...

by **Nyowani Kitara** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 12:06 pm

Disclaimer: This government owned media source is one of the most biased media sources to gain credentials at the Copa Rushmori. While it rarely outright lies, it is known to assume biases and be very presumptive of bias against Nyowani Kitara in all arenas, including and especially in sports. It considers the truth about as flexible as a gold medal gymnast. Consider yourself warned.

The Kitara People's Free Press
The voice for the working people of Nyowani Kitara

The Chagrin of Culpapy- Copa Rushmori organizers conspire with Banijan referee to keep Nyowani Kitara from advancing

Nyowani Kitara players celebrate the team's opening goal in their 1-1 draw with Eastfield Lodge

CULPAPY, EURA- Today, our squad went to Culpapy for our third and final game of the Copa Rushmori group stages. After shocking the world, our national team had a fair and square shot at the knockout stages- win our game against Eastfield Lodge, a veteran of this region that has lost two games already, and then hope that Mavinet does not Sargossa.

Both games, of course, were played at the same time. So an eye on our TV screens, and an eye on our phones, checking score updates from Spartangrad. We all watched the game, we all saw the most controversial moment. Is there are a need to go through the actual game? Well, we'll talk a little bit about it. Nyowani Kitara was actually, surprisingly, the better team for a bit of the match. The opening half an hour or so. And at the 30 minute mark exactly, a distance shot from Amittai Owino hit the post, and rebounded to Vilgot Westermark. Westermark tapped it into the net, and shockingly, we were in the lead.

Things were going our way in the other game. But all energy had to be focused here. And for the next hour, we knew that we had to defend. Eastfield Lodge are ancient Rushmori members- getting 0 points at a Copa Rushmori, even if the knockouts were already impossible for them, would be absolutely unacceptable. So they came forward, in waves. Controlling the ball- but we cut down those passing lanes. We covered the diagonal runs. They were thwarted by our men, by our good men, fighting for the people.

The controversy came in the 1st minute of stoppage time. First, the fact the Banijan referee added seven minutes of stoppage time was ridiculous. Who the hell adds that much stoppage? Second, why the hell do we have a Banijan referee? Clearly, he'd be biased against Nyowani Kitara. He's not even Rushmori! And so that is the buildup to what happened in the first minute of stoppage time.

The heart and soul of our team- our captain, our coach, the brains behind the operation, Tage Hermansson, who embodies our country's values so well, made a slide tackle inside the box. Now, he got a little bit of the body, but a lot of ball. The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot, ruling that Hermansson went through the body. Our players, naturally, were incredulous. The worst part? The referee started throwing up yellows to anybody who argued his horrific call. Hermansson got a yellow for the challenge, while Leonard Lundquist, Ernst Grönberg, Armoni Okombo, and Sigmund Mickelson all got yellows for arguing what was clearly a bad call.

But that wasn't even the worst call. Eastfield Lodge player Zétény Pryor-Sandoval stepped up to take the penalty kick. He put his foot through the ball and blasted it over the crossbar. A stunning moment. We felt that destiny would allow us through to the next round, right? Wrong. Eastfield Lodge, the Banijan referee, and Copa Rushmori organizers conspired together to ensure we would not advance. The Banijan referee gave a yellow card to Bigombe for coming off his line. Our fans, rightfully, were screaming bias.

Of course, no player is going to miss a penalty two times in the span of two minutes, and Pryor-Sandoval very cleanly buried the next one. 1-1, which was the final score. The Kitara's Workers Footballing Association Chairman said that he would complain to organizers. "Look, this is absolutely ridiculous. Where is the accountability? We have been robbed of a spot in the Round of 16 that we have earned. The penalty was borderline, yes, but the yellow for coming off his line when he didn't make a save? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."

There are two possibilities here. One, the Eastfield Lodgers conspired with the Banijan referee. The Banijan referee would obviously be willing since, of course, he's Banijan. Banijans hate us. Untrustworthy people. Eastfield Lodge didn't want the embarassment of 0 points at the Copa Rushmori, so they paid him off to ensure they'd get a point. It almost didn't work, until the referee saw a late opportunity.

The second possibility, is that the organizers wanted to keep us out. There are possible reasons, but the main ones would be money and fear. Money, because we are a small nation that offers lower TV ratings, so they want to keep us out of the big matches. Fear. They fear communism. All these capitalist sympathizers fear that if their people realize that great sport can still be enjoyed under a government ran by and for workers, rather than suits, their people may join the revolution. Ergo, they rig this tournament to keep workers nations out.

The evidence is strong. They invited the false government of Yuezhou to send a team. Mytanija should watch out. As the most worker friendly nation left, the organizers will do their best to shut them out. Stand strong!

Other News
- Græntfjall government passes wealth transfer legislation, stealing from the poor to give to the rich under the guise of welfare reform.

by **Nephara** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:48 am

Nephara 3 - 0 Astograth
(4-4-2) 1 - Provost; 2 - Stride (18 - Soeringer 67'), 5 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon, 3 - Muscadin; 7 - Koerner, 15 - Horvath, 8 - Cromwell (17 - Mueller 76'), 11 - Considine; 9 - Gjasula, 21 - Basilisk (10 - Lovelace 58')
Goals: Koerner 28', Cromwell 61', Lovelace 71'

"Ooooh..." Catherine Sedgwick offered Konrad Lovelace a conciliatory clap on the back, and a sympathetic suck of the teeth. "They really don't like you, do they."
Judging by the explosive jeers coming from the Astograth fans the moment he pulled off his bib, they in fact did not. It had been a difficult year for Lovelace... to take.
Not a difficult year from any objective standpoint. Hey, goal machine in Eura, two league wins, two top scorer billings, and a World Cup win. And he'd finally emerged from Kurtis Bastable's shoulder. Outlasted him for the Cormorants, in fact.
Except it had been Bastable starting the Final. Tactical reasons. Okay. He could take that, though it stung. And that left the enduring legacy of his World Cup - personally speaking - being the sickening runch of his boot through Bedigax's face, abruptly ending the goalkeeper's World Cup. Maybe the only World Cup he'd ever get.
Maybe they could swap shirts after this? No?

Well, whatever. The game had gone well enough. Better than last time. They'd scored, for one thing, Anselm Koerner playing in Gjasula who, remarkably for her, decided to be unselfish and flick one back over for him to trap down, then fire low across the Felsenkirchen 'keeper. Great. They'd take it.
Otherwise, little had happened. Astograth needed to win, but any defensive slips in Nephara's line would be punished by a bollocking from Aranea Provost, who went full psychotic during a match. Normally she was just kind of... unseelie. She'd already been forced into one brilliant save on the verge of half-time, the kind of save that never looked that spectacular, but the sheer mechanics involved to change trajectory in flight and dig a goalbound header from Karazatorre out of the bottom corner. Even then, Clevinger still needed to hook the loose ball clear.
You always wanted a second. 2-0 wasn't the most dangerous scoreline, not in the slightest. So just before the hour, Ramsey bit her nail and sent Lovelace to warm up.
He did a couple laps of the Nepharan corner of the stadium. Six or seven coins whistled past his head. He tried not to betray any sign of knowing they were there.
His arrival came at a lull in the game, and had the near-immediate desired effect. A hard press in the centre of the park saw Horvath crunch through Duarte, deftly hook the ball down to Considine while still prone. Considine went for the big switch, over Koerner's head to Stride on the overlap, who drove a low ball into the edge of the box. To nobody? To Lothaire Cromwell, whipping a low strike across Bedigax.
Hey, great, Lovelace had made the desired impact. Hadn't actually touched the ball more than, like, twice, but.
Fuck it. If the moment wouldn't come to him, he'd make it. For the next ten, fifteen minutes he played like a man possessed. Charged down every clearance, tried to force their defenders into mistakes. Took a couple snap-shots, which mostly went high and/or wide. But, fuck it. He was making it. He was making something of himself. He was making an impact. He was... being shouted at from the sidelines.
"Don't fucking force it, Konrad!"
Great. More sage advice.
He sighed. Got his bearings back. Got his perspective back. Needed to think clearly more than quickly. Needed to sense the play unfolding before it happened. Needed to help draw off a defender, to let Gjasula make the run on the other side, to let Cromwell find it with a drilled pass to feet. Gjasula chopped it back inside, and shot, low. Bedigax stretched to his full wingspan, managed to flick the ball away to the side...
... and yet again, see Lovelace's studs descending...
This time, they crunched into leather, not bone, and Lovelace hurdled the goalkeeper with his momentum and slammed into the turf. No worries, his mates were there to help pick him up. Koerner's back even took a coin meant for Lovelace. Mateship, right?
Well, he had his goal, Nephara had their win. Lovelace considered swapping shirts with Bedigax, but looking at his expression... maybe he could take a hint.

by **Pasarga** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:28 am

A draw was not the result that the Wanderers had wanted going into the match against Yeuzhou but it was a results that would be enough to see the Wanderers into the top spot of the group and getting the so called easier tie in the Round of Sixteen. Réka Szôllôssi had a pair of goals for the Wanderers, one of each side of the halftime with Júlia Müller getting the other goal in the six goal thriller between the two squads. The Dragons countered every single time the Wanderers thought that they had grabbed a stranglehold on the match, Huang scoring after the first goal from Réka, Wen Xiaohui putting one after the second goal from the Turkish forward, while Li Jing got a goal on a good free kick to rescue the point for the Dragons after it looked like Müller had brought the Wanderers the full three points and a perfect group stage record. Alas it was not to be and the Dragons would never say die, despite both teams having already secured their progression into the knockouts on the previous matchday.

It does gives Griffiths a bit of a headache, after having thought his defense was quite up to the level of competition that they were playing against in the regional, with a full compliment of players who are in their prime and playing in one of the best leagues of the world. Yet in conceding thrice against a team that the Wanderers likely thought they should have been able to control and defeat in a relatively comfortable fashion. Perhaps it was the cost of having a veteran defensive line and having played their third game in two weeks, having some tired legs, the same thing that happened to the side when they went up against Nephara in the World Cup. To that end, it looks like Griffiths will attempt some rotation in the first knockout round, having a belief that they are not going to need an elite defensive line to get past their first round opposition. It is a major gamble but given that Griffiths has managed to see a lot of their gambles come up good in the last year, it is one that you would have to believe will likely pay off than blow up in their face.

To that end, it also seems like Elek Salai will be getting his first start in the knockout rounds with Réka Szôllôssi being relegated to the bench for the first game, letting the young striker have a chance to stretch their legs and showcase their abilities. The young striker was given a few chances during both the qualifiers and the Finals themselves and showed fairly well when given the chance and everyone knows that the young player is hungry and ambitious to show his talent. Griffiths is likely banking on that drive to be a big factor, as well as having fresh and young legs that will be able to go on for quite longer than the more veteran striker he will be replacing in the starting line up. The biggest point of concern is whether or not the Ibini FC striker will be able to play alongside Júlia Müller, as neither are exactly the type that will look to hold up play. The idea seems to be that the midfield, particularly on the wings, will be looking to be the lynchpin rather than a traditional hold up striker and advanced forward roles.

However the speed of the two strikers will look to be on full showcase with the Wanderers once against renewing their rivalry with the Purple Knights of Taeshan. After several encounters between the two sides as well as numerous teams that the Wanderers played against in the past World Cup cycle, the Wanderers have gotten quite accustomed to playing against the very defensive setups that Taeshan and the like tend to employ. Forcing them to open up and attack, as well as using pace and creativity to get behind the defensive line have been ways that Griffiths has found a way to get past these massively defensive setups. Meriadoc Griffiths will like to hope that history will repeat itself and that the Wanderers familiarity and ability to overcome such negative tactics will replicate itself and the Wanderers will get past the first round of the Copa for the first time in a few editions, having not made it past the first hurdle in the knockouts since the last time they hoisted the regional trophy.

by **Hispinas** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:41 am

Hispinas 4–0 Astidt
Copa Rushmori 37 - Pignot Stadium, Farrenton, Eura
HSP Scorers: Florita Carrion (43'), Cordovan Chia (48'), Carmelita Grimaldo (54'), Igon Murguiondo (70')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Gurutze Aranaz, Chequil Puma, Igon Murguiondo, Fermin Maquibar, Cordovan Chia, Trinidad Quevedo ▼ (▲ Everardo Esquilin 73'), Auza Vertiz ▼ (▲ Salomon Duran 90'), Florita Carrion ▼ (▲ Carmelita Grimaldo 53'), Peppi Palmero, Ozeano Amunategui

In the previous matchday, Alfonzo Medrano prepared tactics and set plays against Astidt, the fourth seeds of Group G, during the Copa Rushmori in Eura. However, several hours before kickoff, they were informed that there was a clerical error in the schedules, and instead of facing Astidt, they would have faced Graintfjall, where the match ended scoreless despite the Snow Wolves' keeper, Kauko Jorgesson, was sent off in the last moments of the game.

The tactics they anticipated and prepared against a highly attacking Astidt side did not really suit against Graintfjall as their actual opponents would have a defensive-minded lineup and tactics, and this contributed to the scoreline at the end of the match where neither side could find the back of the net despite numerous clear cut chances. When the anticipated match against Astidt eventually came, Alfonzo had to shuffle his squad to prevent fatigue from kicking in the squad. Londono however was kept to man between the sticks as he had only conceded a single goal in two matches, while the coach handed starts to Igon Murguiondo and Auza Vertiz, both playing their club football for Atletikoa Haranurdina.

The match was a bit peculiar as eleven Hispino players took to the field against... one giant banana. Yes, you read that right. One. Giant. Banana. Medrano actually had a difficult time addressing the team as he could not prevent himself from laughing with the lineup the organizers provided. "Let's see how this giant banana plays this out."

At first, it would be a difficult task to get the ball out of this outrageous creature, with the possession bars having Astidt 86 percent possession against the paltry 14 percent by the Golden Sealions. The Giant Banana would hold the ball for at most 20 minutes, blitzing past the Hispino defence, and peppering shot after shot to Londono. However, their opponent is not yet skilled in shooting and has been currently let down by his composure on 1-on-1 situations, causing the team to miss his chance in front of the net. Hispinas took advantage every time the ball is not on the Giant Banana's possession, with goals from Carrion, Chia, Grimaldo, and Murguiondo eventually dealing with their peculiar opponent, which beat the result Graintfjall had against Darmen.

With the win, Hispinas avoided a potential Round of 16 exit at the hands of Rushmori powerhouse Nephara, instead handed a match against Astograth, although Medrano and the crew should never underestimate teams at this point of the competition. When the final whistle sounded, Alfonzo and the team approached the Giant Banana, and applauded their opponent for giving them a tough time. In exchange, the entire squad got a tournament worth of potassium on various bundles of bananas, which they got from the Giant Banana as token of appreciation.

Starters against Astograth (3-4-3): Londono; Murguiondo, Puma, Coro; Grullon, Quevedo, Chia [c], Duran; Uralde, Amunategui, Palmero

by **Graintfjall** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:38 pm

Article posted on the Den of Gore website. Because in IC time this occurs just after the Græntfjaller season i.e. at the end of summer, this article is being written in the run-up to Halloween, which makes a lot more sense than horror movies at Easter.

Top Ten Scariest Græntfjaller Horror Movies!

10. Cast Me Out (1980)

9. The Wicker Hamster (1975)

8. Secret Files Of Dr. Rómansson (2014)

7. The Krakening (2007)

6. The Damned! (1927)

5. Four Funerals and a Wedding (2011)

4. The Icicle Murders (1983)

3. Valhalla (1947)

anyway

2. Krakens Of Mars! (2019)

really

1. Highlights of the last time Græntfjall played Nephara in a Copa Rushmori Round of 16 (2020)

Græntfjall – 1 (0)
Einvarðursson; Kristersson (27’) (45’ Bensson (88’)), Reynarsson, T. Ernestisson; Ásvaldursson (57’ Jokulsson ), Bjørnsson (62’) (74’), Miansdóttir; Heikkisdóttir, Guttisdóttir, Mensdóttir; Þórhallursson (56’) (66’ Dannysdóttir )

Darmen – 0 (0)

by **Eura** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:27 pm

OOC: To reiterate, this is a continuation of a previous RP line, and is currently set during WC87/CoH79/Euraleague S46. Therefore, other users RPs should not suggest this is a currently developing story/set of events.

Life in the Seventh Star

Part Twenty

A week later

The Piroz family were starting to become familiar with cells. Natalie turned off her uncomfortable metal cot as the door rang, ready to face a similar experience to that of her brother not so long ago.
‘Piroz! Get on your feet. Stand clear of the door.’ The shutter slammed closed as quickly as it opened and Natalie obeyed, struggling to her feet underneath the slimmer of light that could find its way in through the bars. She had been told she was going to be taken to a police station. No such luck – Natalie was being forced to take her chances with a regional military detention centre near Aspel, where the guards were cruel and oversight thin.
‘Hands behind your back and turn to face the wall.’ Natalie co-operated through gritted teeth. Unlike Mateo this wasn’t her first time in trouble with the police, and she knew when and how to push her luck with them. Unfortunately for her, these were not beat cops she was dealing with anymore. Two Euran military police restrained her and marched her out of the cell and down the hallway, into the depths of the facility.

Unbeknownst to her, this was not a standard arrest. Natalie had been caught a few hours after the incident spray painting anti-Euran messages onto a fire engine and wrongly thought she had only been moved to this place because of prison overcrowding post-riots. She thought that, worst case scenario, this would be a slap on the wrist, and she just had to avoid getting hurt or further incriminated while in this detention centre. It only dawned on her that something might be wrong when she was joined in an interrogation room by Ryan, Arabella’s father. ‘What the fu-‘
‘Natalie? Not now. We haven’t got much time. Listen, have you said anything, made any statements since you were brought in.’
‘No. Shouldn’t there be like, a duty solicitor or something?’
‘I found out where you were being held and got here, just in time.’
‘But why?’

Ryan dramatically threw down a file on the table. ‘I just got this from the Federal Prosecution Service after pulling some favours to get access to you. Read it.’ Confused and alarmed in equal measure, Natalie picked up the file and sifted through. Her jaw dropped so far she could have fit all the paperwork in it.
‘Yeah,’ Ryan mournfully whispered under his breath, ‘that’s how I reacted too.’
It was a legal motherload. CCTV and other camera footage of her on the night – not just participating in the march, but then handing out items to others that were very clearly weapons. And once they worked out those were the petrol bombs that were used…
‘Oh my god. Oh my, shit shit shit…’
‘You’ve got to listen to me alright – when they come in, you tell them I’m your representation. Stuff whichever sod they’re going to pull in to do the bare minimum for you.’
‘I can’t afford some hot-shot fucking Bastion lawyer like you, mate.’
‘Forget about money alright? I’m not doing this for you.’

A knock rattled the door. Time was up.
‘Shit. Ok, here’s the drill – blank them on everything for now. No comment, over and over. You just admit your identity and that’s it, and let me handle the rest. We’re got to see if they’re going to probe, let them lay out everything, I doubt what I’ve got here is the lot. And you need to not panic because they’re going to almost certainly charge you on what they do have, and to be honest Natalie, I think we’re talking damage limitation here. Do you understand all of that?’ She was silent. ‘I’m taking that as a yes.’
‘What if it’s a no?’
‘Then tough luck, because here they come.’ A couple of interrogators entered the room and sat opposite. Before they could say anything, Ryan leaped into conversation. ‘I want to know the exact grounds you are holding my client on. I’ve given you my full details, any pertinent information should be-‘
‘Yeah yeah, fuck off mate, we know you are. Shouldn’t you be down south, ambulance chasing?’ Ryan was stopped in his tracks and decided not to make things worse by continuing.

‘Right. You are Natalie Piroz, are you not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you realise how stuffed you are? Photographic evidence, witness statements from emergency services and military personnel, and…oh, how useful, two written statements from persons with you have a pre-existing relationship. Interesting that, isn’t it?’
Natalie dug her fingers into the chair without saying a word.
‘Ok then. We have plenty to ask you about, but first, let’s get this out of the way – Natalie Piroz, the Federal Prosecution Service, acting under the Counter-Terrorism Act provisions relating to terror offences within the jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Former Sameba, has decided to bring charges against you of participating in and organising acts of terrorism, conspiracy to murder, possession of prohibited weapons, membership of a proscribed organisation, and public disorder. As you were told when you were initially arrested, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court…’

----------

Prisco was fuming. Natalie had dumped him right in it and he had no way out.
‘Dude, fucking calm down.’ His housemate was not helping.
‘Calm down? Yeah, I’ll do that real easy, once I’ve got out of the fucking country because of your stupidity.’ Prisco was packing a bag – after a few days laying low in another corner of the city he had got wind that Natalie had been arrested and Mateo had been questioned (but curiously remained free), and after the beating he’d taken after the first march, there was no way he was taking the chance of staying and getting locked up again.
‘Don’t blame me man. The old man and the kid were real aggressive all right?’
‘Aggressive…’ Prisco looked down at his hands. The bruises were still there. He’d been on the receiving end of punches and kicks that had bedridden him for days, and here was this prick lecturing him about “aggression”. ‘I’ll show you some fucking aggression…’

Prisco powered through the pain to storm over to his housemate and push him hard against the wall, his forearm trapping the man’s neck against the plaster. He choked and spluttered, saliva flicking into Prisco’s eyes and mouth, but Prisco didn’t budge. ‘Why did you tell them what she was going to do, huh? I knew they were a weak point for her but for you? There’s no excuse. Fucking idiot.’
‘Pris…hnnngh……I can’t…’
‘Breathe? You’re a waste of oxygen mate. You don’t need it.’ Prisco held him there for a few seconds, then took a form of pity on the guy and let him fall. ‘Twat. You’d better pack a bag too. If the kid talked he sure as shit told them about you. Why do you think I’m trying to get out of here?’ Suddenly they were both distracted by the loud sound of metal on glass as a small canister flew across the room and smacked against the window, fell to the floor, and rolled into the middle of the room.

‘Fuck-‘
Both of them went deaf dumb and blind in an instant. Prisco stumbled around looking for something, anything, to grip on to. Slowly his senses returned and the air began to clear, at which point he felt a couple more loud bangs pierce his ear drums and a heavy object hit the floor to his left. He turned around to see his useless housemate writhing around on the floor, with two blood marks spreading out rapidly on his chest. ‘Oh shit!’ Out of nowhere a rifle butt whacked him across the head and he was on the floor before he knew it. A man in black body armour and uniform towered over him. ‘CLEAR! Got him, coming out! Get the paramedics in, we’ve bodied one of them.’

Prisco struggled to escape as best he could but he had no chance. He had no idea if this lot were police but if they were, they certainly weren’t the garden variety morons he evaded every day, and they sure as shit were not here about his housemates weed. He was hurriedly bundled out of the flat block and into a van in cuffs, his eyes still stinging from the flashbang that had incapacitated him minutes earlier. Oddly, the van had windows – unusual for a police vehicle meant to carry people like him. He shuffled to his knees to get a look out and saw in front of him what was going on. All of the tenants of the building were out on the street under armed guard, being searched one by one and presumably questioned. A helicopter hovered low overhead and whipped up dust in the street. When Prisco first answered “the call” from his bosses, he had been told that all he had to do was get some local people to take some risks for the cause, and then he could get out, nice and simple. After all of that he realised that this had been a lie. No-one cared about him, and after being used to poke the eye of the beast his backers had vanished, and the beast had come back for him with a vengeance.

by **Eura** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:28 pm

CUTOFF FOR ROUND OF SIXTEEN. Who will be elevated into the quarter-finals?

----------

EURA37

Round of Sixteen - Results

Cassadaigua 2-1 Yuezhou
at Troutbridge (Ulsa, 97,460)

Eura 7-1 Tikariot
at Bastion Arena (Bastion, 110,000)
Scorinated by Mriin

Pasarga 5-4 Taeshan
at Benedict Lane (Holdenberg, 74,869)

Savojarna 1-0 Pridnestrovia
at Walter Avenue (Hornchurch, 56,392)

Sargossa 2-0 Crystalline Caverns
at Olympic Stadium (Spartangrad, 104,773)

Hispinas 2-0 Astograth
at The Oak House (Oakstone, 82,402)

Mytanija 3-3 (4-3 AET) Mavinet
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

Nephara 2-0 Graintfjall
at Castle Road (Directus, 95,000)

Quarter Finals - Draw

Cassadaigua vs Eura
at Bastion Arena (Bastion, 110,000)

Pasarga vs Savojarna
at Troutbridge (Ulsa, 97,460)

Sargossa vs Hispinas
at Olympic Stadium (Spartangrad, 104,773)

Mytanija vs Nephara
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

by **Mytanija** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:02 am

OTHERWORLDLY OCOKOLJIC BREAKS MAVINESE HEARTS
EXTRA TIME GOAL SEES MYTANIJA THROUGH TO QUARTER FINALS, NEPHARA AWAITS

by Nevenka Planinc

MYTANIJA 3-3 MAVINET (4-3 AET)
MYT: J. Odonelec 9’ (pen), P. Odonelec 57’; Ocokoljic 68’, 114’
MVN: Tien Linh 41’, Nhat Quang 49’, Phi Bang 90+1’

MYT: 1. Kasun; 2. Vukovic, 3. Savicevic, 4. Anac, 15. P. Odonelec (sub. Isaev 115’); 6. Hrdaljko (sub. Brkljacic 72’), 10. J. Odonelec (c), 7. Fejzuli; 8. Gavrilovic (sub. Vlahovic 54’), 9. Ocokoljic, 11. Kalinic (sub. Derajevic 72’)

MVN: 1. Manh Cuong; 3. Thanh Binh, 5. Duc Dung, 6. Van Thao (sub. Linh Dan 45’), 2. Nhat Quang; 34. The Hien (sub. Phi Bang 66’), 7. Quoc Loc (sub. Trung Hai 101’), 10. Hoang Bach; 12. Tien Linh, 9. Duc Trong, 14. Thanh Hoang (sub. Dinh Loi 75’)

Jezdimir Ocokoljic announced himself on regional football’s biggest stage with a brilliantly taken brace of goals that gave Mytanija victory in a classic Copa Rushmori encounter with Mavinet, as well as a place in the quarter finals. With much of the pre-match focus on which players Lev Repin would select given the major rotation he has employed thus far in the tournament, it was Mytanija’s key man who produced a brilliant performance that will live long in the memory. Ocokoljic first put Mytanija ahead in the second-half and when Mavinet equalised in injury time he then scored another in extra time, decisively turning the game in Mytanija’s favour and inflicting pain on a relatively young Mavinet team who will surely come again in the future.

The 27 year old striker scored his 41st and 42nd goals for his country, taking him into sixth place in the all-time national team scoring charts and only six goals away from surpassing national hero Dobroslav Stojanovic. It’s notable that of those above him only Kristian Haugen scored his goals at a faster rate than Ocokoljic, he truly is in elite company when it comes to being a clinical finisher. Nobody would be surprised to see Ocokoljic move into at least second by the time his career is over, he needs 11 more goals to do that, overhauling Robin Hjik’s record of 73 goals could be dependent on how long Ocokoljic wants to keep playing. The striker is currently the subject of an NSD 14 million bid from Siovanijan side Energija Chernovets, an enormous amount of money when it comes to Mytanar football and Atletik are seriously weighing up whether they can put that money to good use. It isn’t known whether Ocokoljic would be receptive to the move as yet, but it would definitely represent an attractive option if he wants to win IFCF honours before his career is over.

Mavinet had been warned before Jasno Odonelec stroked home the game’s opener, the same player had already rattled the Mavinese crossbar with a rasping free-kick by the time he put Mytanija ahead. A searing run from Ocokoljic had left defenders scrambling and in the end Ha Van Thao brought the forward down with a clumsy foul which started outside the penalty area but ended up bringing Ocokoljic down inside it. Pridnestrovian referee Volodymyr Zinchenko had no option but to point to the penalty spot and Jasno Odonelec ably stepped up to put the ball in the net, Do Manh Cuong diving the wrong way and Mytanija were 1-0 up inside the first ten minutes. It was a dream start and Lev Repin seemed content on the sideline as Mytanija cranked up the pressure in search of a second. Unfortunately it was a goal that never came, Brajko Gavrilovic squandering a free header at the back post and Boris Kalinic going close when cutting in from his role on the right.

In the end Mavinet survived the pressure and towards the end of the second-half they were beginning to cause Mytanija problems on the counter. The trickiness of Tien Linh and Thanh Hoang was catching the Mytanar defence out, particularly when Patrik Odonelec and Srdan Vukovic went on their regular forays forward as Mytanija pushed for a second to try and put the game to bed. Mavinet’s equaliser came from a counter, but perhaps not in the way viewers would have expected, Thanh Hoang was sent on his way by a searching Quoc Loc pass after the central midfielder had dispossessed Jasno Odonelec. There wasn’t much support for the right-winger and he slowed the play down, drawing Grigorij Savicevic and Mojmir Anac across to him and in the end he passed the ball inside to Hoang Bach. The Mavinese number ten thought about a shot but in the end faked it, playing the ball over to Tien Linh who had come inside from the left. Tien Linh took one touch before driving the ball through the bodies in the centre of the pitch and into Pedja Kasun’s net. The goalkeeper didn’t move and it was 1-1. The Mytanar pressure had led to nothing and Mavinet were back in the game, scoring at a fantastic time with a goal which may have changed the half-time team talks which Lev Repin and Vũ Thế Phong may have been thinking of giving their respective teams.

As the second-half started Mavinet were playing with greater belief, pushing forward and causing Mytanija problems. The opening five minutes or so were played entirely in the Mytanar half as Lev Repin’s team felt the game edging away from them, gone was the tactical approach and in came last ditch defending. Mojmir Anac threw himself in front of a Duc Trong shot which looked destined for goal and as it went out for a corner Mytanija truly found themselves on the ropes. Mavinet took the corner shot, with Hoang Bach going out to receive the ball and Tahir Fejzuli desperately brought the midfielder down as if he was just trying to slow the game a little.

Thanh Hoang stood over the resulting free-kick, it was near enough a corner and the lack of an angle to whip it in made it almost as difficult to take as to defend. Thanh Hoang tried to put it right on the goalkeeper and Pedja Kasun ably punched the ball away, but only as far as Quoc Loc who was waiting out towards the far side of the penalty area. Quoc Loc took one touch and feinted as if to head towards the byline before cutting back and unleashing a shot with his left foot. The ball wasn’t heading on-target, but back into the crowd of bodies in the middle of the penalty area and there it was rather fortunately turned into the net by right-back Pham Nhat Quang. It was a goal which had come about perhaps more through luck than judgement, but it was no less than what Mavinet deserved after their fantastic start to the second-half.

Mytanija found themselves behind and with work to do and Lev Repin brought Dalibor Vlahovic into the fray for the largely ineffective Brajko Gavrilovic. Three minutes later Mytanija were level. Vlahovic had evidently been instructed to come inside and leave space for Srdan Vukovic to overlap down the left, a variation on the usual overloads of the midfield which Repin so adores. Vlahovic coming off the flank and bringing the Mavinet goal scorer Nhat Quang with him left space for Vukovic and Mytanija exploited it, Jasno Odonelec sending Vukovic off towards the byline and Vukovic hitting a first time cross back across the penalty area. At first it looked a poor cross, heading well away from goal and right from the goal line towards the edge of the Mavinet box, but it turned into a brilliant one as on the other side the other Mytanar full-back was there to meet it and boy did Patrik Odonelec meet it. He hit the ball first time with his right foot (which was almost level with his head such was the angle which he had to meet the ball with his boot), volleying the ball back across the goal in a beautifully curved arc, where it nestled in the side of the goal far beyond Manh Cuong’s reach. It may well be a contender for the goal of the tournament, such was the skill level needed to do it and Patrik Odonelec was beside himself with joy as he scored his first ever international goal and got his team back level.

This game was a little all over the place at times, but the goal gave Mytanija the same impetus which Mavinet had had when they came out for the second-half and now it was Mytanija building the pressure once again. Ten minutes later this paid off as Vukovic – a thorn in the side of the Mavinese team since being told to play wider – received the ball from Fejzuli and jinked away from Nhat Quang before playing in a solid cross which reached Boris Kalinic, Kalinic rather mishit his shot straight into substitute Linh Dan (he came on at half-time for Van Thao who had earned himself a yellow card when giving away the penalty early on), but it fortuitously bounced straight into the path of the onrushing Jezdimir Ocokoljic and he took one touch to take it around the massed defenders and then a second to smash the ball low through Manh Cuong’s legs. For the second time the game had been turned on its head and given the breathless, end-to-end nature of this game I’m not sure anybody truly believed that this would be where it would end.

As the clock ticked on both teams made changes, Lev Repin changed his team from the 4-3-3/3-1-3-3 hybrid to a slightly more conservative 4-3-1-2 by bringing Branko Brkljacic on for Alen Hrdaljko and Anton Derajevic for Boris Kalinic. Dalibor Vlahovic was put into the number ten position with Jasno Odonelec, Tahir Fejzuli and Brkljacic behind him in the midfield. Derajevic and Ocokoljic were operating as a true strike partnership as Repin explored the full extent of the tactical flexibility that he has instilled in this team. Mavinet brought on an extra striker as they tried to find an equaliser, Phi Bang coming in for defensive midfielder The Hien and then – as Mytanija threatened again on the counter – appeared to think better of the gung ho approach, bringing defensive midfielder Dinh Loi on for Thanh Hoang with fifteen minutes left. It may have seemed a defensive move when Mavinet needed a goal, but the structure worked well for them and it stopped the Mytanar counter-attacks.

Despite Lev Repin’s desperate protestations at his team dropping deeper and deeper they didn’t heed his warnings and it gave Mavinet the opportunity to keep them pinned back. Mavinet were creating chances and Duc Trong perhaps deserved a goal after he dug a shot out amidst a crowded penalty area, unfortunately his effort scraped the post and headed out for a goal kick. Pedja Kasun waved his team forward and kicked the goal kick deep into the Mavinet half but Thanh Binh easily won the header and the ball dropped to the excellent Le Quoc Loc. Quoc Loc brought the ball forward, Mytanija’s midfield and defence immediately dropping back and he found Tien Linh down the left in a bit of space. Tien Linh cut inside and then dropped an inch perfect ball over the Mytanar defence which the substitute Hoang Phi Bang headed in unchallenged. It was 3-3 in the first minute of injury time and the Mavinet players celebrated wildly. They had been on the brink of elimination and had rescued themselves admirably, with the game level after 90 minutes the two teams would play out another 30 minutes and Mavinet had the wind in their sails and Repin knew that his team had to avoid a repeat of what had happened at the start of the second-half in the first period of extra time.

The change to the 4-3-1-2 hadn’t stemmed the flow quite how Repin had anticipated it would, but he stuck with it in extra time as he wanted more control in the middle of the pitch as each team became even more exhausted after perhaps the most high-tempo game of the tournament so far. It worked well as Mytanija retained possession and prevented Mavinet from building up a head of steam as they had done at the start of the second-half, inspired by their late equaliser in the first-half. There was to be no repeat of that in extra time and the teams got to the half-time of extra time extremely tired but most importantly level. In the second period the game became more ragged, both teams giving up possession too easily as the tired legs and heads began to show.

Fortunately for Mytanija, the player who seemed to have kept it together best was in their ranks and it was Jezdimir Ocokoljic. Mavinet had pushed forward in the search of the goal which would likely settle the game, but Mytanija had been relatively aggressive in keeping both of the strikers as well as Dalibor Vlahovic stationed high up the pitch. Branko Brkljacic was wily in utilising his physicality to outmuscle Hoang Bach halfway inside the Mytanar half, he called upon every ounce of experience to ensure referee Volodymyr Zinchenko felt that he had won the ball legally. It was probably just about within the laws of the game, but the Mavinese players certainly felt aggrieved that they hadn’t won a free-kick. It was about to go from bad to worse for them, Brkljacic fired the ball into Dalibor Vlahovic’s feet and the 1896 Ebor player had drawn Bui Duc Dung a long way out of the defensive line he was meant to be in. He had to get to the ball before Vlahovic but Vlahovic got there first and flicked the ball into Jasno Odonelec and suddenly Mytanija were away. Odonelec took two touches to bring the ball into the Mavinet half and Mytanija had a three versus three against the Mavinese defence, with his third touch Odonelec played the ball into Anton Derajevic and he let the ball run to attract the attention of left-back Cao Thanh Binh. As the left-back came close Derajevic poked the ball on through to Jezdimir Ocokoljic, stalking in off the right and as the goalkeeper came off his line Ocokoljic’s mind was made up for him. He hit the perfectly weighted pass first time with his weaker right foot, but this was no issue for a finisher as talented as Ocokoljic, with the ball racing into the bottom corner and Ocokoljic running off in celebration. The striker was mobbed by his team mates, the whole bench running out to greet him as the Sasky erupted around him. The noise was deafening and the stadium was shaking, Mytanija still had just under six minutes to play of this game but it was almost as if they had won the Copa Rushmori itself.

Lev Repin brought Petr Isaev on for Patrik Odonelec, ostensibly to add a little more defensive nous at right-back but the calming, metronomic presence of the national team captain had almost as big an effect. Mytanija were solid and each Mavinese wave was either headed away or directed into the feet of Ocokoljic or the chest of Derajevic as the two forwards allowed Mytanija to get up the pitch. Derajevic won a free-kick on the halfway line in the final minute to allow Mytanija to run the clock down and it was greeted by the enormous Mytanar contingent in the stadium as if it were a goal. Eventually, finally, Volodymyr Zinchenko whistled to end the game and both sets of players fell to the turf, equally exhausted but displaying entirely different ends of the spectrum in terms of their happiness towards the result. Lev Repin shook Vũ Thế Phong’s hand on the sideline as the two shared wry smiles, well aware that they had both given each other the game of their lives. Repin naturally will have been the happier, but it was a game in which neither team really let themselves down.

In the end Jezdimir Ocokoljic was the difference – how many times have we said that over the years – demonstrating exactly why he is revered in Mytanija and feared everywhere else. He won the penalty that started the game off and then it looked as if he had the game won with his first goal, until Mavinet equalised in second-half injury time. Then when everybody around him – on both teams – was operating at a the standard you would expect after nearly 115 minutes of football he elevated himself above the rest and slotted the ball into the net after some deft play by Anton Derajevic. The experienced striker has to be given a lot of credit too, he still had some doubters when Repin called him up for this tournament but he has performed well scoring two in games against Crystalline Caverns and Tveidalen before getting the crucial assist against Mavinet. He has repaid Repin’s faith and then some.

Mytanija have been rewarded for their thrilling win over Mavinet with a quarter final tie against Nephara, the defending Copa Rushmori and World Cup champions, this could once have been a game between heavyweights of multiversal football but the two nations have taken divergent paths and it is now very much a game in which Mytanija are the underdogs. The quality throughout the Nephara team is frightening and it will take all of Lev Repin’s tactical nous for Mytanija to be in with a shout of winning this game. Mytanija do have Ocokoljic, players like Odonelec and Fejzuli are evidently decent, but it’s not quite of the level of Nephara once you get beyond that and it is as difficult a quarter final as the team could have hoped for. Nephara’s 4-4-2 is a difficult formation to exploit, the two banks of four providing the team with structural integrity and the quality of their players giving them the necessary inspiration when on the attack. Repin’s 4-3-3/3-1-3-3 hybrid will be an unusual test for them, but these are players with bags of experience at club and international level and novel tactics will not be enough to beat them on their own. Mytanija will need top-class performances from every player and probably a fair bit of luck, but they’ve got this far impressively enough and that should give the team heart. The enormous Mytanar contingent in the Sasky might help a little, Olympic Thessia did well against Crisisbless with a partisan home crowd and it will certainly feel like that here with the local Mytanar immigrant community as well as the travelling hordes from back home. They will go onto the pitch as equals, deserving an opportunity to compete for a place in the Copa Rushmori semi-finals. The aim will be to put in a performance full of heart to ensure they can come off the pitch – winners or losers – with their heads held high.

***

An excerpt of the commentary from the MKV coverage of Mytanija vs Mavinet

“We’re into the one-hundred and fourteenth minute here at the Sasky, the arena Mytanars know so well. These two teams have taken lumps out of one another here, it has been a game reminiscent of a legendary boxing bout between two great prize-fighters, neither wanting to give the other an inch.”

“It’s been a fantastic game, Igor. Both these teams have given one hundred percent out there,” said Adel Gudelj, the former Liria Prizren goalkeeper and one-cap wonder for Mytanija. He was now earning money working in the media, writing articles about players for Gazeta Sporta as their in-house ‘scout’ and co-commentating on international games for national broadcaster MKV. He was also assistant manager for Liria Prizren during the season, coaching under Danek Badjkev. Gudelj was alongside the famous Mytanar commentator Igor Tanackovic, renowned for the smooth, honey-like quality of his voice. Even his larynx was being put to the test with this game though, it had been exhilarating and panic-inducing in equal measures.

“They really have Adel, we have been blessed to be able to witness this. The Mytanar fans here – from back home and based in Eura – have roared their team on, will they have one more goal to cheer here?” Tanackovic asked, he had meant it rhetorically, but he had ended up foreshadowing what was to come. “Here’s Nguyen Hoang Bach, oh, Brkljacic has gone in strong there – the Pridnestrovian referee is not interested – and Brkljacic comes away with it. Brkljacic into Vlahovic—”

“Duc Dung is a long way out of position there!” Gudelj interjected excitably.

“And here come Mytanija!” Even Tanackovic’s voice growing slightly shrill as the play unfolded in front of him. “They have a three on three here if they can find the right pass, Odonelec into Derajevic. He pokes it through… Ocokoljiiiiic!!! He’s done it again! The national icon has two for Mytanija! Mytanija have put four in the Mavinet net! They look set for the quarter finals! The stadium around us here is shaking!”

“That is absolutely superb play from Mytanija!” Gudelj tried to continue with his job in providing analysis of the events on the pitch but his voice was warbling, he was evidently struggling to keep his cool as his voice cracked. “It could have been a foul in midfield, Brkljacic goes in strong, but the referee waves it on and Mytanija break superbly! Outstanding forward play by Derajevic, drawing the defender in before poking it through to Ocokoljic and he does the rest!”

“A goal in extra time which Lev Repin will hope sends his team through!” Tanackovic took the reins again, the more experienced of the commentary team perhaps aware that his co-comms’ voice would be clipped and replayed endlessly on social media and not wanting him to exacerbate the situation for himself. “Ocokoljic has been superb and the enormous Mytanar contingent has been sent into raptures! He is otherworldly on his day. There’s over one hundred thousand people in this stadium and it felt like the stands were bouncing up and down when that goal went in!”

***

“Quieten down, quieten down please! Okay, the final question of the session from the leader of the MNK, Radovan Stefanovic please.” The speaker of the House of Representatives tried to restore order. It had been a particularly raucous session as Ana Mecava-Catic had been questioned on her government’s plans to nationalise the provision of healthcare in Mytanija, people had asked where the money was coming from and despite her references to well-researched figures the political differences between her and her opponents meant that those figures were not believed by everybody in the House of Representatives. It looked like the vote would get over the line, with the coalition between Mecava-Catic’s party Jedinstvo and Radenka Kovacevic’s Ekologija still going strong. The confidence-and-supply arrangement with the older party of Mytanija’s centre-left, Radnika, was still standing too and it was their votes which would get the bill over the line. Slobodan Acimovic had been deposed as leader, although he still held on to his position as a representative, with Radnika planning on holding a leadership election by the end of the year. They were temporarily being led by party veteran Branislav Hanzek, a long-term stalwart of the party’s left and someone who was determined to uphold party discipline until they elected a new leader.

“With all this talk of healthcare I thought I would take the chance to talk about something else,” started Radovan Stefanovic. He was still leader of the MNK despite their chastening defeat at the election. The party had decided to let him stay on for two years, with this government’s majority being reliant on the confidence-and-supply agreement with Radnika it could blow up at any time and they wanted stability to try and exploit that. They also wanted time to find a younger candidate, someone who could liven things up and excite their base, but also appeal to those who had hurt the MNK by voting for the likes of Zajedno Naprijed! at the last election. There was a feeling the party had to modernise a little, but they were also particularly reticent of changing too quickly, which was why Stefanovic was still in charge. “In the aftermath of the election there has been public celebration of Ms Mecava-Catic’s government and she has been nauseatingly cheered on by the left-wing newspapers who are all too prepared to overlook exactly which sort of people are supporting her government from afar. They want their hastily put together nationalised healthcare system and it is like a dog’s bone, occupying their minds and meaning that her government’s foreign policy and international relations can be swept under the carpet.”

“Hear hear!” Came shouts from the MNK seats.

“Just this morning I was reading Pero – a newspaper of repute, unlike those which support Ms Mecava Catic – when a story caught my eye, a story which will be amusing to some but one which I think is deadly serious and tells us everything we need to know about Ms Mecava-Catic’s government. It was about a story in The Kitara People’s Free Press, a misnomer if ever there was one, we know that there is no free press in hard-line socialist Nyowani Kitara! This story accused our friends across Rushmore of fixing the Copa Rushmori, it accused our friends across Rushmore of conspiring against countries with left-wing governments! It is absolute craziness, but these are the sort of people who are cheering Ms Mecava-Catic on from across Rushmore.” Stefanovic paused.

“Deplorable!” Came a shout from one of his backbenchers.

“Yes, it absolutely is deplorable! Her party calls for unity in its name and look at the division her party’s friends in Nyowani Kitara are trying to stoke across the region! Her government claims to be the only ones able to uphold the rights of workers and people across our nation when they are hand-in-hand and arm-in-arm with the authoritarian regime in Nyowani Kitara and best friends with the now democratically deposed socialist regime in Yuezhou! These aren’t the sort of people that want to uphold human rights or workers’ rights. Her party’s commitment to these things is fraudulent, she has lied to the Mytanar people and my question to her is this: with all that being said, will she now distance her government and our country from the authoritarian regime in Nyowani Kitara? Will she offer her support to the new and legitimate government of Yuezhou? And will she apologise for siding with those who want to stoke division across our region when she and her party call for unity?!” Stefanovic sat down, cheered on by his party at his back.

“Okay, calm please, calm. Ms Mecava-Catic will be up to answer the question. Quiet now please! The Premier has a right to respond and people will listen to her! Ms Mecava-Catic, please…”

by **Sargossa** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:21 pm

Upon visiting the nation of Eura, the first thing that probably jumps out is the sheer scale of the place. Everything is just so big. Even for those visiting from Sargossa, with its huge population and vast urban sprawls, the sight of a Euran megacity causes the breath to catch in the throat. Spartangrad was just such a breathtaking megalopolis. And it was currently the Sargossan travelling support’s home away from home. And there was plenty of travelling support nestled in the suitably vast surrounds of the city’s Olympic Stadium. More than one hundred thousand fans were packed into the huge bowl that dominated the skyline in this part of the city. A wall of noise emanated from the massive section of standing supporters, one of the largest on the entire continent. Everything is just so big.

Perhaps most surprising, for those Sargossans visiting the nation of Eura, the experience thus far had been remarkably pleasant. Naturally the Spartangrad locals and their visitors from Olde Rushmore had been exchanging the kind of quippery you’d expect at any international sporting event. But it had been entirely good natured and visiting fans had received an unexpectedly warm welcome to the city. Perhaps in small part due to their fetching blue and white kits that weren’t entirely unlike those worn by the domestic side that called this huge stadium home.

Out on the pitch Juan Sebastián Varela drilled a ball forward for the buccaneering wingback Tobías Figueroa to run on to. Ahead of him Figueroa could see Diego Cazalla drifting inside towards the penalty area, taking the opposition fallback with him. A move which opened up the space in front of the El Nacional defender. Figueroa was entirely unfazed by his current surroundings. Quite the opposite, he was inspired by them. The size, the shape, the atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium were all reminiscent of the Independienté in Goza where he plied his domestic trade. He raced into the gap, roared on by a section of Sargossan support congregated around the front of that particular part of the stand. Spurred into action by the approaching threat the Crystalline Caverns defence attempted to stem it. Lorian Spokes came out to face him but could only look on as Figueroa whipped in the cross.

It was an absolute peach of a delivery. It bisected the area between the Frostac Wolves backline and Eivind Gore in the Crystalline Caverns goal. Right through the divorce zone. The defenders were caught flat footed, hesitant to take a wild swing at the ball that was now between them and their own goal. The goalkeeper was caught on his line, reluctance exacerbated by the slight bend that saw the ball’s trajectory curl away from him as it got ever closer. Right across the penalty area it flew before connecting with the boot of Diego Alejandro Costa who timed his run perfectly to side foot it into the net.

A large number of blue and white clad fans roared. A smaller number of white and blue clad fans held their heads in their hands. The Corsairs, led by goal scorer Costa, mobbed Figueroa. Grateful for the assist that had laid the goal on a plate. In the technical area Brian McAllister punched the air. On the pitch the Frostac Wolves’ heads dropped. They’d resisted bravely and fought well, but with eight minutes left on the clock a second Sargossan goal looked like being the killer. The quarter finals were looming and, sure enough, the Corsairs sailed on into them.

For a team of Sargossa’s stature and historical record in this tournament a quarter final place is seen by many as the minimum of expectations. What has really caught the eye though has been the unusual resilience shown by the defence. Four games have been played and just two goals have been conceded. The clean sheet against Crystalline Caverns joins the one achieved against Eastfield Lodge in the group stage. Then there was the single goal conceded in the hard fought draw with Mavinet and another conceded in the hefty win over Nyowani Kitara. Which is testimony to the excellent work done by Brian McAllister and his staff as they sought to solve the national side’s defensive frailties.

Their reward is perhaps the most unremarkable of the upcoming quarter finals. Instead the majority of eyes will turn toward Bastion where host nation Eura, fresh from their formidable performance against Tikariot, will face Cassadaigua. Two former champions of the whole gosh darn sportiverse collide, with the hosts looking to add to their three Rushmori titles while the Dagans seek to claim one of the very few trophies they haven’t yet lifted. In Ulsa Pasarga represent a huge threat, as they have since the very first edition of this tournament. Four Copas currently sit in the trophy cabinet back in Torgos, a fifth would take the Wanderers level with record winners Polar Islandstates. Against them are a Savojarna side stung by heart wrenching defeats in the previous two finals. Sargossa’s love affair with the city of Spartangrad will continue, against the lowest ranked nation left in the tournament. But Hispinas advanced having topped a group that included the always dangerous Graintfjall and tournament veterans Darmen. And they kindly knocked over a Sargossan bogey team in the form of Astograth in the last sixteen.

Talking of bogey teams. Should Sargossa advance past Hispinas they will be faced with a semi-final against either Mytanija or Nephara. If you asked a typical Sargossan fan to name the two nations they’d prefer to skip in any given international tournament the answer would quite probably be Mytanija and Nephara. Choosing between the two is akin to making the choice whether to be shot or stabbed. It would be simply wonderful if they could contrive to find some way to eliminate each other. But to look at a potential semi-final is to overlook Hispinas which would be very dangerous indeed. Any hint of complacency and Alfonzo Medrano and his charges will surely pounce.

by **Nephara** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:47 pm

Nephara 2 - 0 Graintfjall
(4-4-2) 1 - Provost; 2 - Stride, 5 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon (19 - Lockwood 63'), 3 - Muscadin; 7 - Koerner (23 - Mrdja 78'), 4 - Timekeeper, 8 - Cromwell, 11 - Considine; 21 - Basilisk (9 - Gjasula 56'), 10 - Lovelace
Goals: Lovelace 19', Considine 33'

Trust Nepharim to play up to the role of the heel.
If it wasn't the players, it was the fans. Some beer company back home had done a promotional of handing out cuddly complementary kraken plushes to the entire active support group, with bells on their ... face tentacle things. Innocent 'cuddlefish' branding or not, this was a fairly obvious attack of the #bantz.
Slightly more annoying for everyone involved was the "WE WANT SEVEN" chant that reverberated around the stands from the second minute onwards. The first shot of the game - Koerner sending a ball high, wide and absolutely nowhere near threatening - was apparently enough to remind everyone of Last Time.
This was not going to be like Last Time. Last Time was a bizarrely free-wheeling version of Nephara, Nephara playing the same way other international sides did. The 7-2 win over Graintfjall had been sandwiched by a 5-5 draw with Mavinet, and then a 4-3 win over Eura and 5-4 win over Cassadaigua. It was Danielle Strauss encouraging the lads to have a bit of fun. A bit too much fun, perhaps; reining it in across qualifying lead to disaster.
Triffid Ramsey wasn't about that game, though. Her side had tightened up at the back, and racked up clean sheet after clean sheet, much to Aranea Provost's delight between the sticks. If you had to have one resolutely self-centred player in the squad, let it be a goalkeeper; their fortunes rose or fell with the team's, and there was no way to glister one's own fortune at the other's expense.
It was fairly clear that damage control was high on the Graintfjaller agenda, too. Kauko, latest to sup of the poisoned chalice that was the #1 jersey, sweated between the posts, but acquitted himself well early with a spry double save, denying Kendra Considine then leaping to stop Basilisk driving home the rebound. Kalle Bjornsson was an unavoidable presence in holding midfield, near-blocking out the Sun. And sixteen minutes in, Jason should have put the Snow Wolves ahead. Prolific in WCC tournaments, but traditionally invisible in the regionals, the trend continued when a ball bounced unpredictably, Reniira Clevinger balked and the ball fell favourably for the big striker to... shoot straight at Provost.
They'd be made to pay for this.
Konrad Lovelace would make them pay it. No Cormorant had scored more than his two at the last World Cup, but he crisply and confidently drove home his third of the tournament scant minutes later, a clever passing move down the left culmianting in a cutback from Vivica Muscadin finding him unmarked on the corner of the area. Cromwell should have made it two shortly afterwards, snapping into a tackle to dispossess the Goliath, Kalle, and getting to his feet to drive into the box. Another Muscadin cutback, a little too far back and not quite enough cut, and Cromwell spooned it over.
The rest of the first half was Nephara's. Half an hour of their stiletto hovering above Graintfjall's Adam's apple. It took Considine to punch it through, and Timekeeper to find her, letting her rip a vicious strike through Kauko's fingers and past his near post, leaving the 'keeper sprawling and the defence stunned.
Kauko more than made up for the lapse by the end of the half. A fine save from a swerving Koerner free kick was followed up by a spectacular save from a point-blank Basilisk header, before a little moment of karma made Astograth fans smile when, in mutual search of a cross, Kauko fell on Konrad Lovelace. Nepharim are a tall, broad, robust folk on the whole, but they aren't BFGs, and Lovelace came off worse for the experience.

The fans continued to want seven; they'd be left disappointed. The second half was tight, neither side wanting to give too much away. Few saves needed to be made, as the battle was mostly stalemated in the centre of the park. Rook Timekeeper excelled throughout, fighting Nephara's corner, outnumbered and certainly outmuscled, but able to play his way out of trouble time and again - not to mention the assist. It says a lot that the man of the matc hwas a defensive midfielder, both about his ability to catch the eye and Graintfjall's to test him.
The penultimate kick of the game was a piledriver from Jade Miansdottir, thundering off the crossbar, leaving Provost without a chance. But it bounced down and out, and Gabriel Lockheed was able to hook the ball to halfway; 2-0 it would end, which felt about right. The Nepharim would insist they dominated, which would be correct if you were under the impression that a game of football began in the 17th minute and ended at half-time, but it was a positive step. At this rate, the next meeting would end with the Snow Wolves winning -2 to -3.
Mytanija loomed as the next test. Fejzuli and Ocokoljic loomed on their team-sheet, players who had come and conquered the country. Nepharim and Mytenars were in many ways kindred spirits. Both highly competitive, probably to a fault. The moment the draw was confirmed, referees began planning to drop out sick, or tactically marry off cousins in order to create conflicts of interest. Nobody was going to want to be in the middle of this, and the cameras were going to have their work cut out even seeing the action through the pyro smoke on both sides.
So a fun tie, then. Tense, tight, tricky to navigate. Whoever got to the last four would well and truly deserve the berth.

by **Cassadaigua** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:00 am

No Surprises: Sweeney Moving On,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Early this morning, there was big news out of the Royal Palace, as Queen Cassie II made her decision in determining the next President of the Cassadagan Association for Soccer Excellence (CASE). That person will be long time World Cup manager Stephanie Sweeney, in news that is not going to surprise anyone. When pretty much everyone sees you as the favorite for the position, there is no need to have to convince people after the decision was made that you did indeed make the right call. Congratulations go out to Sweeney on this remarkable accomplishment!

Sweeney was one of three finalists that were chosen by a committee who provided their findings to the Queen for her to make the decision. In a statement, the Queen said of the decision, “Stephanie has done an amazing job getting the national team back on track, qualifying for the World Cup in just our second time after we returned for a lengthy hiatus, and getting us to the semifinals on two occasions. She has been able to take the talent that we have in this nation and get the most of them. Stephanie has grown with our national program, beginning in World Cup 78, and carrying that into 87. In that time, she has developed great women and men who have become excellent professionals, with some moving into coaching themselves. That is a trend that I expect to continue as more players consider their options when their careers ultimately end on the pitch. In deciding who was the best person to take on the lead role at CASE, her experience reigned supreme over all other factors. I wish Sweeney the best, and hope that we continue to move forward under her leadership.”

Stephanie Sweeney is 63, and clearly ambitious to take on this role as the head of CASE. This is different for her, because while she will have all of the on-field knowledge of the international team that you would want, CASE is also in charge of all things domestic soccer. Sweeney has not had any role within the Cassadagan Soccer League, and that has likely helped her with the international team. Now, in an off season where Cassadagan clubs have entered the transfer window at a level in which we have never seen before, and a large influx of overseas players (with varying levels of talent) are expected. We are also seeing some leave Cassadaigua, but for the moment, quantity wise, more is coming in than going out. (We will discuss the quality of what is coming in at a better time). Sweeney will need to manage that, so it is a little different. It is expected that most, if not all, of Taylor Connolly’s Vice Presidents will be back, so they will be able to help out Sweeney in that regard, but as this is a first (at this level), those Vice Presidents don’t have a lot of experience with it either.

Now, naturally, people are going to wonder: is there a job opening for a manager for Team Cassadaigua in the World Cup? Stephanie Sweeney taking on the role at CASE means that for the first time since we returned from our hiatus, CASE will be looking for a new manager, and the first major decision that Sweeney will make will be who replaces her. That’s a statement that may make foreign managers start looking for the right email addresses to send their applications, too, and while I think if a top level foreign candidate expressed their interest right now, they would be considered, Sweeney may look to keep it in house. This is very debatable, though, since we did win World Cups 50 and 51 with a foreign manager, the only time we have ever had one. We won World Baseball Classic 50 with a foreign manager, so while a different sport, it can certainly be something considered if the right person comes along. The right person may be Brittany Byers, who is doing a great job right now in the Copa Rushmori. Hannah Shanley is considered another candidate.

Brittany Byers, who is getting the team prepared for a big game in Bastion against the host nation, Eura. Some have been mentioning that this is an opportunity for “payback” on Eura, since they eliminated us in the Round of 16 of World Cup 84 in Concord Heights. So the, “yeah, it happened seven years ago, but we still remember, and if you’re going to knock us out early in our big stadium, let us do the same in yours,” frame of mind is being posted on social media. Coach Byers is not concerned about that, though, and knows that this is a big match for the club, especially when Cassadaigua has not had much success against Eura. Eura and Nephara are exhibit A and B as to why we have never played for a Copa Rushmori title. Byers has not been addressing questions about her role with the senior team going forward and if she expects to be Sweeney’s successor. Unfortunately, other news outlets have been trying to ask her those distracting questions, but we have not here at the Concord Heights Times. Byers will certainly be interviewed for the position when she returns from the Copa Rushmori, and she knows that if she brings up a championship trophy, it will make Sweeney’s decision easier.

* OOC- If there are any top-flight international candidates that are interested in the Team Cassadaigua job and being our World Cup manager, send me their application via TG or via DM on discord (preferred). Please, please, note that CASE would only consider international candidates who have had significant World Cup experience (in the Proper, not just in qualifying) as a manager over what is available in Cassadaigua, such as Byers. This is not an opening for an up and coming manager.

by **Hispinas** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:49 am

Hispinas 2–0 Astograth
Copa Rushmori 37 - The Oak House, Oakstone, Eura
HSP Scorers: Peppi Palmero (2'), Ozeano Amunategui (19')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Igon Murguiondo (▮ 42') ▼ (▲ Chicho Mondragon 51'), Chequil Puma (▮ 82'), Casimiro Coro, Chara Grullon ▼ (▲ Florita Carrion 86'), Trinidad Quevedo (▮ 77'), Cordovan Chia, Salomon Duran, Gorka Uralde (▮ 45+2'), Peppi Palmero, Ozeano Amunategui ▼ (▲ Carmelita Grimaldo 88')

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Hispinas' PREMIER sports magazine!

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Golden Sealions book a ticket to face Corsairs of Sargossa at Spartangrad

OAKSTONE, EURA - The Golden Sealions have exceeded expectations anew after a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign, that may rescue Alfonzo Medrano's job as Hispinas manager.

Understood by the Hispino press to be under pressure to perform up to expectations in this edition of the Copa Rushmori, the national football team not only won Group G, but advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight season after Natalio Londono produced one of the performances of the tournament as he threw his body and spirit to the Olibondeka offensive from Astograth to keep his third clean sheet of the tournament, and give Hispinas a 2-0 win over their storied Rushmori opponents.

Hispinas had a blitzing start to the match when Royal Mandrid forward Peppi Palmero intercepted a weak pass from Baraxil Muhaburu which enabled her to do a solo run to the goal at just the second minute of the match, which ended up with the left winger getting around Astograthian keeper Gentxa Bedigax and poach a shot into the back of the net to give the players clad in orange kits the lead. Despite scoring the early goal, the Group G winners did not let up their relentless attack to the Olibondeka defense, and seventeen minutes later, they doubled the advantage when Ozeano Amunategui's head reached the highest to Hispinas' indirect free kick, with his header going past Bedigax who gave his all to parry the shot away, but his effort was not enough to put the ball over the bar.

The Terranean nation tried to add a third to pile up on their lead, but their opponents regrouped and kept the Hispinas offense on check, with the FC Felsenkirchen 1879 keeper making crucial saves and interceptions to maintain the scoreline, with occasional offense being dealt with by the keeper on the other side of the pitch. Astograth's offense started to pick up just before half time, and this caused Hispinas to activate their physical game, with Igor Murguiondo lucky to have remained on the field in the 42nd minute on what looked like a harsh foul on Olentzaro Karazatorre just outside of the box. The ensuing free kick by Azeari Duarte required Londono to fully extend his arms as the goalbound shot was parried into the left-hand post and out of the playing field for a corner. The first half finished with Hispinas leading 2-0.

They were on the back foot however the entirety of the second half, with a more determined Olibondeka squad looking to mount a comeback, and Karazatorre nearly opened the scoring for Astograth, as he was left wide open by Casimiro Coro in the 52nd minute, but Londono was very quick on the defense and challenged the KT Moreazerua forward and forced him to make a mistake in which his shot hit the woodwork and the ball luckily fell for the Cebuenas native to collect. Londono would make five more saves later on the match to keep their opponents scoreless, and on the last minute of added time, made a fine save from substitute Yokin Arana to seal his third clean sheet and allow Hispinas to progress to the quarterfinals in Spartangrad's Olympic Stadium against Sargossa, who progressed after beating Crystalline Caverns.

Medrano relishes the chance for the Hispinos to make their first semifinal appearance, but concedes that his squad should pull all the stops to beat the Corsairs and their attacking mentality. "We would want to make the semifinals for the first time, but we should keep ourselves in our feet and avoid any complacency this time. We want to show the world that we can be the best at what we do."

by **Eura** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:44 pm

OOC: To reiterate, this is a continuation of a previous RP line, and is currently set during WC87/CoH79/Euraleague S46. Therefore, other users RPs should not suggest this is a currently developing story or set of events.

Life in the Seventh Star

Part Twenty-One

In the week that had passed since the Aspel shootings the Euran government had done its level best to regain control of the situation. Prime Minister Yarley was determined not to allow this “incident” to become a moment of weakness; better to be hated but feared than tolerated but soft, she figured. The OSI and the apparatus of the security services, in conjunction with the military and the Provisional Government, had spent days aggressively launching raids across the former Sameba to detain Sameban nationalists even remotely linked to potential subversion or violence. Every piece of intelligence, no matter how thin, had been called in to action. The city of Aspel itself was under a military lockdown with a 10pm curfew for the entire civilian population except for key workers and other special cases. Preparations for local elections in two months’ time were suspended. And behind closed doors, the Ministry of Sport – knowing the Copa Rushmori was less than six months away – was quietly reassuring other Rushmori governments that the show would go on, and this would all blow over.

On the other hand, Yarley’s administration was also making low-key inroads into what exactly had gone wrong that night, and was considering how best to restore the faith of Samebans in the Euran government, and how the “war winner” Yarley could punish the military she had so frequently praised. No matter how cold blooded she and some of her closest allies could be, they were not so detached from reality as to think that a democracy can (or should) gun down its innocent citizens with no consequences. The initial show of strength was to lay the ground for later reconciliation rather than undermine it; the government would spend a short period going in hard on any lead it had on the insurgency, then when the time was right, admit what it had got wrong, make any apologies needed and spend a lot of money to resolve it. What was left of the Dellaro was safe for now as well.

Even the best laid plans, though, can be derailed, and this was not a strategy that had much planning behind it – for once, Yarley was on the back foot, reeling from her miscalculation as to how this would play internationally and domestically and scrambling to come up with a coherent response. More importantly she was feeling the heat internally despite the resignation of her Minister of Defence, a move that was supposed to have drawn a line under the matter in the Liberal Party. Not everyone agreed. Cabinet allies had been vocally supportive and other members at least not yet critical, but some whispering voices on the backbenches were suggesting that a public inquiry would be inevitable, and that at some point the government would have to make a grovelling apology for such a grossly disproportionate use of force. For them, this had echoes of Askoy, a crisis that had destroyed the Capital Party. A similar issue might consume theirs.

Their words were not certain to be backed with action. A handful of junior ministers had even orchestrated a joint resignation just hours before Yarley took to the stage at the Euran Mineworkers Union national conference, an important event in the calendar for any Euran Liberal trying to keep the centre-left Social Party at bay. As she took to the stage, this was more distraction than disaster, something that would come and go by the same time tomorrow. So Yarley simply put it out of her mind and got on with what she was good at once she was introduced. ‘Members of the EMU, please welcome to the stage a very special guest, the Prime Minister.’ To a cacophony of applause, she started talking. It was not the longest speech Yarley had made, but it had all the strengths of her very best rhetoric, from the patient but lethal deconstructions of her opponents to carefully drawing poignant links between any given area of politics and her overall vision.

Her peroration invoked the words of a foundational Euran trade unionist, John Pollard. ‘For the worker to have power, they must become the employer, and the state the employee. Well, this government has consistently worked for the workers. We have protected jobs through hard times, created them through membership of the Common Rushmori Community, lifted the minimum wage to record high levels, and provided continued investment as part of the peace dividend of the past five years. This is just the start, and we look forward to going further with your voices behind us. Thank you.’ An ovation greeted the end Yarley’s speech, putting a rare smile on her face. Even the hardest of cynics could have their moments of pride. Approaching her to the right of the stage was one of her special advisors, carrying news that would most definitely ruin the moment with a panicked look on his face.

Shit, Yarley thought. This isn’t going to be good. She discreetly signalled to the advisor to come to her as she stepped away from the podium, before any dignitaries or audience members could get close to her for questions. ‘What is it?’ He leaned in to speak in to her ear as the din continued from the audience.
‘Ma’am, I’m not quite sure how to put this but-’
‘Just spit it out.’
‘Four of the cabinet have walked.’ Yarley’s heart skipped a beat but not in a good way. ‘Pardon me?’ The advisor tried his best to repeat himself without speaking so loudly that the reporters and trade unionists close by might hear. ‘Peterson, Reed, Moore, Cowley. The editor of the Directus Post has just texted me saying they know and are planning to run it before you get their letters.’ With a smile on her face Yarley turned to walk off stage as if nothing had happened, politely waving to audience members and directing her press officer to redirect any questions.

Once she was out of view, Yarley stumbled and had to grab on to a ledge to keep herself up. She felt light-headed and was overheating, like she was going through some kind of hot flush. The advisor had followed her and seen it all. ‘Ma’am, you should sit down. Let me get you some water.’
‘No, stop. I’m fine. Just give me a minute.’
All along since the election she had known there would eventually be an attempt to oust her. When a party is in power for too long in a democracy, there is always a restless sense that if the government won’t change, the face of it must, and the Liberal Party was full of ambitious people who felt that face could or should be them. She could forgive ambition, especially the ruthless kind. How else had she worked her way into this position in the first place? What Yarley could not forgive was incompetence and self-indulgence. The government was just about extracting itself from a crisis. Public opinion was only just on their side. Yet these idiots were choosing now to try and take her down. There had to be a ringleader. Fortunately, she already knew exactly who it would be.

----------

‘Enter.’
The Foreign Secretary, Ian Smith, walked into the Prime Minister’s office with all the swagger of someone who believed it to be theirs. It soon might be. ‘Amy, good to see you. How were the miners?’
‘Sit down, Ian.’
‘How very terse,’ he sneered ‘for someone in need of friends.’
‘Ian, there hasn’t been a case of an elected politician murdering another elected politician in this nation’s modern history. But if you do not sit your arse in that chair, I’m going to break from that tradition very rapidly. Preferably with this fucking table as the weapon. Sit. Down.’ Smith considered defying her further but, like a naughty schoolchild, accepted the need to take a seat and receive a verbal dressing down.
‘First of all, who the fuck do you think you are?’
‘The Foreign Secretary of Eura. And you?’ Once again, he couldn’t help himself. Yarley stiffened up in her seat.

‘Don’t play dumb with me, Ian. I know what you have done and you know it. We’ve lost four people today.’
‘Five, actually.’ He slid his phone across the desk with his email inbox wide open. Amy picked it up and stared dead eyed at the screen. ‘Jones…’
‘Yeah. So that’s Energy, Industry, Education, Equalities, and now the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs. Its political fucking jenga, Amy.’
‘It’s the sound of careers ending, that’s what it is.’ Amy turned away from him and stared out of the window, seething with anger. ‘Why are you doing it now? At such a sensitive time for us, the party, for the government?’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking abo-‘
‘Drop the act you fucking twat!’ Smith was, for once, silenced. The Prime Minister did not scream and shout. Even when she lost her cool it was somehow moderated. Something had changed.

Smith had an epiphany in the moment. The “something” was that Yarley was losing, for the first time in years upon years. More than that, she was in active retreat. ‘I can only infer that you’re suggesting I’m behind all of this.’
‘That’s it, congratulations. Have a bloody gold star.’
He shuffled in his chair as if he were too excited from all of this to contain himself. ‘Amy, look, the fact is this is a crisis even if we run around pretending it isn’t. Now we’ve exhausted all the “law and order” heavy handed options to distract people, it’s becoming clear that the papers aren’t going to leave this alone. The peace in Sameba is potentially at stake here.’
‘The Minister of Defence his gone. It was his responsibility. You backed me on that decision. You backed me on the Dellaro, as much as you seem to have forgotten that little fact.’
‘Ah now, hold on, that’s not quite true. I backed the idea of getting rid of the stadium. But I did caution as to how wise it would be to try and do it so quickly.’ He shrugged as he picked up the bottle of wine on her desk and poured himself a glass. ‘In fact Amy, I wasn’t the only one who voiced those concerns.’
‘Oh yeah? Who.’
‘Now that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?’

Yarley ran out of patience. She could not withhold her contempt for the man anymore. ‘Let’s cut to the chase, Ian. You have picked an awful time to launch your ego project of a leadership challenge. It is completely destructive and selfish. When I am done dealing with you, and I will deal with you, it will be the end of your role in this government and this party. I’ll make sure you never get near high office again. You’ll be filing papers in party HQ you fucking snake.’
‘I won’t deny it Amy, I do have ambitions to fulfil, and this seems like the right time for it. But here’s the thing…’ He rose to his feet, pushing the half-used glass of wine back in her direction, as if to offer it to her as a consolation. ‘The thing is, it’s not just about my desires. This government is developing big, enormous cracks Amy, right down to its foundations. We’ve been in office for too long. A complete revamp is needed – new people and ideas, branding, the lot. We need to move on from everything that has defined us; the war, the first phase of the CRC argument, integrating Sameba, all of it! And truthfully Amy, after this debacle in Aspel? A lot of people in this party have realised that begins with getting rid of the figurehead of post-war Euran Liberalism. You.’
She shook her head and turned away from him. ‘Just get out.’
‘Call in the parliamentary party tomorrow Amy, and we’ll see who is right. I’d get ready to be delivering another speech though. Maybe from this desk, for the cameras.’ Smith left with the same confidence that he entered. Yarley stewed, working out what to do to get out of this one.

by **Eura** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:48 pm

CUTOFF FOR THE QUARTER FINALS.

----------

EURA37

Quarter Finals - Results

Cassadaigua 0-0 (0-0 AET, 3-1 PKs) Eura
at Bastion Arena (Bastion, 110,000)
Scorinated by Mriin, who is dead to me

Pasarga 1-2 Savojarna
at Troutbridge (Ulsa, 97,460)

Sargossa 1-3 Hispinas
at Olympic Stadium (Spartangrad, 104,773)

Mytanija 0-2 Nephara
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

Semi Finals - Draw

Cassadaigua vs Savojarna
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

Hispinas vs Nephara
at Castle Road (Directus, 95,000)

by **Nephara** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:47 am

Mytanija 0 - 2 Nephara
(4-4-2) 1 - Provost; 18 - Soeringer, 5 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon, 3 - Muscadin (22 - Lind 80'); 7 - Koerner, 15 - Horvath (4 - Timekeeper 74'), 8 - Cromwell, 11 - Considine (13 - Belgrade 61'); 21 - Basilisk, 10 - Lovelace
Goals: Basilisk 39', Koerner 53'

All Latona Basilisk needed, see, was her chance.
Every other striker in the squad had scored by now. Konrad Lovelace had three. Even Mrdja had one, and she wasn't even playing as a striker at the time. Could it be--
Her phone blooped. She flicked it open, frowned. Her agent had forwarded onto her the prospective models for her clothing brand's inaugural shoot. She cocked her head.

are they hot

Konrad is typing ...

Her agent, not Lovelace. There were just only so many given names to go around in Nephara, even with options like 'Chimera', 'Reniira' and 'Traudl' on the menu.
Opening a clothing label wasn't so hard as she'd figured, really. Some bohemian from Cranequin invited her to her dank little studio, smiled, made tea, and grilled her about concepts. Basilisk had said something like, "Oh, yeah, I want bad-arse and deshabille and tigers and cool," and she nodded and got to sketching. Christ, if she thought about it much more she'd just dwell again on how much money passed hands for uncertain benefit.
What happened on the occasion was clothing that looked pretty good, in a crisp and faintly generic kind of way - the occasional flair set things out, a hawk feather in one representing war's triumph over peace, that kind of tidy symbolism - but they were basically--

Yeah i'd say so.

Great, thanks Konrad, and yeah Basilisk would say they basically looked normal. Which was fine. They were hers, and worst-case scenario she could probably just grab 'em back at the end if she bombed.
There was one issue: it happened at the same time as the Copa Rushmori quarterfinal.
God, her Nepharan blood told her precisely which was a side-hobby to fuck around with, and which was punishable by death for poor performance.

Rolling into half-time, Basilisk was left to reflect on death.
She'd not played poorly. None of the Cormorants had. But there was a massive gab between playing well and, well... winning. She'd hammered a shot against the crossbar with what she'd continue to refer to as a 'clever flick', but what was inarguably one of her first touches, Soeringer's flying challenge taking the ball to Koerner, who simply crossed to find Basilisk weaving inside at the 'keeper's near post. Still.... she needed that goal, and together they needed the catharsis for the last time the two had met.
The chance came in the 12th minute. And went, too. The goal gaping, after yet another ball between the lines. Entire goal to aim at with her first touch, but she opted for placement more than power in the spur of the moment, and toe-bashed the ball side. Oops.
All along, something was niggling. Something that could really elevate their fashion brand to one of the relatively big names in Nephara. She needed something with the requisite confident sneer of the Nepharan conquerers. Something that covered...
... oh, hello.
The ball was a good one, and courtesy of Lovelace, a figure being pushed to the fringes by the expert jockeying of Srdan Vukovic had been, and would continue to be, all over him like a bad hair piece. Nevertheless, he dug out the pass, and Basilisk slunk off Savicevic's shadow and slipped in on him, one-on-one.
Out came Kasun, probably remembering the times he'd nipped the ball out from under Basilisk's lead foot. A couple of times before he'd denid her from just such chances, and this felt from the same cloth, particularly after another agonisingly heavy touch from Basillisk. The striker barely had time to grimace... and then realised something. That the ball was slowing neatly to fall into place on her second stride.
She shaped. She looked at Kasun with The Eyes. The Yes told Kasun: death was imminent. Here came the marchers yet again, to scorched-earth their way through the continent, fighting for the hell of it and demanding a fat fee at the end.
The Eyes.
Sunglasses. Designer sunglasses. If she could get the world out to her agent by half-time...
... clip! Ball over Kasun, ball in the back of the net...
... well, she'd be back in business, wouldn't she?

This brought to you by my microsleeps, which kept dotting my writing of the story and facilitated a number of small but crippling forgetting of minor details. I don't remember writing this sentence, and somehow 'Ohio' was briefly name-dropped at some point, and the sentence 'Intended or not, legal or not, it was funny, which was the important thing.' which does not make any sense in context and I have no idea what it refers to.

.. God I'm tired.

by **Cassadaigua** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:09 am

Fillies win on penalties,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Cassadagan fans, and many of us in the media have a long memory. In World Cup 84, Eura eliminated Cassadaigua at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights, as you all know. That was seven years ago, but it was not lost on the fans and the media that we would have the opportunity to bounce Eura in the quarterfinals from the competition that they were hosting. This was the hot topic on social media within the Matriarchy, but many of the players were not really concerned about World Cup 84. There are a total of six players on the Copa Rushmori roster (there would be more, but some opt outs lowered that number) who played in World Cup 84, and the captain, Meghan Wolcott was one of them. For her, it was her first World Cup. “I didn’t really think about it until you guys (the media) reminded me about it,” Wolcott said with a smile, “so much has happened since then, we have played so many more games since then, and really I believe many of us consider Nephara that nemesis now, not Eura. But for the fans, yeah, I get why they would get excited about that. It’s fun for them, and if I were only a fan, it would be fun for me too. For us, though, the focus is on beating an outstanding soccer team.”

Up to this point, the Cassadagan soccer team has been treated with a high level of respect from the Euran faithful, and everyone who has made the trip have said that other than dealing with the traffic, they have enjoyed their stay. Players, fans, and media have been able to set up shop in Troutbridge for most of the competition, so the neutrals here have gotten used to seeing us. Either they adopted us as a team they would root for since we were playing so many games here, or they chose to root against for the same reason, it was a great experience. For the match against the home nation, it would be time to head to the spacious Bastion Arena in Bastion, and this time there would not be any neutrals. Sure, some Cassadagans were in the crowd, but the sea of blue at the stadium would drown any of them out.

Even though I was here to root for, and cover, the visiting team, I truly loved the experience here at Bastion Arena. The fans were highly vocal, looking to lead on their team with all of the chants that they are famous for, and that’s the kind of experience that I enjoy the most, the ones where the fans focus on rooting for their team, instead of jeering the visitors. They knew that it would be tough to beat Cassadaigua, we’re not some up and coming nation that was heading into Bastion looking for upset. They also knew that there is not really a rivalry between the sides. For them, they won the game in Concord Heights, and seven years later, they probably hardly remember it now. They also won the last game that we played head to head, which was in Copa Rushmori 34, bouncing us from the knockouts there as well. Both games were hard fought, so no animosity would come on their side. All these fans wanted was a Copa Rushmori title, to do so on home turf, to help overcome the bad feelings of their failure to qualify for World Cup 87. They did well in Cup of Harmony 79, making it all the way to the final. And they know where the game was played, and perhaps many of them made the trip west for the game (it’s not really that long of a trip between the nations, all things considered). That was their last memory of Cassadaigua.

Those of us who want to see goals would have been disappointed by the 90, and then 120 minutes of soccer that were played. Those of us who do not need to have managers employ high offensive tactics in order to spark our interest would have truly appreciated what happened in the game. No, there weren’t goals, and yes, alot of the game was played in the midfield, but down in the heat of battle you could sense how high the intensity level was. Back and forth, teams were trying to make things happen, and at times, they would break through and get a great chance. Though in most cases, the defense was up to the task, maintaining their positioning to perfection and keeping those chances to a minimum. When they happened, the goalkeepers were up to the task, but neither Danielle Cotter nor Kevin Belgrave got a ton of work in terms of needing to make challenging saves. There was no let up in the encouragement that the fans tried to give their side, and after 120 minutes, no goals were scored. Penalty kicks, something that has been a bit of a nemesis to the Fillies recently, would be the way that the game gets decided. Now, Cotter and Belgrave would be the center of attention. Neither had to do a whole lot before. Now, they would have to do almost everything to secure a win.

Madison McClain would take the first shot for Cassadaigua. She had been contained throughout this game, and did not have a shot on target for the game, and that is a credit to the Euran defense. She’d go high and left, and while Belgrave read the opportunity well, the ball was just out of the reach of his extended hand. Loreen Hazen was next, a player who has not really had this kind of pressure packed situation at the international level. Hazen would nail the shot. This brought up Morgan Rosenblatt, the budding superstar for AFC Treason in Nephara getting a chance and she would execute the shot perfectly. Ultimately, penalties would go down 3-1 in favor of Cassadaigua, as they survive Eura and head to the semifinals against Savojarna. After the game, the players had more of a sense of relief than of jubilation and seemingly out of respect for their opponent, waited until they were in the locker room to begin celebrating more.

Cassadagans that attended the game seemed to mostly compliment the Euran faithful on the hospitality at Bastion Arena. There’s more soccer to be played, and Savojarna is a very strong opponent. (By the way, we’re also playing Savojarna in a critical group stage match in the World Cup of Hockey, I love it when that happens!) The other semifinal is Nephara against Hispinas. Don’t sleep on Hispinas, but if we were to win against Savojarna, I know all of us (ok, most of us) want another crack at Nephara even if they would be the tougher matchup.

by **Eura** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:40 pm

CUTOFF FOR THE SEMI FINALS.

----------

EURA37

Semi Finals - Results

Cassadaigua 2-1 Savojarna
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

Hispinas 0-3 Nephara
at Castle Road (Directus, 95,000)

Third Place Playoff - Draw

Savojarna vs Hispinas
at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Brigham, 107,000)

The Final - Draw

Cassadaigua vs Nephara
at Bastion Arena (Bastion, 110,000)

by **Nephara** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:24 am

Hispanas 0 - 3 Nephara
(4-4-2) 1 - Provost; 18 - Soeringer, 5 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon, 3 - Muscadin; 7 - Koerner (23 - Mrdja 58'), 15 - Horvath (4 - Timekeeper 79'), 17 - Mueller, 11 - Considine; 21 - Basilisk, 10 - Lovelace (16 - North 66')
Goals: Lovelace 29', Considine 36', Mueller 61'

THE HERALD
CORMORANTS ENTER BASTION WITH AURA OF INVINCIBILITY
Leonora Fischer

Nine years ago, the papers were calling for Daniella Strauss' head. Nephara had just suffered the worst World Cup showing in their entire history; a respectable enough point against Zwangzug, before losing a 4-3 slugfest to Sargossa and finally being thoroughly Dragonflied in a 1-0 defeat to Ko-oren. Her position seemed for all the world untenable.

Strauss kept her job. The next year, she would guide her side to a more or less respectable showing in the Copa Rushmori. Meeting Ko-oren again in the knockout rounds, this time they were able to draw them out, play a little more aggressively. It finished 4-4 after 120 minutes; Ko-oren still won.

The Cormorants felt like a losing brand. Polls at the time reflected a Nepharan populace jaded with the chronic underperformance of players embedded at some of the world's best clubs, of probably the single nation with the most reach across the world in terms of its playing base, of a regional behemoth with a history of success.

The situation has changed since then.

The Run
World Cup 84: Third
Copa Rushmori 34: Third
World Cup 85: Runners-up
Copa Rushmori 35: Champions
World Cup 86: Runners-up
Copa Rushmori 36: Champions
World Cup 87: Champions
Copa Rushmori 37: Finalists

Inevitably, the dam burst at the expense of... yes, Ko-oren. Along the way, a rivalry was kindled with Savojarna, another side entering something of a golden age and with room still to grow. But even after winning the whole song and dance - and adding a fourth star to that tri-star crest - Triffid Ramsey's shown she has no intention of backing down. 20 games into her tenure, she has yet to lose a match. The final is set to be lucky 21.

Opinion has vindicated both managers involved. Strauss, despite her resignation as Nephara threatened to fail to qualify for the big dance, can probably secure any gig in the world at the moment, and a recent poll of all Nephara's managers - excluding Ramsey - put her second, just behind, well, the other Ramsey.

If this keeps up, Gethin will become 'the other Ramsey'. For some opaque reason, a recent poll threw punters the chance of three preferred Margraves; the incumbent Ulrica Lindt, the opposition's Alban Parker, or (presumably, independent) Triffid Ramsey. Ramsey took 26% of the vote. Obviously, many of the voters were taking the piss, but at least one put forward an impassioned argument that with her abilities in man-management, she could 'solve Sameba'.

So say the quantitative data. To our domestic readership, look within for the qualitative. This is a side it's easy to feel proud of, to feel glad they represent us. This is the strongest ambassador we have on the foreign stage. People see those Cormorants and they see Nepharan strength and solidarity, Nepharan excellence, a people at the forefront of modern society that were decried as a backwater a century ago.

And much has changed since then, of course. We've changed the nation's name, twice changed the flag, joined the CRC, fought two international wars. But the Cormorants have always been our most global, well-known and complete display of soft power. Doesn't it feel good to have them in our corner, in these uncertain times?

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:28 am

Cassadaigua-Nephara, Act IV, (WC 86 and on)
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Act I: (World Cup 86 Proper, Group Stage)- Both teams were 2-0-0 heading into the match, so the game was for the group title with the knowledge that each was heading into the knockouts. - Cassadaigua 1–3 Nephara

Act II: (World Cup 86, Semifinals)- Nephara 3–3 Cassadaigua (5–4 AET)

Act III: (Copa Rushmori 36, Semifinals)- Cassadaigua 4–4 Nephara (4–5 AET)

When the games have mattered most, they have been intense and close. In the last two meetings, there would have been no winner after 90 minutes. However, there was a winner, and that winner has continued to be the same during the first three times of us recently being common opponents. For the longest time, it seemed like Cassadaigua and Nephara were able to avoid one another more often than not, but lately, the two sides can’t get away from one another. If you’re Nephara, you’re not going to worry all that much about it, because you keep winning the games. If you’re Cassadaigua, this is that opponent that continues to be your nemesis. Before the recent stretch of seeing Nephara so often, we would have called Eura that nemesis. Well, we knocked them out, and it would be a nice ending for us, if we could win the championship, on Euran soil, against Nephara. Not to mention, the Cormorants are the reigning World Cup champion, so even if they did win this game, they can still look at that beautiful and shiny World Cup trophy sitting in their possession right now.

There are some significant faces that will not be on the sideline for this game. For Nephara, their former coach, Daniella Strauss will not be there, since she resigned during the qualifying campaign, for the Fillies, Rachel Schanke is not there, as she decided to opt out of the competition (for personal reasons). For Cassadaigua, Brittany Byers was the manager of the Copa Rushmori 36 effort, as Stephanie Sweeney decided to focus on the youth teams instead, since she said she was comfortable with where the senior team stood. Now, Byers is back, and Sweeney is the President of CASE. It is expected that Byers will formally be named the long term manager of the senior team when the team returns to Cassadaigua. This will be regardless of winning or losing against Nephara, but it would help any salary negotiation if Byers brought back the Copa Rushmori trophy to Concord Heights. It’d be the first time we won the region’s premier soccer competition.

Byers says that she has been talking to Sweeney, but in her words, “We have been talking quite a bit over the last few days. She has congratulated me on getting the team this far, although that is a credit to the players as they are the ones executing to a very high level out there on the pitch. I congratulated her on being named the new CASE President too. I don’t know how anyone else could have got that job. When you ask me about officially being the World Cup honor, first of all, that is an incredible honor for anyone. We have talked about it, yes. Right now, my focus is on this team, right here and now, and no one would know that better than Stephanie.”

Cassadaigua got to this final against Nephara by knocking off Savojarna, 2-1 at Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium in Brigham. It was one of the two big wins that the Fillies had over teams from Savojarna that evening, but this one was the more exciting one, for sure. Savojarna played a good defensive system, focusing a lot on our midfield playmakers, Meghan Wolcott and Morgan Rosenblatt. This was very effective for a while, but Byers and company were able to make the necessary adjustments on the fly, utilizing Preston Newfeld a lot more. In the 39th, he would make a great rush along the right wing, and got around the defense before putting his shot on the net. Pakanen made the save, but could not control it, and Madison McClain got the rebound first, and finished it off for the 1-0 lead. In the second half, Summer Speers, who recently announced that she will be moving on to Chromatika next season (playing for Felswyr), showed that she can get a goal every now and then at home, but here it would be her first at the international level, getting it in the 65th, to make it 2-0. It’s a good thing she did, because Savojarna responded very quickly (Simon Jacobsen in the 68th), to cut the lead to one, once again. The final minutes were intense and enough to make everyone nervous, but in the end, all the goals in the game had been scored, allowing Cassadaigua to prevail.

So, now we move on. Will the fourth time be the charm?

by **Hispinas** » Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:39 pm

Sargossa 1–3 Hispinas
Copa Rushmori 37 - Olympic Stadium, Spartagrad, Eura
HSP Scorers: Maite De la Pena (8'), Peppi Palmero (32'), Peppi Palmero (76')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Gurutze Aranaz, Chequil Puma ▼ (▲ Chicho Mondragon 74'), Casimiro Coro ▼ (▲ Igon Murguiondo 75'), Fermin Maquibar, Cordovan Chia, Trinidad Quevedo, Maite De la Pena, Gorka Uralde ▼ (▲ Florita Carrion 90 + 1'), Peppi Palmero, Ozeano Amunategui

Hispinas 0–3 Nephara
Copa Rushmori 37 - Castle Road, Directus, Eura
HSP Scorers: none
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Gurutze Aranaz, Chequil Puma, Casimiro Coro ▼ (▲ Igon Murguiondo 59'), Fermin Maquibar, Cordovan Chia, Trinidad Quevedo ▼ (▲ Salomon Duran 78'), Maite De la Pena ▼ (▲ Auza Vertiz 85'), Gorka Uralde, Peppi Palmero, Ozeano Amunategui

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Hispinas' PREMIER sports magazine!

Hispinas 0-3 Nephara: Golden Sealions ends fairytale Copa run with defeat to Cormorants
Alfonzo Medrano's team to settle for 3rd place playoff against Savojarna

DIRECTUS, EURA - To the surprise of no one, Hispinas finally ended their hopes for an unlikely Copa Rushmori triumph when they succumbed to a 0-3 defeat at the hands of regional powerhouse and four time Copa Rushmori champions Nephara. Goals from Konrad Lovelace, Kendra Considine Ramsey, and Ilia Mueller after an hour and a minute secured the Cormorants' passage to their third consecutive Copa Rushmori final and a tasty encounter against sporting powerhouse Cassadaigua. It was not the end of the matches though for Hispinas, as they make the travel to Brigham to meet the team who became the Sealions' first competitive opponents ever, in the previous edition of the tournament, Savojarna.

Alfonzo Medrano has a score to settle with Mikaela Rangren's squad as in their last meeting, the multiple time runners up of the Campionato, gave a 5-1 beating to the then debutants of the competition. Although they would want to take third in the tournament, Medrano stressed in the post-match interview after the Nephara loss that he intends to field those who did not yet take part of the tournament in order for the whole squad to have played at least a single game.

With Medrano achieving the best finish Hispinas have in this tournament, he will most likely to secure his job for the foreseeable future, as he plans to tackle the World Cup qualifiers head on and will prepare for the final squad soon via a string of friendlies during the time the Baptism of Fire tournament is being held. Hispino football is on the rise as the recent season of the La Liga Hispinas is about to finish, and there had been an offer already from an overseas club for a national team player. The task force which founded the LLH has not yet issued a statement whether they will allow the transfer out of Hispino players, but they have left it to the clubs to decide the future of their players.

by **Eura** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:40 am

Life in the Seventh Star

Part Twenty-Two

Preston Armitage gave in. The tie was coming off – it was thirty-two degrees Celsius in Bastion, and he refused to sweat it out any longer. The Member of Parliament for Karkland North tore off the silver accessory and stuffed it into his pocket, expecting not to be seen. A moment later he looked up from his seat to see the Prime Minister, arms crossed, standing over him.
‘Ah! Amy, thanks for inviting me in. Sorry, if I keep this blasted thing on, I’ll end up keeling over.’
‘Not to worry. Toni, get Mr Armitage some water and bring it to my office, would you?’ Yarley led Armitage down a hallway with a bodyguard in tow, treating the backbench MP to a brief walkthrough of the art and decoration that lined its marble walls. Eventually they reached the double mahogany doors that led into her Blackhall office and entered. Armitage took a deep breath as he walked in, unable to disguise his wide-eyed shock at being in such a historic and important location. The view was quite something as well, situated on the 30th floor and overlooking the entire Blackhall district.

Yarley sized up her visitor. Armitage was one of the new intake of MPs from the previous election and one of the party’s youngest. The thirty-year-old was probably still getting used to being an elected representative for nearly a million people, let alone finding himself in a place like this. Yarley would have been like him once, a very long time ago. She remembered being a new MP just like him. She also remembered visiting this office for the first time when she was at university, forty years ago. In fact, Yarley had been doing a lot of thinking about her life and the path it had taken in the past couple of days. There was something about the current predicament that brought out her existential side. That was the other thing; normally someone like Armitage would be here for Yarley to impress and dominate, but because of those circumstances, it was now her that needed favours.

‘Preston, I must say, I am sorry I haven’t had you up here yet. I hope you appreciate that there hasn’t been much time recently to give new intake members the works, if you get what I mean.’ If Armitage did have something Yarley needed, she might have to butter him up a bit.
‘Its an impressive place to work from, that’s for sure. Do you prefer it here? To the residence, I mean.’
‘Personally, I would move my residence to here if it were allowed. But, you know, tradition and all that.’
‘Of course. Mind if I sit down?’
‘Please do. Let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?’ Armitage took his seat and allowed Yarley to continue speaking. ‘As I am sure you are aware, it has been a very difficult couple of days for the government. We are trying to handle a complex national crisis and, unfortunately, a chunk of our number have picked this time to start playing internal party politics.’
‘Yes. And may I say, if you don’t mind Prime Minister, that I am hugely sympathetic to your position. Hugely.’
‘Thank you, Preston.’
‘Its absurd. You’ve been treated abysmally by some of our parliamentary colleagues considering your length of service to the party and country, and the exceptional accomplishments of your time in office.’

‘You know, don’t you, that this is all at the behest of Smith? I hope you can see through it like I do.’
‘Absolutely Amy, its no secret. And before we get there, I’d like to reassure you that you have my backing.’
Yarley smiled warmly, a rare emotional giveaway by her standards. The last forty-eight hours had been rough since the initial cabinet resignations; more of them had stacked up and a substantial number of the resigning ministers had called for a leadership election, by far the biggest rebellion she had ever faced as PM. In that context, every supporter was a boost to morale. However, Armitage was not here just to give his own view, and she knew that. ‘I’m very glad to hear that Preston. Now, you’re the regional co-ordinator for your area, aren’t you?’
‘Yes I am.’ In the Euran parliamentary system, “regional co-ordinator” is an informal role assigned to a selection of MPs from the largest parties. In a house of three thousand MPs, this was necessary to allow the larger party leaderships to canvas views among their MPs at as micro a level as possible. The governing Liberal party had so many seats that it assigned one co-ordinator from every ten Liberal MPs. Armitage was one of those co-ordinators, and the key for Yarley was to work out what the other nine MPs in his region were thinking.

‘Good,’ she continued, ‘so what is the mood locally? I’m hoping you are not alone.’
Armitage shuffled around uncomfortably in his chair as he searched for an answer to that question. ‘Well, Hannah Baines in the constituency neighbouring mine is obviously still on board…’
‘Obviously.’
‘…but the others…’ Armitage trailed off and made a hand gesture as if to say, “who knows”. The trouble was, Yarley could tell that really, he did know. ‘Use your words, Preston.’
He looked down slightly to avoid her icy gaze. ‘None of them.’
‘Pardon me?’
‘All eight others think its time for a change.’
Yarley’s stomach turned over, and not for the first time that day. ‘Ok, well, that clearly is not ideal…any idea of who they would back in a challenge?’
‘Smithites Amy, the lot of them.’ Armitage wrung his hands and continued to dip his head, as if he were mourning Yarley’s premiership already. She sat in silence for a little while. ‘For what its worth, Amy, I did try and win some of them around.’

Ignoring his pleas of loyalty, Yarley got up from her chair and walked over to one of the large panel windows, staring out at Eura’s endless capital city. Earlier she had been angry at the co-ordinators that had come in, one after the other, all telling a similar story. She was past that point now. Instead, a sort of serenity had come over her. ‘Do you think they are right?’
Armitage blinked a couple of times and scrunched up his face, as if he’d just had a bucket of freezing water thrown across him. Maybe it was a trick question? ‘Uh, no. Like I said, I fully support you.’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t.’ Amy returned to her desk and sat down, marking some boxes on a table in her notepad. ‘I am grateful for your continuing support Preston. And thank you for reporting back on behalf of your regional colleagues. We should speak again but, for now, you can go.’ Armitage rose to his feet and went to leave without saying a word, until Yarley caught his attention just as he reached for the door handle. ‘Preston, a word of advice – if you want it?’
‘Always.’
‘Make the most of it.’ Armitage frowned, considering what exactly she meant. They nodded goodbye to one another, and he made his exit. She picked up the phone.

----------

The motorcade was not exactly fast on its way to the Prime Minister’s residence, mostly thanks to the dreadful traffic, which allowed the circling vultures of the media to follow it. Once the convoy got to Kings Road it would be plain sailing but, for now, the media circus would have what they wanted. Yarley looked out of the tinted windows at the streets of central Bastion. They were heaving as usual, and today were extra packed due to the presence of protestors. Opposition activists were calling for more ramifications against government figures. Yet as they progressed along their journey, Yarley would only be thinking about one person on those streets.

An old man, perhaps in his seventies or eighties, was gingerly tucking into his packed lunch in Hartson Square, a city landmark and frequent gathering site for cultural and political events. He was clearly completely tuned out of what was going on around him. Yarley focused on him. Among all the hubbub and energy, all the power and prestige bound up in the heart of Euran politics, all the reporters, politicians and marchers, here was one of the near-three billion sat alone, minding his own business, and without a worry in the world. His only concern seemed to be that a pigeon was taking an interest in his cheese and ham sandwich. Yarley wondered if there had ever been a time in her life when she had lived an experience like his. Maybe there still could be time.

The vehicles finally swerved onto the Kings Road, and she snapped back into reality. It was time. She felt like she wanted to be sick. How had it come to this? There were still things to be done, problems to solve, power to be had. She wasn’t sure she could live without it. One way or another, Amy Yarley would have to learn to live with what was to come.

----------

‘…BONG…’
‘This is EBC World News. This is Jon Martyn from Bastion. Its five o’clock. The news – Euran Prime Minister Amy Yarley has announced her resignation after twelve years in office, following days of speculation in the aftermath of unrest and violence in Aspel, and in turn a reported loss of confidence in her leadership marked by a string of cabinet resignations. In a press conference in the last hour, Ms Yarley said it was the “honour of her life” to have served as Prime Minister, and instructed the Liberal Party chairman to immediately begin the process to appoint her successor. In a political career that has lasted nearly four decades, Yarley became a central figure in the Liberal Party’s unprecedented transformation that has put it in power for over twenty years, and according to many polls ranks among the most popular Prime Ministers in modern Euran history.’

‘However, since the last general election, where she was widely credited with salvaging a poor performance by her party to remain in power, a number of setbacks seem to have derailed Ms Yarley’s premiership, resulting in her voluntary abdication of power – something many sources close to the government claim is almost unheard of during her career. This evening we will be looking back at Ms Yarley’s career, from her days as a young prospect in the Liberal parliamentary party, to Foreign Secretary as the junior partner in the Capital-Liberal coalition, and eventually the same role and then Prime Minister in the Liberal government that has come to dominate Euran politics. We will also reflect on who might replace her, and what this means for the future of the Liberal government…’

Mateo turned the radio off. He winced; his bandaged forehead seemed to not approve of him making even the most lightly demanding movements. There was a knock on the door. ‘Come in.’
Mother.
‘Hi love.’ Rossana’s eyes were red. It had been a tough few weeks to say the least. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’m fine,’ replied Mateo like he really wasn’t fine at all, ‘I just need some sleep.’
‘Well, that should be easier now you’re in your own bed, right?’ Rossana came over and sat on his bed next to him and put an arm around her son. Now that he was home from the hospital, she was deeply reluctant to ever let go again. ‘I’m so glad to have you back. We all are.’
‘Me too. Where are the others?’
‘Penne is downstairs, we’re playing a board game together. You can join us if that would make you feel better. We could bring it up here.’
‘No, I’m fine. Thank you. Where’s uncle?’
‘Visiting.’

Rossana’s voice broke slightly as she spoke. She meant that uncle Medoro was visiting Natalie, the oldest child, in her cell. She was still under arrest and Arabella’s father Ryan, who had taken on Natalie’s case, had been honest with the family that their best hope was damage mitigation; Natalie Piroz would be spending a long time in a Euran prison. They were already having to get used to the idea that she would not be coming home. Mateo looked down at the floor as if it were him that were guilty. Rossana hugged him tighter. ‘Matty, I want you to know something. Are you listening to me?’
He nodded.
‘What you did…it was the right thing to do.’ Rossana lifted his chin up so that he was looking right at her. ‘You understand that, don’t you? I love your sister. We all do. But…’ She had to stifle her tears and swallow a gulp as she tried to continue. ‘…but, you know, she is a grown up and we warned her what might happen. We tried our best. You in particular did everything you could to help her. And it wouldn’t have been fair if you suffered for her mistakes. Ok?’
‘…ok.’
‘Good.’ For the first time, Rossana smiled. ‘I am very, very proud of you.’
‘Thank you, Mama. I love you.’
‘I love you too.’

They held each other for a moment, until a small stone rattled Mateo’s bedroom window. He got up and looked out to see Arabella below, waving up at him. Rossana rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, go on then. I’ll go let her in.’ Rossana went downstairs to fetch Mateo’s friend, and he lay flat on his back. This time, before anyone could come back upstairs, he fell soundly asleep, and there were no bad dreams to be had.

by **Eura** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:41 am

ITS THE FINAL CUTOFF.

----------

EURA37

Third Place Playoff - Result

The Final - Result

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the losers, and a big thank you to all of the participants of the 37th Copa Rushmori.

by **Plane of Possibility** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:42 pm

Three games where they played for each other, and not any being else.

Three losses, though they were the most fun that they'd ever had.

Did they finish last? Yes. Did they care? No.

At the end, they had a small gathering to celebrate. They were free.

Some of the Tieflings decided to go to Mriin to play for the Mrii clubs. They were all given a scroll so that they could planeshift home when they were done, and given a flight to Atlantian Oceania.

Then, one by one, they went to their own planes.

Hope Lamont saw them all off, then used the scroll herself. It was time to go home.

An instant later, Plane of Possibility was gone. The Worldbuilder was put away.

The machinations of a mad mind was over.

Copa Rushmori XXXVII / CR37 - Everything Thread

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