World Cup of Hockey 42: Life, the Universe & Everything

[Mercedini]

World Cup of Hockey XLII
Group Of Pentacles: Should We Be Worried?
@ Westfjall Arena - Laafjörður, Graintfjall

Pressure Builds After Narrow Defeat

---

FINAL

WCOH | MD5

---

MERCEDINI 3
FLUVANNIA 4

(0-1) (2-2) (1-1)

---

Laafjörður, Graintfjall

Will Mercedini even make it out of the group? It may be an early stage to proceedings but that question is already beginning to be filtered out of the mouths of pundits and fans alike. It comes after the pressure on Selignsky and his players ramped up a notch following their narrow but decisive 4-3 loss to Fluvannia on the fifth match day. Dini may have a game in hand over most of the group, but they now sit firmly in mid table with still having to play most of the teams above them in the table. While on the face of it, the loss may seem like a dent in the armour of the Kingfishers, but we have seen more stable ships dunk when doubt creeps in. The Kingfishers have picked up a total of 7 points out of a possible twelve, meaning wins of any kind are an imperative if the team is to progress in a comfortable manner. This team has shown that they can deliver big performances when it matters, but it is a long and gruelling group stage which can often breed complacency in a top team like Mercedini.

We said at the start that the long group stage will begin to wear teams a little thin as matches go on. Dini have the squad depth, although their high-stamina, low adaptability strategy has come back to bite them late in many of the games so far, which has left them fighting for an answer when their game plan has been sussed out.

Looking at the group as it stood following that game, and it is former champions Nova Anglicana who remain at the top of the table with five wins from five. Mercedini will play them in a couple of days time, where the Kingfishers will be hoping to get themselves back into the race to qualify, and peg back the current runaway leaders. However, they aren't the only ones to have a 100% record, as Abanhfleft also hold wins from all their games. Due to their game in hand, they sit in second, but have a very good chance to qualify if they can keep up their current form. Fluvannia and Devonta are after that, with Gyatso-Kai in fifth. Dini are languishing in joint-SEVENTH in the group, losing in regulation and losing in overtime, in a blemish-filled record to start their tournament.

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                   5    5    0    0    0   12    3   +9   15
 2 Abanhfleft                       4    4    0    0    0   18    6  +12   12
   Fluvannia                        5    4    0    0    1   22   10  +12   12
 4 United States of Devonta         5    3    1    0    1   15   13   +2   11
 5 Gyatso-Kai                       5    3    0    1    1   21   14   +7   10
 6 Le Choix                         4    2    0    1    1    8    5   +3    7
 7 Islands of Ventro                5    2    0    1    2   15   18   –3    7
   Mercedini                        4    2    0    1    1   13    7   +6    7
 9 Suimede                          5    1    1    0    3   11   14   –3    5
10 Anthor                           5    0    1    0    4   12   26  –14    2
   Gergary                          5    0    1    0    4    7   18  –11    2
12 Grey County                      4    0    0    0    4    3   11   –8    0
   Salzcovia                        4    0    0    0    4    4   16  –12    0

In what is supposed to be the blockbuster match of the group, it will be Mercedini vs. Gyatso-Kai next for the Kingfishers, and with both teams struggling for points, it could be curtains for one of these teams who are falling further and further behind the Pentacle Peloton as game go by. A win would be a massive confidence boost for the Kingfishers who would have played the most difficult team on paper, and beaten them. A loss or any overtime result is quickly becoming out of the picture if the campaign is to end in total success. The wheels may be coming off at the moment, but the train is still chugging along at least for now.

As always, we will bringing you all of the coverage plus the post-game reaction for Dini's group stage matches. If there are any more than that remains to be seen. Once again, from Graintfjall, goodnight!

[Siovanija and Teusland]

RBC Teusland

History - The Empire

Political Structure of the Teus Empire

When studying the history of the Teus Empire, it is important to understand the political context of the Empire and how it developed and changed throughout its history.

At the foundation of the Empire on Christmas Day 1253, Wilhelm I was given the title of ‘Emperor of the Teus Peoples,’ having completed a decades-long campaign to unite all of the various independent duchies of the Teus lands. Wilhelm, who was the son of Johannes of Fruhtal who had led the Peasant’s War (1203-1209) that freed Teusland from the Siovanijan Empire, made a show of travelling to the base of the tallest mountain in Teusland, Mount Danneberg, and founding the House of Danneberg, the royal lineage. This choice was symbolic, to portray Teusland as an empire worthy of the heavens and the earth, and of the Dannebergs as chosen by God to lead them.

Despite all of this, at the time, the Emperor was still subordinate to the foreign Pope, who most in Teusland at the time were perhaps more loyal to as strong participants in the Catholic faith. Of course, the Emperor and those to succeed him would not like this, especially as many Bishops and Cardinals used this opportunity to play politics and gain power for their own reasons. And so, within 25 years of the founding of the Empire, a purge within the Church led to a split with the mainstream Catholic Church and the creation of the Teus Catholic Church, with its own Pope. The Pope and the Cardinals this time, however, were appointed by the Emperor, paving the way to the reign of the absolute monarchy.

This was the political system that would govern Teusland for hundreds of years. The Emperor reigning from Stelburg, with his council appointed of the most educated within the Empire. The Empire was divided into Duchies led by Dukes who dealt with local affairs, and of course, each city and town had its own governments as well. Local parishes also had influence as well, as did the College of Teus Cardinals, though by this point it was totally loyal to the Empire. When the Teus Empire conquered Siovanija in 1417, it found little changes needed to be made: the Siovanijan Empire had operated under a similar system, with the exception of Siovanijan pagan leaders being removed from their power.

This system would continue without much change for hundreds more years. The only laws that occasionally changed were those related to imperial succession. There was, of course, the Kaiser, who was in power. The Kaiser’s eldest son was termed the Archduke. Until the year 1474, only male heirs could claim the throne. Beginning in 1474, however, the daughters of the Kaiser could eventually become the Kaiserin, and the eldest daughter was termed the Archduchess. There were various titles associated with these positions, and often served as honorary appointments for these children of the Kaiser. Other children of the Kaiser were styled as Prince or Princess, respectively. The son of an Archduke or Archduchess, before that person became Kaiser/Kaiserin, would be styled as Count or Countess. After 1474, imperial succession also remained mostly unchanged.

The beginning of the colonial era also saw few changes to the absolute monarchy of the era. The Teus Empire colonized the territories of Sankt Konrad and Prinz-Eugens-Land in the 16th Century, and these lands came under the direct administration of the Kaiser. He would appoint, however, a Governor to oversee the day-to-day administration of the territories. Often the Governor was a later-born son of the Kaiser unlikely to see the throne, but still worth a task in government. Beneath the governor were the Lord Mayors of various cities and towns.

The Teus Empire’s political system would see very little change until the Twenty-Nine Years’ War (1604-1633). The war had seen a great divide between the imperial government and the Catholic Church, as well as caused uproar in the territories of Siovanija and Prinz-Eugens-Land. It was clear that the needs of the people needed to be represented more within the government, and that problems could be solved in a better way. In 1647, then, the first Imperial Chancellery was established in Stelburg, its members made up of elites from across Teusland, as well as a small number from Siovanija. The Governors of both Sankt Konrad and Prinz-Eugens-Land also served as members of the Chancellery. In theory, the Chancellery elected a Chancellor and passed laws that would be approved by the Kaiser. In practice, it did very little except give noblemen an extra title and changed various minor domestic policies.

It was the beginning, however, of change within the Empire. In Siovanija especially, there was growing frustrations. Siovanijans had distrusted nobility ever since the great humiliation of 1417, seeing their dukes kneeling before the Teus Kaiser while the peasants and lower class starved during the war. Many in Siovanija felt a growing need for a republic, in which the people’s needs were met and no longer ruled over by an absolute monarch.

In 1808, the Green Paper was published by a group of Siovanijan intellectuals led by Anton Dialikov, calling for the independence of Siovanija as a republic state, and declaring the rights of man would be its guide. It also drafted a constitution for the independent republic. Within Siovanija, the political demonstrations quickly turned to revolt, and the Teus Army was sent in to attempt to challenge the revolutionaries.

The Empire could have swiftly crushed them, however, they were worried about the reaction back home. Many in Teusland, too, had begun to have these ideas, and they feared a total crackdown on the republicans would lead to the growth of the movement in the heartland of the Empire. They were proven correct after demonstrations began in St. Jakob, joining in those in Borograd and Vlaikograd. The Teus had to be careful, and this fact gave the revolutionaries strength. In 1811, the Siovanijan Republic was declared, the first true democracy on the island home to Siovanija & Teusland.

Over the next few years, the Teus Empire would adapt several changes to adhere to its population’s demands. The Chancellery was given more and more power - the Kaiser was no longer the absolute leader. It was the end of the centuries-old absolute power to the monarch. There were still, however, some restrictions.

You could serve in the Chancellery if you were over the age of 24, owned land, had served in the Imperial Teus Army, and were Catholic. It was a Chancellery of the upper class, then, and the religious rule in particular served to exclude the Siovanijans that remained within the Empire, the Teus pagans (of whom by this point mainly lived in Prinz-Eugens-Land) and tribal groups in Prinz-Eugens-Land who had not yet converted to Catholicism. This left some anger in the foreign colonies, but not enough to spark change.

The land ownership clause was eventually dropped in 1872, amidst the context of a potential war with Siovanija and economic downturn in the Empire. The Catholicism clause was dropped in 1889, at the beginning of the Great War, as a promise to those in Prinz-Eugens-Land, where pagans made up nearly 55% of the population between Teus pagans and tribal groups, so that they would be more willing to join the army and fight in the war. The Chancellery had broad powers, and the first political parties were beginning to be founded. At the time, the dominant parties were the Free Liberal Party (which still exists today, and at the time was centrist) and the Imperialists (centre-right), but in later years as war approached the Socialists (left) began to gain power as well. Minor parties included Catholic nationalist groups.

We see a clear evolution of politics in Teusland throughout the history of the Empire - from the beginning of an Empire founded on absolute monarchy, seizing more power for itself through Church reform, and eventually, in its final years, a rapid push towards democracy to serve an ever-growing and suddenly more restless population.

In 1895, at the end of the Great War, the last Kaiser, Heinrich II, abdicated the throne. In his place, a league made up of mostly members of the Socialist party founded the new Teus Republic. The Teus Republic was based on the same principles as the Green Paper which had founded the Siovanijan Republic, however, it only lasted 8 months: its sole purpose was to negotiate the end of the war and unification with Siovanija.

The democracy we enjoy in Siovanija & Teusland today can quite clearly trace its roots to this period of our history, and understanding the political context of the Empire is also very important to understanding its place in world history.

[Graintfjall]

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.

Each day I will be offering a small piece of information about Græntfjaller life and offering a related prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because this long tournament format may lead to ideas running dry, and I’m well aware there are many other competitions currently ongoing. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

MD6 cutoff

Græntfjallers are famous, or perhaps infamous, for eating whalemeat – though in practice today it’s now a rare delicacy mostly unobtainable. Græntfjaller culinary life instead is based around staples of meat and fish: the harsh climate mean that easy availability of cheap vegetables is a relatively modern phenomenon. Preserved meat and fish, techniques such as smoked, pickled and salted, are common, a legacy of the long winter’s impact on animal husbandry. Fish and seafood restaurants are common because of the nation’s strong relationship with the sea, and Græntfjallers consume far more fish per capita than people in most other developed nations. Græntfjall’s colonial legacy and more contemporary trading links have brought dashes of spice and color from abroad. Many Græntfjaller supermarkets have ethnic food aisles, where you can find food from around Rushmore and beyond; foreign restaurants and takeaways are growing steadily in number as the economy opens up and immigrants pour in seeking tastes of their homeland. Vegetarianism and veganism remain the exception rather than the rule, and choice for such diners can be quite limited. What is the culinary life of your nation like, and how is it different or unique?

Tiebreakers are still not fully implemented at this stage.

Group of Wands
North Alezia 2–5 Pius Desurongcrandis
Poafmersia 0–2 Kelssek
Delaclava 2–4 Ko-oren
Equestria 2–1 Sarzonia
Iba Dwa 0–6 Sannyamathland
Valanora 6–3 Pluvie

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          6    5    1    0    0   16    5  +11   17
 2 Sarzonia                         6    5    0    0    1   21    9  +12   15
   Valanora                         5    5    0    0    0   20    6  +14   15
 4 Kelssek                          5    3    0    0    2    8    6   +2    9
 5 Delaclava                        6    2    1    0    3   13   12   +1    8
   Elejamie                         5    2    1    0    2   12   11   +1    8
 7 Sannyamathland                   6    2    0    2    2   16   19   –3    8
 8 Iba Dwa                          5    2    0    1    2   11   19   –8    7
 9 Equestria                        5    2    0    0    3   14   16   –2    6
   Poafmersia                       6    2    0    0    4   16   16    0    6
11 North Alezia                     6    1    1    0    4   15   16   –1    5
12 Pius Desurongcrandis             5    1    0    1    3   10   18   –8    4
13 Pluvie                           6    0    0    0    6    7   26  –19    0

Group of Pentacles
Gyatso-Kai 2–5 Mercedini
Nova Anglicana 3–1 Salzcovia
Islands of Ventro 2–5 United States of Devonta
Abanhfleft 3–0 Anthor
Le Choix 0–2 Gergary
Grey County 2–7 Suimede

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                   6    6    0    0    0   15    4  +11   18
 2 Abanhfleft                       5    5    0    0    0   21    6  +15   15
 3 United States of Devonta         6    4    1    0    1   20   15   +5   14
 4 Fluvannia                        5    4    0    0    1   22   10  +12   12
 5 Mercedini                        5    3    0    1    1   18    9   +9   10
 6 Gyatso-Kai                       6    3    0    1    2   23   19   +4   10
 7 Suimede                          6    2    1    0    3   18   16   +2    8
 8 Le Choix                         5    2    0    1    2    8    7   +1    7
 9 Islands of Ventro                6    2    0    1    3   17   23   –6    7
10 Gergary                          6    1    1    0    4    9   18   –9    5
11 Anthor                           6    0    1    0    5   12   29  –17    2
12 Grey County                      5    0    0    0    5    5   18  –13    0
   Salzcovia                        5    0    0    0    5    5   19  –14    0

Group of Cups
HUElavia 5–0 Flekkefjord
Omerica 0–5 Kriegiersien
Ranoria 2–0 Srednjaci
New Waldensia 1–5 Waisnor
St. Saratoga 1–6 Siovanija & Teusland
BohemiaIV 0–1 Banija

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             6    6    0    0    0   27   12  +15   18
 2 Banija                           6    5    0    0    1   20    5  +15   15
 3 Kriegiersien                     5    4    0    1    0   17    6  +11   13
 4 HUElavia                         6    4    0    0    2   18    7  +11   12
 5 Quebec & Shingoryeo              5    3    1    0    1   17   11   +6   11
 6 Waisnor                          6    3    0    0    3   15   14   +1    9
 7 St. Saratoga                     5    2    0    0    3   15   17   –2    6
 8 Flekkefjord                      5    1    1    0    3   12   23  –11    5
   New Waldensia                    5    1    1    0    3   11   17   –6    5
   Ranoria                          6    1    1    0    4   10   14   –4    5
11 BohemiaIV                        5    0    1    2    2    5   15  –10    4
12 Srednjaci                        6    0    1    1    4   12   21   –9    3
13 Omerica                          6    0    0    2    4    7   24  –17    2

Group of Swords
Reçueçn 5–0 Xanneria
People’s Republic of Xabia 1–4 Cassadaigua
Savojarna 4–3 Chromatika
TJUN-ia 4–6 Taeshan
Græntfjall 5–4 Kohnhead
The Grandest Empire 0–3 Mapletish

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Savojarna                        6    5    1    0    0   21    9  +12   17
 2 Taeshan                          6    4    1    0    1   25   14  +11   14
 3 Græntfjall                       5    4    0    1    0   20   12   +8   13
 4 Cassadaigua                      5    4    0    0    1   21    8  +13   12
 5 Reçueçn                          6    3    0    2    1   26   15  +11   11
 6 Chromatika                       6    3    0    0    3   16   21   –5    9
   TJUN-ia                          5    3    0    0    2   20   18   +2    9
 8 Lǜ Shān                          5    3    0    0    2   16   12   +4    9
 9 Mapletish                        6    2    1    0    3    8    6   +2    8
10 Kohnhead                         6    1    0    0    5   20   36  –16    3
   The Grandest Empire              5    1    0    0    4    9   18   –9    3
12 People’s Republic of Xabia       6    0    0    0    6    9   26  –17    0
   Xanneria                         5    0    0    0    5    3   19  –16    0

[Fluvannia]

Fluvannia, like quite a few nations, structures its government as a constitutional monarchy, wherein the powers of the Crown Prince(ss) and of their government are limited. One key difference from most other constitutional monarchies, however, is the role of the Crown Prince themselves.

The Crown Prince
Unlike most modern monarchs, the Crown Prince of Fluvannia serves as the active head of the executive branch. Though they are not explicitly barred from doing so, custom dictates that they remain politically neutral and unaffiliated. Similarly, while royal assent is required for laws passed by the legislature to take effect, by custom this is usually granted for all but the most controversial of proposals. The Crown Prince appoints Ministers to their Cabinet and also serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The Legislature
As a single body, the legislature has never received an official name, which likely is a result of the fact that the two houses originated at different times. The lower house, the House of Delegates, is directly elected by the citizenry. 500 single-member districts are allocated across the two duchies and independent county (collectively referred to on occasion as "provinces") that make up the Federated Principality on the basis of population; within each province a multi-partisan commission determines the boundaries of each district in order to make them as even as possible in terms of residents. Every even-numbered year, the second Monday of May sees all 500 districts contested; while first-past-the-post voting was used until the 1970s, it was replaced by approval voting ,the method currently used. Because approval voting is used, candidates towards the center of the political spectrum enjoy better odds of victory, but since the districts are not particularly large, more radical candidates usually manage to snag a few seats.

The Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the House of Delegates, the Speaker of the House is generally considered the second political figure in terms of importance, behind only the Crown Prince. Elected as the first action of a new House session (the second Monday in June of even-numbered years, roughly one month after the House elections), the Speaker is usually the leader of the largest House delegation, making them an important leader within their party as well. However, because all seven national parties usually manage to win at least a few seats (with more towards the center), coalitions are fairly common. In the House, this takes the form of collaboration and compromise on legislation within the coalition, and while the High Council is in charge of confirming Ministerial nominations, the Speaker is tasked with assembling a list of recommendations for each position, which the Crown Prince is limited to in their choice. As such, the Speaker includes a few ministries for the coalition's junior partner(s). The current Speaker is Mark Patrick of the center-right National Liberal Party, leading a coalition with very libertarian Minarchist Party. Patrick is in his fifth term as a Delegate, and as such is ineligible to run again; it is expected that the NLP delegation leadership election in 2022 will be a rather high-profile affair, especially if the NatLibs are forecasted to retain their plurality in the House.

The High Council
The upper house of the legislature is the High Council, which represents the federal nature of the nation. Councilors are chosen by their province's legislature, elected to six-year terms. Duchies are entitled to three Councilors, and counties two. (As per the Fluvannian Constitution, otherwise-independent cities and towns are entitled to one Councilor, though no such municipalities currently exist.) Councilors are elected to staggered terms, with one Councilors per province up for election every two years; the County of Monroe, with only two Councilors, skips an election every six years as both its Councilors are in the middle of a term. Councilors serve no more than two terms of six years each.

[Le Choix]

Partie 1
Partie 2
Partie 3
Partie 4
Partie 5

La Perche (The Perch)
Jardin (Garden), Le Choix

"La tête doit rester vigilante pour que le corps ne souffre pas." - Le Livre de Liberté, Chapitre 7, Verset 4
(The head must remain vigilant so that the body will not suffer." - The Book of Freedom, Chapter 7, Verse 4)

In the small town of Jardin near the very center of Le Choix, there was a tall, winding tower that was blocked off to the public. It was watched over some of the elites of the Chosen military, turning away curious folk and stopping those that tried to come in. La Perche, was it was called, doubled as both a historical monument as well as the personal abode of Jaqueline du Feu, the Pontifax of Le Choix.

Many years ago, La Perche had been called that due to the numbers of carrion that would gather toward it weekly to feast on the corpses of those that would be hung afresh. There were at least three deaths per week, and there was even a week in which La Perche hung three hundred forty-three individual persons. That day was simply known as L'abattage (The Culling) in Chosen history, and an event that was taught to all of the people. The day that a cell of over three hundred people had been caught preaching against the beliefs of The Chosen that had held them together since being displaced by The Jump. The day that the Pontifax of that time, Beatrice Pollas, wept as she personally cut the ropes of all three hundred and forty-three individually, including her sister, niece, and an aunt. The day that proved once and for all that the will of The Chosen would not be shaken by mere voices of dissent.

Some said that La Perche was haunted by the ghosts of the slain, and that their screams could be heard at night. Of course, that wasn't true, but it was encouraged to keep people away; to Jacqueline du Feu, The Perch was her home.

As she entered, the system guarding the abode powered down slightly to reconnaissance/watchdog mode instead of kill on sight mode. The abode was directly connected to La Reine Rouge, meaning that the systems had superhuman reflexes that ensured her safety. In fact, it was this very connection to La Reine Rouge that made a Pontifax... A Pontifax.

Jacqueline du Feu was born as Margaret Benoit on 511 Post-Jump, twenty-one years ago. Born to two commoners who worked as textile factory workers, Margaret's life was comfortable yet not extravagant. Her needs were provided for by the Theocracy, including her education through The Chosen's school system. From a young age, she showed an aptitude towards fervor in the faith and disregard for her personal well being, getting into many fights with those who didn't share as much of a passion for The Chosen's views as she had. This put her on a top-secret shortlist for The Chosen's leadership.

Unbeknownst to the general populace, Pontifax Xarille DuPois had been suffering from a rare form of bone cancer. He, along with his Five, had started to look for a new Pontifax. Per Chosen policy, it had to be someone who wasn't in the leadership already, it had to be someone who would give up their life for the cause, it had to be someone who wouldn't be missed by those around them, and it had to be someone who'd be shrewd enough to have the natural inclination to make the decisions that would need to be made.

Margaret Benoit's were taken care of by some trusted Chosen who made sure that they were separated and then put into reeducation programs to forget about the existence of their daughter. She was just told that she had been chosen for an honorable top secret mission by The Chosen, and she, in her blind fervor, had answered the call without question. What followed was an event that only five people knew about at one time in Le Choix: "La Rencontre Divine", or The Divine Meeting. It was a ceremony in which the presence of La Reine Rouge left the previous Pontifax and entered the upcoming one.

The shape or form of the presence of La Reine Rouge was an unknown to even the most entrusted; it was the nation's top secret. To Margaret's surprise, it ended up being a biotech chip that didn't show up on metal detectors of any form. In an instant, the chip exited Xarille DuPois and entered Margaret Benoit, causing her to drop to the floor, screaming. The next few hours were pure agony as the human mind began to be rewritten in part by the presence of La Reine Rouge. Through five hundred years of coexistence, La Reine Rouge had learned the breaking points of each mind and body to note how much a person could handle before dying; even La Reine Rouge was surprised by how much Jacqueline du Feu could handle.

Six hours after, Xarille DuPois lay on the floor, dead. The lack of the biotech chip, coupled with his bone cancer, had killed the 49th Pontifax of Le Choix. In his place stood Margaret Benoit, how three inches taller and her hair the color of pure white, reborn as Jacqueline du Feu.

At present day, 533 Post-Jump, Jacqueline du Feu has been Pontifax of Le Choix for twenty years. Her leadership has been one filled with change, controversy, and strong moves. The Chosen have taken steps that they hadn't ever dreamed of. With more of La Reine Rouge's programming in her brain, she was the one Pontifax who could perhaps achieve what La Reine Rouge had in mind for the future of Le Choix.

No trace of Melissa Benoit nor her parents, Edith and Marc Benoit, remain in Chosen society. All that remains is The Chosen.

As it was, as it shall be.

[Cassadaigua]

Blaine makes most of opportunity,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Sarah Blaine is not a first time player to the World Cup of Hockey, and she was on the bench for every game during the last one. She’s also a backup goalie, and in this competition, when the player ahead of you plays as well as Travis Anderson did in the last World Cup, the main thing you are going to be doing in games is opening up the door to the bench. That’s not easy for someone like Blaine. “The last World Cup of Hockey made me realize what it is like for my backup at home when I get about 60 starts a year, you want to be out there playing, and you know that you can do it, but it’s just not the way it is going to be," she told me. She says that she is always very supportive of Travis Anderson, but has wanted the chance to start. You have to remember, that this is not a typical starter/backup situation. This is the best and the second best goalie in all of Cassadaigua. And for Blaine, that’s meant being a backup. “I’ve been okay with it. It’s an honor to be here, after all.”

Indeed it is, but tonight against (The People’s Republic of) Xabia, Blaine would get that chance. As would others, people who had been scratched in the games up to this point, but would get a chance to play now. The positioning of the Xabia game made perfect sense: after Reçueçn, and before a tough stretch of three games starting with #3-ranked Savojarna. “Coach told me from the beginning that I would play against Xabia,” Blaine said, “So the game was always highlighted on my personal calendar and I have been watching all of their games from the start. It was great to be out there and getting a chance.” Other young players who have been traveling with the team, but not part of the regular amount of dressed players would get a chance as well. Crystal Shadrick was one of them, “It’s a nice view from the press box, don’t get me wrong. This has been great for me to travel with the veterans, and I know that my time will come sometime, but you have to be ready when your name is called. Now, it was.” Many of the regular players still played in this game, but the minutes were juggled so that regular first line players would not get first line minutes. This allowed Shadrick to accumulate 16:03 of ice time.

Out on the ice, the Fillies got a quick goal as one of those regulars, Lauren Potvin, deflected in a Meghann Carmello shot (second assist to Samantha Dailey) at 3:07. The score would be 1-0 for the majority of the period, but at 15:32, Shadrick would score her first World Cup of Hockey goal, assisted by Kelsey Carver and Hannah Regan, two of the other players getting playing time tonight, to make it 2-0. Shots were 11-7 in favor of the Fillies.

Against Reçueçn, Cassadaigua could not be stopped in the second period, but this time, they would not grab a goal in the middle frame, despite outshooting Xabia 9-6 within it. In the third, the Fillies got goals from Kristina Petit (Jessica Hoover) at 6:17 and Meghann Carmello (Courtney Burnett, Kayla Kelly) on the power play at 14:29, sandwiching a Xabia goal at 9:44. The Fillies outshot Xabia 13-8 in the third, and for the game, 33-22. Cassadaigua was 1-for-3 on the power play, and 0-for-1 on the kill.

Savojarna (5-1-0-0) leads the Group of Swords at this time, so expect a great game as we get closer to the overall halfway point of the Cup. Coach Rachel Belmont feels the team is ready to go but knows the importance of getting this next stretch started right of Savojarna, TJUN-ia, and Graintfjall. “This three game period coming up stood out at you when we were given the schedule, and that has not changed. The team has been ready for it, and I believe we are in good shape, health wise to begin the stretch.” Beating Savojarna would be a huge boost for this team and can make it easier to forget about the Ice Dragons.

[Delaclava]

Excerpts from defenseman Antoine Clement's post-game press teleconference following Delaclava 4-2 loss to Ko-oren.

Antoine, a tough loss tonight. Can you take us through what you saw as the main differences?

Yeah, we've got to stop going down early. 2-0 after ten minutes, that's the second game in a row. I think like 85% of teams who win the first period win the game? And it's played out exactly like that. Sure, you can come back, you can blow leads, but the first ten minutes are probably going to dictate how the rest goes. We've been feeling nauseous with the fishy smell, but that's really no excuse. Other than that, it was an even game, but they had the intensity for sixty minutes and we had it for the last fifty. So that's a main point, psychologically, that we've got to address.

Ko-oren is famously one of the toughest defenses in all of international hockey, and Delaclava is no slouch in that department either. But this is your second time playing them, and the first time was AOHC in Northwest Kalactin, where you beat them 5-2. So it's been two surprisingly high-scoring games - what is it about this matchup that you think causes this?

I think it's just a general quirk of how matching up styles works. You get two teams who play pretty similarly and that's how you think the game's going to go. I've found a lot of times, it does exactly the opposite. Like if you get two high-scoring teams, sometimes it'll be a high-scoring game, sometimes both teams will have so much respect for the opposing offense that they really try to draw back and play more cautiously. For this matchup, we're both tough defensive teams, but someone has to make the game happen. So I think it starts to open up, and it forces us into a different kind of flow than we're used to. But it's a really cool matchup for us. They're so good and we feel like we can at least belong on the same ice. Would've been nice to get the job done tonight, but we'd be ready for another crack when it comes.

So far, you've had three wins against unranked teams, and three pretty competitive losses to Valanora, Sarzonia, and Ko-oren. With the second half of your schedule coming up now, do you feel like where you need to be?

We're close, I think. Those three teams we lost to are the top three teams, they've really run away with it. Valanora and Ko-oren definitely expected, Sarzonia probably less so, but that's how it's played out. I think it's good to get those out of the way, and we're probably rooting for them to keep winning, just to stay out of the way. We're pretty much battling for fourth at this point and it kind of means we can't afford to lose anymore. It won't be easy. No one thought it would be. But for our level of play, I'd like to think we're right there. We've played the best teams close. When we get into the rest of these games, it's going to be a matter of keeping it close, and then making the right decisions, not being tentative but also not careless and taking penalties. We've got Kelssek next and that's a good litmus test, since they're in just about the same spot we are. If we win, that really is a big help to get us in the top four. If we lose, it's going to be an uphill battle to make any headway in the group.

The junior players just recently came off losing the World Junior Hockey Championship final at home to their Kelssek counterparts. You have some of those players on your roster - the Bondras, Požgaj, Sevanov. Is there any desire to kind of get that game back?

Oh, absolutely. We're all one big program, one big team. The Delaclav hockey community is pretty tight-knit as I'm sure you're aware. All of us felt that loss - not in the same way as the players, of course, but we were heartbroken to see them fall just short, and proud of how far they made it. Not many people expected that. So there's pride at stake. We really don't want them to get the best of us on two levels in such quick succession. We know all that's at stake here just in this competition, but the junior aspect gives us some extra fire, for sure.

Do you see a scenario where any of them actually dress for the game, and take that revenge themselves?

I can't really talk about any personnel decisions. All I can say is, I know they're hungry, they're eager to get their shot on the senior team. And I think anyone who's on this squad will do a good job when they're called upon. So we're going to have our practice sessions and Coach Lemaire's going to decide what makes sense.

You'll be headed back to the SynTransPowerDome after two losses at the Enlundhallen. Thoughts on the venue and how that plays into the game?

Thank Mags for that. Playing hockey without feeling the need to throw up or hold our breath? I didn't realise that was the dream... but that's the dream. Sorry to our fans that we've got more sensitive noses than our opponents, I guess? I mean, we've got a booming fishing industry in Valhalla too, but we've also got proper ventilation, for heaven's sake. Maybe after we're done playing hockey here, we could teach them a thing or two. Or take a damn wrecking ball to these lean-to rinks.

[Nova Anglicana]

Learn more about Nova Anglicana - Cuisine

Food in Nova Anglicana

So when you get to Nova Anglicana and you want to go for a drink and meal, what can you expect? Lots of fish, b'y. Londinium is located in the province of Newfoundland, which has a very strong fishing industry. Fish and chips, cod every way you can think of (tongues are a favorite), flounder, halibut, salmon, and lobster are some of the typical seafood one can expect, though if you're lucky, you might be able to find seal flipper pie, a real treat. For land fare, try caribou, deer, rabbit, or the famous "jiggs dinner", salted beef with boiled vegetables, as well as pickles and beets. For dessert, think figgy duff, a sweet raisin pudding, or one of our many baked goods flavored with molasses.

Eboracum is also a maritime city, so look for a lot of seafood, but lobster especially (and eel is surprisingly popular). Rappie pie is an Acadian tradition, made from grated potatoes with meat broth dripped over it, and various types of sausage can also be found just about anywhere. Eboracum also offers wonderful apples, blueberries, and wine, for those of you looking for something other than meat. Blueberry grunt is a local dessert favorite that consists of blueberry dumplings with nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar mixed in; tourists consistently rave about it.

In Durovernum Cantiacorum, or DC for short, seafood is the prime entree, with a special focus on shellfish. Lobster, oysters, scallops, crab, clams, mussels, you name it, they've got it. For the adventurous, try fiddleheads or dulse. And for dessert, pecan pie with maple sugar is sure to please even the pickiest eater. Or venture a little further out to Kings County, where the local sheep farming means you can enjoy incredibly tasty grilled lamb.

In Aquae Sulis or Portus Abonae, food is much the same as in Londinium and other parts of Newfoundland, but with a heavier focus on game and local produce.

If you should find yourself in Isca Dumnoniorum or anywhere in Prince Edward Island, keep an eye out for lobster, available almost year round, or delicious Malpeque oysters. What else is PEI famous for? Well, the beef on the island is delicious, but the other PEI specialty is potatoes. Mash 'em, boil 'em, stick 'em in a stew, but that's not all you can do with them. Fish and chips on PEI will taste better than in the UK because of PEI potatoes, or try garlic fries made with lovely local garlic. There are over 100 varieties of potato cultivated on PEI and they taste better because of the sustainable and land-friendly methods used to grow them.

In Sept-Iles, seafood is again the order of the day. Enjoy scallops, softshell or razor clams, whelk, and snow crabs, or try fish like salmon, cod, halibut, or trout. Or hop over to the Purmer sea farm on Grosse Boule Island for mussels, scallops, and instructive information on aquaculture. Finally, try cloudberries, a local specialty, in a dessert or in chicoutai, a local liqueur.

Drink in Nova Anglicana

Wine in Nova Anglicana is primarily grown in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is primarily known for its sparkling wine and white wine, especially the Tidal Bay appellation. New Brunswick has wine production, but also boasts cider, mead, and fruit wine, such as strawberry or blueberry. Prince Edward Island also features cider and mead as well as grape wine. Newfoundland is more known for its fruit wines than its grape wines.

But what you really want to know about is the beer, right? Pubs in Londinium and other major cities are open from noon to midnight, usually, and later on the weekends, and local breweries usually hold the same hours, give or take an hour or two. Expect to see plenty of traditional lagers and ales, though local microbreweries are turning out more complex beers, including a popular blueberry ale made with local blueberries.

The largest of these is Lion Brewing. Based out of Londinium, they brew all kinds of beer and dominate the Nova Anglican market. They produce lagers and other popular beers for mass consumption, but aren't afraid to experiment to see what people want. Their founder, Kerry Erickson, is something of a celebrity in the country. They currently hold 44% market share.

Moosehead is located in Durovernum Cantiacorum (DC), New Brunswick, and remains a family-owned business. It offers a variety of beers, though its lager is its most popular offering. It competes with Lion on the basis of taste and heritage, being an old brewery. It holds about 16% market share.

Blue Star is a classic Newfoundland beer that has surged to 9% of the market with the founding of Nova Anglicana. It's especially popular in Newfoundland, of course, but its no-frills style is popular around the country with those who just like a nice normal beer.

NOV 2 1 0 - 3
SLZ 0 0 1 - 1

Goals - Kelly (1st, 4:23), Hall (1st, 12:49), Gray (2nd, 6:36), Unknown (3rd, 14:05)

[TJUN-ia]

After a 13-goal barn burner gave TJUN-ia its 3rd straight win at the WCoH, the Ice Jaguars of Ølson Rasmussen were looking to continue the good form against a 3-game run of tough ranked opposition in this sport. The pressure was obviously still on our head coach to try and escape this chaos and make the knockouts for the first time but here at the Hofvinger Community Arena, a true elite member of the sport awaited us in the form of 14th-ranked Taeshan, a team with only 1 prior loss to their name and a team that was certainly set on going for a run at the WCoH itself.

This game would turn out to be a great indicator as to how close TJUN-ia were to the elite of the sport as this game would see two teams battle it out for the opening 2 periods. The period would be a dead heat, as a Taeshan opener was responded to by the ever-consistent Julian Visipils while the second would see 5 goals in total, all being consequential. Vasil Cherysezsky and Captain Christian Kalsters scored TJUN-ia's 2 but Taeshan scored 3, taking a 3-5 lead into the final period that they wouldn't relinquish. They added another as well and while Kalsters scored his 2nd before the end, Taeshan still ended up as the victors by 2 goals. TJUN-ia tried to match up to the very best in the sport and they failed, just about.

Another bump in the road means Rasmussen's men slip down to tied 6th, with the tiebreaker over the Ice Storm of Chromatika being MD7 at the Hagejoki Play Park. At 3-2, we are OK - but we need to be higher if we want to achieve our lofty ambitions this time around. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group of Swords)
MD1: BYE
MD2: vs Graintfjall (22, 8 of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn L 4-5 (T-10th)
MD3: vs The Grandest Empire (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach W 3-2 (T-8th)
MD4: vs Mapletish (UR, 5 of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur W 1-0 (T-5th)
MD5: vs Kohnhead (26, 7 of Swords)- Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux W 8-5 (T-4th)
MD6: vs Taeshan (14, 10 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena L 4-6 (T-6th)
MD7: vs Chromatika (29, 6 of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD8: vs Cassadaigua (8, Queen of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD9: vs Xanneria (UR, 3 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD10: vs Lu Shan (UR, Ace of Swords) - Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD11: vs Recuecn (12, Trickster of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD12: vs Peoples Republic of Xabia (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD13: vs Savojarna (3, King of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn

[Waisnor]

Now we're going for devastating victories

After two victories in a row, Waisnor waited for a third, especially since their new rival, New Waldensia, was not very different from them. As it turned out, their expectances we're paid off in a much bigger way:

From the very beginning of the game, Weissnor took the initiative into his own hands and was not going to give it up, creating a large number of attacking chances. With this development of events, the goal was scored quite quickly - on the 6th minute of the 1st period, David Bloch, after a powerful breakthrough through the defense of New Waldensia, threw the puck into the center of the goal, opening the score.
Waisnor was going to cement his dominance and make it as difficult as possible to recoup. Such a strategy quickly bore fruit - at the 13th minute of the 1st period, Mikhail Belov scored another goal at his own expense after receiving a serve from Stanisłav Bednarek and a throw to the top of the gate.
In the second period, the game did not change much - New Waldensia continued to defend not to miss more goals, Waisnor continued to push against the goal of this team. On the 10th minute of the 2nd period, the third goal was scored, and again against New Waldensia, now by Artur Mamaev. He did this after passing through the defense and throwing an accurate shot into the bottom corner of the goal.
After the third goal was scored, it was decided to send the first line of the Waisnor team to a well-deserved rest, and release the second line to the rink instead. However, she could play quite decently - on the 14th minute of the 2nd period, Pavel Savlyuk, after a pass from Ignat Tarlikovsky, perfectly handled the puck and threw it right into the center of the goal, making the score 4-0.
The New Waldensia squad by this time was not at all like that as at the beginning of the match, and obviously not in a good way - it was in this state that the 5th goal was scored in the 2nd minute of the 3rd period. Goal at his own expense was recorded by Artem Kontsevoy, having issued a double, single-handedly passed to Jarvis Dunlap and threw another goal behind him.
However, towards the end of the meeting, New Waldensia was still able to score at least one goal, despite the position in which it was - at the 16th minute of the 3rd period, Caspian Estes went through a rather relaxed Waisnorian defense and scored the only puck for his teams, setting the final score - 5-1, the third consecutive victory of Vaisnor.

Waisnor jumped to the 6th place in the Group of Cups with 9 points. In the next matchday Waisnor will play with team, who is only 1 placement behind them - St.Saratoga.

[Gyatso-kai]

┤ A LOOK INTO GYATSO-KAI ├
A Multi-Part Series

Written by Akaan BEROYA

”No man is an island… unless he lives on an island. But then he really isn’t an island… He’s just on an island.”

Baichi, Renowned Avatarian Philsopher
945 CE – 980 CE

If you were to pull out a map of the region of Atlantian Oceania, you would see that it is a region of islands. No seriously, go have a look for yourself, and you will see that the entire region is a collection of islands in all sundry of shapes and sizes. Each nation is either comprised of islands, or is part of an island, or in some cases, an entire archipelago.

Gyatso-kai is no exception.

Covering over 495,000 square kilometres, the Avatarian island group is comprised of thirteen major islands, as well as several dozen minor islands located in the northeast corner of Atlantian Oceania. These islands are home to the seven Home Nations – The Water Tribes, the United Earth Kingdoms, the Fire Nation, the Nomadic People of the Air, the Mandalorian Clans, and the Ponyist Realms – and over the course of time, these islands and the waters around them have shaped Avatarian culture in many immeasurable ways.

However, let us talk about the measurable ways first…

「 THE CONFEDERATION OF WATER TRIBES 」

If you want to talk about how water has shaped the Avatarian Republics, look no further than to one of the Home Nations bearing the name ‘water’. That’s right, the Confederation of Water Tribes.

A confederation of three tribes – The Northern, The Southern, and the Foggy Swamp – the Water Tribes operate under a system of government which respects the cultural differences of the three tribes which were once a single tribe; originally in the early 1700s, members of the Northern Water Tribe set out on an expedition to find new lands in the south, and thanks to seasonally harsh storms, were blowntoo close to the then-Imperial Fire Nation. Wanting to seek refuge away from more militaristic powers that controlled the Fire Nation at the time, the colonists continued to sail east before coming to land in what would soon be named the “Foggy Bottom” swamplands; so aptly named for the cloudy waters which permeated through the area. Building a colony there, and thanks to adventurous land scouts, a trade route was established connecting the northern Earth Kingdom port of Beikou – the closest Earth settlement to the Northern Water Tribes – to the solid ground at the north of the Foggy Swamp, so aptly named “Handi”. Explorers for the Northern Water Tribe, specifically Chief Ishida Harmok in the 1740s, would sent out on various expeditions to the unsettled islands in the far south of the Avatarian archipelago, and it was in 1748 that Chief Harmok would establish the first colony on the southern island of Unanngak, and then a mere decade later on the island to the west Uanniluak. These colonies would prosper until the 1820s when war between the Empire of Fire and the Earth Kingdom would break out, cutting off all trade routes between the three colonies. During the Great War, the Southern Tribe would continue to prosper on its own, announcing its independence from the North in 1834 under Chief Sato Tarlock. At the same time, the colony of the Foggy Swamp would be cut off from the North due to warring kingdoms – specifically Gaoling and Maizu – who blockaded all trade routes and actively detained any one who dared travel the once-popular routes between Beikou and Handi. Cut off from the North, and essentially the world due to the war, the Foggy Swamp Tribe as they became known blossomed into a mixture of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom culture, devising their own style of waterbending as well as a distinct language which, when reunification would occur nearly 130 years later, the two tribes would be almost alien to one another.

「 THE INNER SEAS 」

Due to the nature of ocean currents and land masses, south of the first main island of Daofei is a series of larger islands collectively known as the “southern islands”. Given their placement, there are a series of inner seas that each have their own currents, biodiversity, and cultures attached to them. Totalling a defined nine inner seas, this network of distinct bodies of water has given rise to a myriad of cultures, each unique and adapted to the nature of those seas.

The largest of the seas, known as Earth Sea as it divides the two major Earth Kingdom territories. Is home to a myriad of resources – from oil to fishing to natural gas – as well as incredible biodiversity in the region. The Earth Kingdom cultures that surround the sea, including the infamous Jang Hui fishing village and the Mandalorian-adjacent Beviiragir Clans, all have traditionally relied on fishing as a way of life for centuries.

After the Earth Sea in size, the Fire Sea is the body of water that surrounds the Home Island of the Fire Nation. Connected to three other seas – the Hexagonal Sea, the Dinotopian Sea, and the Calamaisic Sea – it has been argued that from a geographical standpoint, these four seas should be one massive sea. However, from a cultural standpoint of the surrounding territories, it is clear that each sea has its own culture.

• Fire Sea – The Home Island of the Fire Nation, as well as the northern states of the Fire States. Many of the villages and towns here are bult upon trade with distant islands, given the depth of the Fire Sea can extend to an average of two kilometres away from the shallow shelf on the coast.
• Hexagonal Sea – Named for the five islands it touches and the sixth in the middle. The shallowest of the Avatarian seas, it is known for its history of piracy in the are during the times of the Earth-Fire Wars in the 1820s. The cultures around the Hexagonal Sea are known for the rich sea-faring history, and the central island served as a trading post for the islands during this time and is rich in archaeological sites.
• Dinotopian Sea – Named for the island to the west, home to a multitude of fossils from the Creatceous Period, this sea is known for the strong currents that circulate between the three islands, as well as being home to a specific gyre that renders the southern part of the Fire Sea to be particularly calm. The sea is found at the southern edge of the Fire States, the Western Mando’a Islands, and the western shores of the Southern Water Tribe Island of Uanniluak; each of these cultures developed sea-fairing that relied on the gyre to travel to the islands, resulting in a unique blend of the three cultures, and home to the only Mandalorian clans in the Fire Nation, and the only Fire Nation city outside of the Home Island and States.
• Calamaisic Sea – Named for a species of squid found only in this region, the Calamaisic Sea is home to numerous coral reefs that flourish in the semi-tropical waters thanks to thermal vents. Thanks to these coral reefs, the Calamaisic Sea is also the only see in Gyatso-kai that is not open to commercial fishing, commercial travel, and has set limits on ship size and draft.

---

As you can see, water defines much of Avatarian life, and not just that of the so-aptly named Water Tribes. The ocean shaped our land, the seas shaped our cultures and history – even for those more isolated from the water – and, given the penchant for environmentalism, will continue to prosper into the future to be enjoyed and appreciated by generations for years to come.

---

Copyright 2021.3 Avatarian Sports Programming Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.aspn.com.gk/articles/general/23882751
© 2021 Avatarian Sports Programming Network

[Kriegiersien]

The Schoenwetter Herald

Sport – Hockey on Ice

World Cup of Hockey 42

Omerica 0–5 Kriegiersien

After the clear victory against Omerica Ranoria awaits as next opponent. The game against ‘The Krauts’ could become a hard fight, as not only a few of the Kriegiersien, but also some of the players of Ranoria are known for their aggressive playing style.
The match already has is first victim before it even begins, as Elwood Fields will be missing the match after a diet the team had to ‘suffer’ as some of them called it. A diet consisting out of cabbage and carrots.
Unfortunately Elwood Fields showed an allergy against Sauerkraut and is now out for the match.

“But the rest of the team is now very hungry. For the match. To win it”, assured the Coach.
The doctor who suggested the diet hasn’t been seen anymore and couldn’t be interviewed.

[Valanora]

Elven physiology is largely similar to that of their humanoid cousins in that of dwarves, hobbits, dragonkin, and of course humans themselves. All are bipedal, walking on two legs and upright with two arms, with different statures, muscle thickness, and other small different racial traits. However due to the elves unique physiology, being immune to nearly all disease and being prone to having lithe to athletic bodies, with an extremely high metabolism that usually prevents obesity in all but the rarest of cases, the elves do not usually consume large volumes of food at their meals unless they are athletes and need to calories to perform to their highest athletic prowess. Due to this lack of need for substantial substance, the elven diet became quite unique and relatively small. With many rivers, lakes, and creeks or ponds dotting through the Arrosian continent, in addition to the sea that surrounds the continent, fish were the primary staple of the elven diet, as well as various breads, and wine to drink if there was no access to clean drinking water. For area that have clean drinking water, wine is reserved for the evening meals, to allow people to relax into the night after a days work.

The breads, various vegetables, as well as most fruit that would augment the elves' diet is primarily grown in the southwestern part of the nation, primarily located around the metropolis of Mar Sara. This area of the nation is known as the breadbasket of Valanora and has numerous farm to market dirt paths that almost all eventually end up in Mar Sara, where they are often then shipped to Raynor City before being distributed to the larger part of the continent with the major caravans heading towards Gladerial in the north and the port city of Rinaldi southeast of the capital. There are large vineyards in this area as well, with wine being the primary drink for most of the populace. The cities along the Spine of Arrosia mountain chain, particularly that of Longview at the very northern end of the chain, primarily rely on foraging of berries or edible mushrooms as well hunting of wildlife, such as rams and mountain lions, though the latter need be hunted in parties due to their ferocity.

For more exotics food, as well as spices, the island subcontinent of Vircais, where the nation of Sabine and Caddonia is located provide this in droves for the Vanorian mainland. Rice is a primary staple of the diet for the people of Vircais, along with beans and baked breads. The exchange of foods between the mainland and Vircais had done much to bolster each others diets and added a bit of variety to their usual intakes. Finding Vanorian food outside of the homeland is rare, though it is not very uncommon to find a bottle of the elven wines, with the typical wine being sold being at around eighty percent proof alcohol, making it quite a drink for those not accustomed to it. Elves would commonly give guests a bottle of wine and make a game out of guessing how many glasses it will take for their guests to pass out after discovery that not everyone could hold their wine the same way that the Vanorian natives can, a tradition that sticks around to this day for those who travel abroad or hosts guests in their home or establishment.

[Sarzonia]

If Sarzonians were inclined to believe in the concept of moral victories, their national ice hockey team's 2-1 defeat to Equestria likely would have qualified as one.

Sarzonia dropped its first match of the qualifying campaign for World Cup of Hockey 42 to a team ranked 11th in the multiverse. Even as the 23rd ranked side, a team coming back from a one-Cup absence still was expected to struggle more mighty than it has so far.

However, the downcast faces, slumped shoulders and red eyes told a completely different story. The Stars were competitive with the Ponies, all right. They p
outshot Equestria 32-26, out hit the Ponies 41-23, and won the faceoff battle 28-19. But Alyssa Hannigan was the only Sarzonian to put the biscuit in the basket against the Equestria goaltender.

Left wing Sylvan Turcotte snapped his stick in half in frustration after a sprawling save that denied him a power play goal at 13:41 of the third period. The goal would have drawn the score level at 2-2 and likely would have allowed the Stars to cycle through all four lines in the hope of keeping everyone fresh to potentially earn a regulation victory.

However, the save against Turcotte forced manager Paul Bremerton to begin double-shifting Sarzonia's top two lines at even strength. He pulled goalie Jacob Parsons for an extra skater with 2:23 remaining in the third.

"It was frustrating to come out of this match with no points," Turcotte said. "We feel like we completely outplayed Equestria and we fought like hell for 60 minutes, but we just couldn't get anything going against their goalie."

Bremerton said third string goalie Owen Franks would make his first senior national team start against unranked Iba Dawa. Normal backup Yuri Evgenikov was being held out for "an internal matter," according to Bremerton.

"Just something we're taking care of in house," Bremerton said. Evgenikov declined to comment when he was asked about not starting against Iraq Dawa.

[Ko-oren]

"Pick a card, any card."

"This one. Or no! This one. Wait, for a random choice this is pretty difficult..."

"Take however long you like."

"Ok. This one."

"The king of wands..."

"That, well, doesn't tell me much, honestly."

"It's a powerful card, as in, it's a card that can weigh heavily on you. It carries a lot of ambition, it signifies someone who takes action rather than react. Not someone to take the status quo for granted: there's always something to conquer, to add to the collection, or to take... by force... from someone else."

"I suppose that's what sports are about, ultimately. Zero-sum games and all that."

"Beware, however, it's not really a card of creativity. It's a card of sheer power. And hubris, as well."

"Right, right, and what about our opponents?"

"So, they'll all be Wands. Which means they're all about energy, be it power, or strength, or a call to action, in some way."

Valanora - Queen of Wands - That's much the same as your fate, however, maybe a tad more independent and demanding, and relies less on overpowering and forcing. They might surprise you, even if you know of their reputation.
Equestria - Page of Wands - Quick to jump to new opportunities, by now we've left the power and strength of the wands and moved into the springing into action department. Well, I think we all know about the Ponies' speed relative to ours.
Poafmersia - 10 of Wands - What if you were to carry ten wands? That's a bit much, isn't it. Overstretched, carrying a heavy burden, all the way down the spiral to coming up short...
Kelssek - 9 of Wands - A valiant fight, making a stand down to the last second, they're never quite out of the battle. Don't count them out.
Sarzonia - 8 of Wands - This card is all about speed, so I suppose the Stars will surprise through pace rather than sheer strength.
Delaclava - 7 of Wands - Putting up a wall, I think they know full well they don't have the upper hand in this group but that won't stop them. I don't see how they'll be much more defensive than us though.
Elejamie - 6 of Wands - The cosmos says that this team is the one to overperform, there is success in this card. And yet... you never know if that's sporting achievements.
North Alezia - 5 of Wands - Don't drop your gloves, this card is all about physical fights. I suppose we're back in the strength and power part of the suit.
Pius Desurongcrandis - 4 of Wands - They're just happy to be here. It's also a great starting off point for a long and prosperous journey?
Sannyamathland - 3 of Wands - Instead of jumping on a plan, they'll be planning their moves beforehand.
Pluvie - 2 of Wands - Overwhelmed by options, they know they have everything still in front of them. It's up to them to make a decision, but they might make that decision in an upcoming tournament. It'll be a long search...
Iba Dwa - Ace of Wands - Like the previous four, this one is all about making meaningful first steps. I suppose that's maybe a bit on the nose.

"Now where did my Knight of Wands go?"

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Has Ups and Downs in Satisfactory Matches

Kriegiersien 2-1 HUElavia

HUElavia 5-0 Flekkefjord

Coming into Matchdays 5 and 6, HUElavia was coming off a strong push from their back-to-back victories. Now, they had more matches coming on, and it was against the unranked Kriegiersien and #30 Flekkefjord. HUElavia opted to play with the backups of Caetano and Mayhuasca in goal for the respective matches, looking to give Vasilevskiy some rest before the big match versus Quebec and Shingoryeo. The fans flocked to the arenas looking to support the team with joy and passion, as they and the team hoped more victories could come for the team to get among the Top 4 of the Group of Cups in order to get closer to the knockouts. Once the puck was dropped, the matches were underway!

The first game saw the opening goal come early in the 1st period, when Meghni took a shot that was blocked by Becker, only for Castilho to come uncovered and push the puck into the goal, making it 1-0. The crowd jumped and cheered with joy while Castilho was hugged and given fist bumps by the team to congratulate on the quick timing of the goal. Despite HUElavia's chances, Becker became a wall and was stopping shots from HUElavia. Late in the 3rd Period, with Becker pulled, Kriegiersien went on the attack with the final minute in play, and with 39 seconds left, Mora took a shot that deflected off Garcon-Chevalier and past Caetano into the goal, making it 1-1. With Becker back in play, it looked as if the match was going to Overtime, but Paul took the puck from Brousseau, and began to charge at Caetano, who made a stop, but up came McCarty to push the puck between the legs of Caetano and into the goal, making it 2-1 with 9.8 seconds left. In the ensuing faceoff, HUElavia tried to get two more shots in, but it was not enough, as the match ended in an upset loss for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos, being upset in what should have been an easy victory.

Frustrated with the upset, HUElavia went all out on Flekkefjord, going on shot after shot after shot. Despite the chances created, REDACTED made saves everywhere to keep the game at 0-0 going into the 3rd Period. With 10 minutes left, during a counter attack, Dominguez-Garcia was knocked down hard with a high stick by REDACTED, giving way for a 5-on-4 power play for 5 minutes. 12 seconds into the powerplay, a pass was done from Obee to Ovetchkin to give a one-timer past REDACTED into the goal, making it 1-0. The crowd jumped and celebrated with passion while Ovetchkin celebrated with his teammates. 40 seconds later, Obee faced off against REDACTED, and juked right through him and gave a low shot to slide past REDACTED into the goal, making it 2-0. 90 seconds later, Petit gave a pass to Kim, who gave a shot that got blocked by REDACTED, only for the puck to fall on Dubois, who gave a blistering shot to blast into the goal, making it 3-0. In the final minute of the power play, Schmitt won the puck and gave a pass to Kim, who sped through the defense to go one-on-one with REDACTED, gave a high shot that went past REDACTED and into the goal, making it 4-0. In the final 10 seconds of the powerplay, Schmitt got the puck and passed it to Leite, who gave a quick one-time shot to go past REDACTED into the goal, making it 5-0. HUElavia then played defensively and stopped any chances of Flekkefjord from making any comeback and Mayhuasca held out on the clean sheet, as HUElavia won 5-0 to satisfy the HUElavian faithful.

With the loss and victory, HUElavia sit in 4th place with 12 Points. Their next opponent will be against Quebec and Shingoryeo, whom Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos had previously faced in the Round-of-16 of the World Cup of Hockey 40 in Montreal, where HUElavia took the victory. Two nations on very friendly terms meet up where the winner can be setting themselves up to a good result if either can get the victory. This especially be the case since Quebec and Shingoryeo is in 5th place with 11 Points. Regardless, it looks to be a very entertaining and passionate match with both teams needing victories to stay alive in the hunt for the Top 4 places for the Knockouts of the 42nd World Cup of Hockey. After this match, HUElavia will be on their bye to rest up, train and study film for their remaining opponents. The fans will be flocking to the arena, in what is expected to be a sold-out match with 50/50 amount of supporters from HUElavia and Quebec and Shingoryeo. Here's to what can be a great match!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Today Magazine

Hockey History

The Heavyweight Champions of Hockey
Part V - Towards Expansion

Franz Klauber vs Ivor Balikov. It was the fight everyone expected, the clash of generations, one that everyone tuned into. By this point in time, the hockey game was a cultural institution in Siovanija & Teusland. Whether you listened on radio or watched on television, it was well-known that if ‘the game’ was on, nothing else was. And the showdown between the Stelburg Kaisers and Kapitala Borograd ended up being on one of the first-ever live television broadcasts of Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland. There was an expectation: these two heavyweights would go at it.

On the night of the game, however, there was no fight to be found. Instead, there was a clean, tight game between two strong hockey clubs. Kaisers’ forward Wolf Bleich, arguably the best player of the era, scored twice, and Kapitala could do little to match, as the game ended in a 2-0 win for the visiting team from Stelburg. It was an excellent game worthy of a national television broadcast - but in the papers the next day, the question was why did the two heavyweights not face off.

“It’s not a boxing match,” said Kaisers coach Fritz Stiegel at a press conference the day after the game in Stelburg. “That was an excellent hockey match, and to see you all out for blood when it wasn’t necessary is disappointing.” Stiegel was an old-school coach from the era when fighting was considered amateur, not part of the professional game. Many in the country agreed with him. Many, however, did not - and when Franz Klauber fought the St. Jakob Saints’ Johan Malder the next night, the papers praised his fighting skills over the goal-scoring exploits of teammate Bleich.

Hockey was becoming widely available on television broadcasts in the country, and that meant that the entertainment value of having a fight grew and grew - especially in the eyes of the media. By this point, the star of boxing as a massive sport in this country had fallen. It was still popular, but now trailed far behind hockey and football. Hockey fights, then, were becoming a massive part of the entertainment value of the game as it grew to a new level.

We mentioned before that the Kaisers-Kapitala game was one of the first live broadcast games in the country. Prior to this time, most games were aired on radio - and even with the live broadcasts, radio was still the main option for most in the country. Televisions were still new, and while the country was going through an economic boom, it was still tough to get your hands on one. Radio broadcasts were transmitted with commentary in both official languages, with the intermission a mix of both. The acquisition of the broadcasting rights by the national broadcaster, RBC, sent the popularity of hockey to the stratosphere.

What certainly helped was that this era was a sort of ‘golden era’ for the Ehrenliga, both in terms of actual skilled players as well as on the particular side we’re focusing on, fighting. Wolf Bleich of the Kaisers was a dominant force, taking over league records in goals and points through his career, and as captain of the most popular team in the country became an instantly-recognizable figure in the country. In fact, our Hockey Today magazine cover from October 1957 declared him ‘more popular than the Kaiser in the Empire.’ There were other stars too, such as Vaclav Kostov who helped lead Olympia Borograd to back-to-back titles or Werner Stoltz, the strong powerful defenceman who helped Eisbaren Stelburg form a dynasty in the late 1950s.

All together, these star players helped create the Ehrenliga we know now. Along with them, however, was a renaissance of fighting in the league. There were columns dedicated in weekly sports journals about potential upcoming fights to watch - in fact, our Hockey Today magazine once published a ‘Fight Night’ recommendation on game-days in its back pages, which would list ‘undercards’ and a theoretical ‘main event’ between which two teams had the best fighters. Beside reviews discussing silk-smooth passes and shots, were reviews of fights.

Through this era, however, Franz Klauber remained the top dog. He eventually would fight Ivor Balikov, a few weeks later, and although the game had much less hype - it wasn’t on national television - Klauber’s easy win over Balikov made the headlines. Klauber took hold of our Ehrenliga heavyweight belt a few games later, beating Energija Chernovets’ Anton Strijkov, and he would end up becoming the main holder of the belt for the next decade.

A serviceable defenceman throughout his career, Klauber ushered in the new generation of fighters from the generation who had grown up in the harder times of the 1930s and 40s. He was nominated twice in his career for defenceman of the year, after he had improved his puckhandling abilities to be not quite level with his defensive skills, but good enough. He held a near-universal claim to be the league’s top heavyweight through the early days of his career, but as he got older, his skill began to wane.

Going into the 1966 season, Klauber announced it would be his final year, at the age of 35. He wanted a simple retirement, to return home with his wife and kids to live on the farm he grew up on. He had won 8 Strauss Cups in his career, and become a hero amongst the Kaisers’ fans, but by this time, he wasn’t quite what he once was. Even in fighting, he was no longer the undisputed champ, and by this point did not hold the Ehrenliga heavyweight belt. He still, however, had one magic moment left in him.

On March 23, 1966, the Kaisers rolled into Chernovets to take on Energija in a back-to-back, with a game Saturday evening on Hockey Night and another on Sunday afternoon. Chernovets’ defender Lyubomir Asanov was the current holder of the championship belt, but more importantly, Chernovets were actually a good club: competitive for the Strauss Cup alongside the Kaisers. It was going to be a major series, with the playoffs fast approaching, and it was important for both teams to send a message.

The Kaisers, however, were the only team to get that message on Saturday night. They played hard, winning the game 3-1, but most importantly, Wolf Bleich - who was famously physical, known for his elbowing calls and the ‘Wolf Bleich hat-trick,’ a goal, assist and fight in the same game - dropped the gloves with Asanov late in the third. Bleich won the fight, taking hold of the belt, but you could tell Chernovets were not happy.

On Sunday afternoon, Chernovets didn’t come to play hockey as much as to fight. Early in the first, Asanov and Bleich went again, this time Asanov coming out on top. Midway through the second, there was a bench-clearing brawl - seeing Asanov take on Franz Klauber. It was Klauber’s first fight in a season and a half, but the old man proved he still had it, beating Asanov to take back the belt. With time winding down in the third, Asanov challenged Klauber again - Klauber winning again, becoming the first person ever (and only in the history of our belt) to take and defend the heavyweight crown in the same game.

It would be the final fight of Klauber’s career. The Kaisers would go on a great run in the playoffs, knocking out cross-town rivals Eisbaren Stelburg in the first round before defeating Olympia Borograd in the Strauss Cup Final to win the championship. Klauber retired officially one week later. A core part of the Kaisers’ incredible dynasties of the 1950s and 60s, his #6 was retired by the club a few years later.

A month after Klauber’s retirement, the Ehrenliga changed forever. The expansion of an additional 6 franchises was announced, beginning in the 1968 season. The next year would be the final one with only 6 teams. There was too much money in the game now to keep it closed forever, and so many growing cities desperate for professional hockey. This era had seen many of the league’s finest players grow the game, and in a way, it led to the opening of the new era.

Perhaps Klauber retiring with the belt, then, was fitting. The end of an era in multiple ways. For us here at Hockey Today, however, it gave us a new question - where would we pick up? Klauber would take his belt, the original title, into retirement. But a new one would be founded. How? You’ll just have to stay tuned.

[Mercedini]

World Cup of Hockey XLII
Group Of Pentacles: A Step In The Right Direction
@ Westfjall Arena - Laafjörður, Graintfjall

Welcome Result Against Top Seed

---

FINAL

WCOH | MD6

---

GYATSO-KAI 2
MERCEDINI 5

(1-0) (0-4) (1-1)

---

Laafjörður, Graintfjall

With all the pressure on the team going into the blockbuster match of the group on paper, it was paramount that the team delivered to keep their now fading hopes of making it to the knockout rounds. However, they turned their fortunes around with a rousing 5-2 victory over Gyatso-Kai, the current World #4 in front of a packed crowd in Laafjordur once again. It could be the turning point for the Kingfishers who were scrambling for a result to reignite their stone cold run of form. Selignsky unsurprisingly picked a full strength squad for the match up between the top two seeds in the group, with a win looking unlikely, but necessary for their campaign to go on with any chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds. Braces from Kelodon and Santo rounded up a stellar comeback half which saw then go in a goal down, but finish the second period with a 4-1 lead with only twenty minutes to go in the game. Traded goals between the two teams meant Gyatso-Kai couldn't bridge the gap in the score, and it was Dini that came away with all three points in convincing style.

Despite all of the praise going to Mercedini, question were asked as to why Mercedini couldn't put together a performance like that for every match. Beating the World #4 by three goals is completely contrasted by losing to the likes of Devonta and Fluvannia, albeit the latter two were on good form at the time. The simple answer is complacency, and the long group campaign which is forcing teams to adapt and rotate their teams to keep them as fresh as possible. Clearly, the same five outfield players cannot play every day for twelve days, so it's likely that the management will have to pick their battles and see which matches have some wiggle room. The sticking point is when the Kingfishers give too much, and are aught off guard by their opposition, who take that chance and claim goals, which ultimately lead to lost points from a Mercedinian perspective.

Looking at the group as it stood following that game, and it is the Fleftic and Anglicana trains which keep on chugging along as both nation picked up their fifth and sixth wins respectively. They are the outright top two, and are yet to be beaten. Mercedini have played neither of these sides so far, so there is a chance for Mercedini to close the gap on those teams providing they pick up wins. Devonta also won, while Fluvannia had their BYE match, so at least some ground was gained on the top four from the most recent round of matches. With their win, Dini leapfrogged Gyatso-Kai into fifth with a game in hand, but ground still needs to made up if last edition's fourth place finishers are to do better in this one.

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                   6    6    0    0    0   15    4  +11   18
 2 Abanhfleft                       5    5    0    0    0   21    6  +15   15
 3 United States of Devonta         6    4    1    0    1   20   15   +5   14
 4 Fluvannia                        5    4    0    0    1   22   10  +12   12
 5 Mercedini                        5    3    0    1    1   18    9   +9   10
 6 Gyatso-Kai                       6    3    0    1    2   23   19   +4   10
 7 Suimede                          6    2    1    0    3   18   16   +2    8
 8 Le Choix                         5    2    0    1    2    8    7   +1    7
 9 Islands of Ventro                6    2    0    1    3   17   23   –6    7
10 Gergary                          6    1    1    0    4    9   18   –9    5
11 Anthor                           6    0    1    0    5   12   29  –17    2
12 Grey County                      5    0    0    0    5    5   18  –13    0
   Salzcovia                        5    0    0    0    5    5   19  –14    0

Next up for Mercedini is not the nation who beat us in a previous final. It must be the Mandela effect in action once again, as is was Neu Engollon that beat us in that final, not Nova Anglicana who we will actually play next. Nevertheless, N.A. have been steamrolling the group so far, with Dini hoping to be the first team to put any sort of blemish on the record of the Anglicans. Again, a win like that would not only peg back the current runaway leaders, but give Dini valuable points to keep their tally ticking over and bring themselves within striking distance of a team who still has their bye match to play. We will give you coverage of the big game in Laafjordur, plus what that means for the group as matches begin to count down, tomorrow. Goodnight!

Wikitravel: Mercedini
OVERVIEW | Understand | Get In & Get Around | See & Do | Buy | Eat & Drink | Stay Safe | Respect

Mercedini (Mercedinian: Mercedinia) is a island nation in Southern Novapax. It's borders consist of one large landmass, known as Greater Mercedini, as well as a plethora of small landmasses and archipelagos located to the east of the nation's territory, the most notable being those Exton, Darlaston and the Kingfisher Archipelago. The modern incarnation of the Mercedinian Republic is well over 300 years old, which formerly consisted of the sovereign nation of the Republic of Mercedini, the semi-autonomous Community of Shebnatsiya, and the now independent Republic of Cosneolta. When referring to Mercedini in the current day, this includes solely Greater Mercedini (incl. Shebnatsiya) and her surrounding islands.

Mercedini is famous regionally and multiversally for its delicious cuisine, its trendy fashion industry, love of cars and motorcycles, diverse regional cultures and dialects; as well as for its beautiful coast, alpine lakes and mountain ranges (the most notable being the Irst Highlands and the Yikulf Range). No wonder it is often nicknamed the Isola Del Blu-Verde (the Isle of Blue-Green).

Mercedini today is a diverse patchwork of native and immigrant cultures, possessing a fascinating history and dynamic modern culture, both of which remain hugely influential in the region and select areas across the multiverse. Although Mercedini has only recently projected it's power around the regional neighbourhood, Mercedini is still an overwhelmingly popular destination for many travellers. Its capital and largest city of Zoloroni is often reckoned to be an international city of importance, but many also come to see the smaller communities, the vast nature, and the active and vibrant culture.

Over the course of these mini-publications, we will cover everything to know about our nation, giving you the local's guide to the nation, and giving you the ins-and-outs of the nation before you have even set foot on hallow turf.

[Elejamie]

"¡Ay, mis amigos! ¿Os acordáis?"

That was the famous line uttered by DJ Speedy (real name Sergio Romero García) at 12:09am on 17th March, 1987. It might not have seemed like much as he was three songs into his set. But little did he know that that announcement, which was part of a live show for NL KLUB on the pirate radio station Radio Juvenoche, ended up kickstarting an interest in the burgeoning agró scene. Although it had some small level of popularity, that set introduced a whole generation of dancers to another, darker side of electronic dance music. Then came the following line not too long later: "Molino, Calblanque, Charlie, rutas de Vangurdia." A simple shout-out to the three DJs who had their residencies at the Vanguardia nightclub in Playa de Rocas at the time: Molino (aka Molino Rojo, real name Javier Luis Rojas Moreno) and Calblanque (a DJ duo consisting of brothers Tomás and David Morata Saucedo, named after the part of Spain they had originally arrived from before they moved over in 1965), both of whom were already experienced and respected DJs, but also an up-and-comer in Charlie (real name Carlos Jordán Carvajal) who was making a real splash at the time. Indeed, DJ Speedy was playing a remix Charlie had made of his own song "Tortura Electro" when he made that announcement, which served as a further endorsement of what he was able to do.

It is unknown when the idea of agró first came to fruition, along with who came up with the idea in the first place, but it's believed to be anywhere between 1984 (when the newly formed Calbanque first made the song "Pesadilla mortal" ("Deadly Nightmare"), considered to be the earliest known original song to come from the whole scene) to 1986, when Molino Rojo first did his Hora de agresión set where he played the sort of music that'd become synonymous (and even named) the whole scene. All that's known is that after 1986 it started to get a cult following, with more DJs incorporating songs in the style into their mixes and even a couple of clubs specially designed for the whole scene started to spring up. Raves were also not uncommon, although they were often broken up by the police. Radio Juvenoche would occasionally showcase some of these songs but they were more the exception rather than the rule, which made the first all-agró set on the station done by DJ Speedy all the more influential.

So how did it become popular in the first place? Unlike Anglo- and Iyilim Elejamians, who were often drawn to the carefree and euphoric vibes that house music provided, Hispano-Elejamian youths tended to gravitate more towards the harder stuff. This was mostly to rebel against the the Church, whose grip on the Spanish speaking part of the country was starting to slip as Nuevo Paraíso and Valledorado started to secularise; as a way of coping with the high unemployment in these parts of the country during the 1980s; and as a middle finger to house, disco and other similar music which they saw as outdated and unfitting. The downside was that agró was incredibly uncommon outside of Nuevo Paraíso and Valledorado, due to it being seen as "unimpressive" at best and "ugly and chaotic" at worst by outsiders. DJs who tried to ply their craft in another part of the country or even abroad would often receive a chilly reception at best. As a result, those from the outside would often have to travel to the south-east of the country just to attend parties, raves and other such stuff (and DJs would often move there if they wished to carry on playing in that style, with Paul Affenbach being the most notable Anglo-Elejamian agró DJ), whereas the vast majority of original songs were either in the Spanish language or were instrumentals with Spanish-language titles.

One of the biggest misnomers about agró is that it's a genre entirely in itself. In reality, "agró" was the name of the scene itself and it was often a good way to trip up posers and newcomers. The music itself was called by the actual genre it was; usually it was electronic body music although new beat, synthpunk, electro-industrial and, to a small extent, hardcore music would often be played. Whatever it was, the music would often be hard, aggressive and authoritarian, with "Tortura Electro (Charlie Fucked With This Mix)" ending up giving its new fans an idea of what they were in for with its droning synths, its pounding drums and its aggressive piano riffs that sounds like a second set of drums. The most common way of dancing to it was pogoing, often mixed with banging a fist against a flat surface or your leg or by raising a fist into the air and waving it back and forth.

As it would gain popularity, so too would its spin on the Spanish language, which was dubbed "Agrónyol". "Ñ" would become "ny" (a thing that also happened in the early days of text displays, if only because there was no support for ñ at the time), "ll" would become "y", "qu" would become "k". Words were shortened or compounded. Phrases would often be put in the English way, such as "club de fútbol" becoming "fútbol club". And it would develop its own slang. "Chi", coming from "chica", would usually designate an attractive female although it wasn't uncommon for it to be used to mean an attractive male. "Rutas de" would often be used to mean "over at the", such as in the other famous line uttered by DJ Speedy. Parties, raves and any other gathering that featured agró as the primary music source were called "events". And "drado"/"drada", taken from cuadrado or cuadrada (both meaning "square") would often be used to described contemptible people, usually police informants, posers or anyone else willing to ruin the party. It's unknown what the Academia Elejamiana de la Lengua Española thought about it but chances are it would've been negative.

There was a small bit of controversy in the early 1990s where, much like the real life Gabber movement, the neo-Nazi movement also tried to claim a stake in agró by organising their own events and even having a few songs in the style, although fewer than normal copies were made and are believed to be lost. However, they faced swift resistance from established musicians, labels and even fans of the genre. The songs "¡Fuera Nazis!" ("Nazis out"), "No seas racista" ("Don't be racist"), Unidad ("Unity") and, to a lesser extent, "Eres un fracasco" ("You are a failure"), as well as other songs such as "People Are People" and "Hetzjagd auf Nazis!" received regular rotation in sets. Songs put out by Mwerte Rekords would usually have a slogan which, when translated into English, read "Agró takes a stand against those who discriminate based on colour and faith". And a number of brawls had broken out in clubs between clubbers and suspected fascists, although organisers and the DJs themselves were quick to condemn these violent acts and it wasn't uncommon for a set to be stopped so the perpetrators would be kicked out. And that's not mentioning how a number of acts wouldn't have been keen on these people intruding on their genre, such as the half-Jewish El Ladriyo (real name Daniel Pérez Torres), Molino Rojo (who had arrived from Central America in the early 1980s) and DomDom (Domingo Cortes Florencio), who would later come out as gay in 2005 even though his sexuality was an open secret at the time.

Despite all of this underground success, agró made little if any impact on the mainstream music charts. Records by established artists in the scene would usually be incredibly limited, with 500 copies of a single song not being uncommon and 2,000 copies being unheard of. Furthermore, they were usually made by DJs for DJs as opposed to the general public, which further limited their reach. Songs by other, usually more mainstream and/or foreign artists would often be album-only cuts or songs that were recleased years ago. And, as previously mentioned, agró received little to no attention outside of Nuevo Paraíso and Valledorado and, since there wasn't a separate Spanish chart until 2000, any songs that sold well in those two tracts but received miniscule purchases elsewhere weren't usually counted.

So what brought about the decline of agró? The first sign of trouble was the Saturday Night Slaughter phenomenon where club-goers, after a long night of dancing and other stuff, would fall asleep behind the wheel and end up getting involved in car accidents that ended up causing injuries or even deaths. The media and the Church, who had been quick to demonise agró since it first became popular, capitalised on this and either called for a banning of the movement or for slower songs to be played towards the end. The second was the rising popularity of trance and drum and bass in the public conscience, along with hardcore becoming more mainstream, saw more clubgoers take an interest in that as opposed to the harsh industrial-sounding beats that agró was giving them. Clubs and DJs would either gradually incorporate these genres into their sets or abandon agró entirely, with specially made record labels such as the aforementioned Mwerte Rekords either going backrupt or being absorbed into other labels. And the final reason was that most of the early agró fans and musicians had grown old and the newcomers didn't really see what was so revolutionary about the whole scene.

In a sad twist of fate, "¿Os acordáis?" has now taken on another meaning. Charlie would pass on in May 1996, just seven days after his 33rd birthday, following an overdose. Vanguardia would close down in June 2001 and, despite the best efforts of the community, the building hosting it would be demolished just over four years later; in its place lies an apartment block. Calblanque disbanded in 2002 but the brothers would re-unite once a year until Tomás' death three years later in November 2005 at the age of 43; David would also pass in January 2021 at the age of 61 after a long illness. And Molino would eventually succumb to bile duct cancer in July 2013 at the age of 56. DJ Speedy, the man who made that announcement, is fortunately still alive although he had retired from DJing in clubs in the mid 2000s due to concerns about his hearing.

However, while agró as a scene sadly remains a thing of the past, its memory lives on. There have been murals dotted around Playa de Rocas and its surrounding areas dedicated to the scene and important people and places relating to it. There have been a number of compilation albums made, usually by the artists themselves as a Greatest Hits catalogue or as part of a set, or by record labels looking to make a quick buck off of nostalgia. There've even been a number of nights when DJs old and new incorporated songs into their sets. The most recent example of the whole scene receiving some love was when the documentary Agró Nación was released in late 2020, which conducted interviews with surviving DJs and other figures from the sceen as well as archive footage of old DJs and parties; it received rave reviews and only time will tell if the second coming of agró will be a thing once everything returns to some level of normal.

(N.B. In our reality, the song remained mysterious for the longest time until someone identified it as The Flying Lizards - Dizzy in August 2020. The identity of the Spanish DJ speaking those famous lines, the meaning behind "Molino, Calblanque, Charlie, rutas de vanguardia" and whether this was part of a live set or the lines were pre-recorded still remain unknown.)

---

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Pius D'crandis		1	1	1	3
Elejamie		3	1	2	6

Three Stars:
Cerin Meloten (EJM) (2G, 1A, 3 points)
Adam Keane (EJM) (1G, 3A, 4 points)
Jimmy Karts (PDC) (0G, 3A, 3 points)

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Part 3

> 9:30 A.M. BREAKFAST AT HVARFHEIM HATTMARK
> 11:00 A.M. BUS DEPARTS FOR ROYAL ARSENAL

The player who has been busy phoning his wife and daughter back home in Quebec is Jean-Gabriel Talon, a centreman who is delighted to be on his first senior national team. For the course of the trip, he sits at the front row because the phone reception at the bus works better if you sit closer to the driver and the coach.

Talon, whose wife is a day away from giving birth, is feeling nervous about the wait. Fortunately, his wife Juliane, whom he had first met back in high school while playing major junior hockey, is currently at her parents' place with readily available access to medics and emergency services. 'It's scary feeling, regardless of whatever you can afford and get ready in advance.' he says, after a half an hour long call. 'She's happy I'm playing, and so is her family. They are those who watch Hockey Night in Quebec every saturday, so they expect me not to worry so much about news back home. Still, it does keep me nervous and I have to admit I haven't been playing the best. Hope things will improve today.'

> 11:30 A.M. THE TOUR OF THE ROYAL ARSENAL AND THE GRAND NATIONAL ARENA WITH THE TEAM.

After having a slight problem last night with minor maintenance errors, the bus runs normally through the streets of Hattmark. It arrives in time for the tour at the Royal Arsenal, which was generously arranged in advanced to the Ice Knights by Hockey Quebec and the World Cup of Hockey, both located stone's throw away from each other back in Quebec City.

About forty Quebecois men and women come out to have a tour of the Royal Arsenal and Grand National Arena, both located in Gunzlach, and also to spend some time not thinking about the World Cup of Hockey. 'It does give all of us much-needed relief, that's for sure,' Jean-Gabriel says. 'To see and hear about the history of military and all the cool weapons they have, here in the Arsenal, as well as the history of Græntfjaller football, is certainly a cool thing we hope to do more over the course of our time here.'

While waiting for the national team, Coach Browne-Hahm and the assistant coaches have a talk at the lobby. He thinks about the itineraries for the next two days. 'We know tomorrow's not going to be an easy day to plan anything, that's for sure,' assistant coach Jeanne-Luce Varelin comments. She states to the other two coaches that some players, regardless of the practice schedule, will have a night out or spend time doing other things.

It's inevitable- a lot of the Quebecois players in their twenties, over the course of past half century, have made their names known in nightclubs and bars across the Multiverse. To make it worse, the Imperial Sporting Council, one of two governing bodies of sporting participation under the Ministry of Sport, has already warned Hockey Quebec not to cause trouble following the arrest of Busoga Islander Delbin Kasekende Jr in a Stelburg nightclub during the sixty-third AOCAF Championship last June. The arrest of Kasekende, widely regarded by the Busogans as the national embarrassment, has certainly left a clear reminder to the ISC and HQ. Don't make the same mistake.

Of course, all three coaches know they are left to chance in not making mistakes. They, from the grim expressions of their face, know it will take a lot of courage for these guys to stay consistent and restraint against those temptations. In a matter of deliberation, Browne had asked if it would be possible for me to consider joining them for a night out. 'It would be good to see how things will go,' Coach Browne asks.

> 4:00 P.M. - ICE KNIGHTS ARRIVE AT ACE MultiArena, MOKOFEN FOR A WARMUP SKATE

There is a bit more energy in the arena after a downer of the game they had last night. Coming from a small country of only 300,000 people, Flekkefjord national team is slightly outsized team with limited depth. For the Ice Knights, this is a good team to face especially given their recent struggles against Waisnor and Srednjaci, both teams that the Ice Knights had beaten in regulation time with little trouble, the Ice Knights make some changes on their lines, to prepare for a tough second half stretch.

Unlike the previous night's disappointments, the Ice Knights stat off hot with fiery skates, including their young guns in Jean-Gabriel Talon, Henri-Michael Yi and Hwang Jeong-Yeon. While he turned off his phone to keep himself from not being worried about any possible news back in the Prince Laurent Islands (PLI), Jean-Gabriel Talon is much more relieved than he has been for the previous week. Everybody on the team know he is due a good game: to take advantage of his skating abilities.

In the warmups, Talon seems quite confident. Later, he admits that 'I feel something good coming, and nobody will stop me.'

> 7:00 P.M. - QUEBEC VS. FLEKKEFJORD AT ACE MultiArena, MOKOFEN

While a couple of his teammates chuckle at his comments, mostly out of posterity, the game does turn out the way they had wanted it to be against the thirtieth-ranked team in the Multiverse. The game stays out of the struggling narrative early on. The Ice Knights, scoring first on the third minute with a Joakim Brackenbury-Lindauer slapshot, comes out with a 3-0 lead in the first period. Henri-Michael Yi feels lot more comfortable after some struggles early on the stretch, coming away with two assists and a +3, one of which came on a 3-on-5 powerplay.

And Talon does what he has told me and his teammates what he's going to do. He plays a hard game, picks up an assists on the fourth goal. Eventually he nets the goal, an empty-netter in final minute, and the game's successfully put away. By the end of the game it's 6-3 Ice Knights and Jean-Gabriel Talon gets a goal, an assist, +2 and 23 minutes on ice, a minor penalty, and second star of the match honours as well.

> 9:30 P.M. - POST-MATCH CELEBRATIONS AT AT ACE MultiArena

Back in the locker room, Talon gets the news he wanted - his wife gave birth of his daughter, Cassidy-Erin, and is recovering well. The rest of the team congratulates them, and now they are off to a well-deserved day off.

[Graintfjall]

‘This must be Thursday,’ said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. ‘I never could get the hang of Thursdays.’

Each day I will be offering a small piece of information about Græntfjaller life and offering a related prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because this long tournament format may lead to ideas running dry, and I’m well aware there are many other competitions currently ongoing. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

MD7 cutoff

Græntfjaller enjoyment of beer dates back to the first Viking settlers. Whether or not they really quaffed from horns, or just carved goblets, they drank beers made from both wheat and rye. Today craft beers and imported wines, exotic cocktails – and of course a draught of humble wheat beer – can still be enjoyed in Háttmark bars, but even the smallest rural town will have a bar or kjallarinn at the heart of its social scene. In the cities, diskós (nightclubs) stay open long into the night. Those seeking more traditional entertainment will find the folk music revival scene going strong. Cannabis has been nearly completely decriminalized – in practice, unless you’re importing bales of the stuff you’re unlikely to encounter any legal problems – but other drugs remain mostly illegal; there’s a current debate raging in the Thing about permitting substances such as psilocybin to be used for therapeutic purposes, but grave fears about possible side effects including brain damage, addiction, and prog rock concept albums. What’s the social life of your nation like? How do your people like to relax and have fun?

Tiebreakers are still not fully implemented at this stage.

Group of Wands
Sannyamathland 0–3 Valanora
Sarzonia 4–1 Iba Dwa
Ko-oren 4–1 Equestria
Kelssek 3–3 Delaclava (4–3 OT)
Pius Desurongcrandis 5–4 Poafmersia
Elejamie 5–4 North Alezia

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          7    6    1    0    0   20    6  +14   20
 2 Sarzonia                         7    6    0    0    1   25   10  +15   18
   Valanora                         6    6    0    0    0   23    6  +17   18
 4 Elejamie                         6    3    1    0    2   17   15   +2   11
 5 Kelssek                          6    3    1    0    2   12    9   +3   11
 6 Delaclava                        7    2    1    1    3   16   16    0    9
 7 Sannyamathland                   7    2    0    2    3   16   22   –6    8
 8 Iba Dwa                          6    2    0    1    3   12   23  –11    7
   Pius Desurongcrandis             6    2    0    1    3   15   22   –7    7
10 Equestria                        6    2    0    0    4   15   20   –5    6
   Poafmersia                       7    2    0    0    5   20   21   –1    6
12 North Alezia                     7    1    1    0    5   19   21   –2    5
13 Pluvie                           6    0    0    0    6    7   26  –19    0

Group of Pentacles
Gergary 3–1 Grey County
Anthor 0–1 Le Choix
United States of Devonta 4–6 Abanhfleft
Salzcovia 2–9 Islands of Ventro
Mercedini 3–1 Nova Anglicana
Fluvannia 2–5 Gyatso-Kai

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Abanhfleft                       6    6    0    0    0   27   10  +17   18
   Nova Anglicana                   7    6    0    0    1   16    7   +9   18
 3 United States of Devonta         7    4    1    0    2   24   21   +3   14
 4 Mercedini                        6    4    0    1    1   22   10  +12   13
 5 Gyatso-Kai                       7    4    0    1    2   28   21   +7   13
 6 Fluvannia                        6    4    0    0    2   24   15   +9   12
 7 Le Choix                         6    3    0    1    2    9    7   +2   10
 8 Islands of Ventro                7    3    0    1    3   26   25   +1   10
 9 Suimede                          6    2    1    0    3   18   16   +2    8
10 Gergary                          7    2    1    0    4   12   19   –7    8
11 Anthor                           7    0    1    0    6   12   30  –18    2
12 Grey County                      6    0    0    0    6    6   21  –15    0
   Salzcovia                        6    0    0    0    6    7   28  –21    0

Group of Cups
Siovanija & Teusland 5–3 BohemiaIV
Waisnor 4–2 St. Saratoga
Srednjaci 5–5 New Waldensia (0–2 SO)
Kriegiersien 3–1 Ranoria
Flekkefjord 6–2 Omerica
Quebec & Shingoryeo 1–5 HUElavia

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             7    7    0    0    0   32   15  +17   21
 2 Kriegiersien                     6    5    0    1    0   20    7  +13   16
 3 HUElavia                         7    5    0    0    2   23    8  +15   15
 4 Banija                           6    5    0    0    1   20    5  +15   15
 5 Waisnor                          7    4    0    0    3   19   16   +3   12
 6 Quebec & Shingoryeo              6    3    1    0    2   18   16   +2   11
 7 Flekkefjord                      6    2    1    0    3   18   25   –7    8
 8 New Waldensia                    6    1    2    0    3   17   22   –5    7
 9 St. Saratoga                     6    2    0    0    4   17   21   –4    6
10 Ranoria                          7    1    1    0    5   11   18   –7    5
11 BohemiaIV                        6    0    1    2    3    8   20  –12    4
   Srednjaci                        7    0    1    2    4   17   27  –10    4
13 Omerica                          7    0    0    2    5    9   30  –21    2

Group of Swords
Kohnhead 2–0 The Grandest Empire
Taeshan 0–2 Græntfjall
Chromatika 3–4 TJUN-ia
Cassadaigua 3–2 Savojarna
Xanneria 3–3 People’s Republic of Xabia (4–3 OT)
Lǜ Shān 3–4 Reçueçn

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Savojarna                        7    5    1    0    1   23   12  +11   17
 2 Græntfjall                       6    5    0    1    0   22   12  +10   16
 3 Cassadaigua                      6    5    0    0    1   24   10  +14   15
 4 Taeshan                          7    4    1    0    2   25   16   +9   14
 5 Reçueçn                          7    4    0    2    1   30   18  +12   14
 6 TJUN-ia                          6    4    0    0    2   24   21   +3   12
 7 Chromatika                       7    3    0    0    4   19   25   –6    9
 8 Lǜ Shān                          6    3    0    0    3   19   16   +3    9
 9 Mapletish                        6    2    1    0    3    8    6   +2    8
10 Kohnhead                         7    2    0    0    5   22   36  –14    6
11 The Grandest Empire              6    1    0    0    5    9   20  –11    3
12 Xanneria                         6    0    1    0    5    7   22  –15    2
13 People’s Republic of Xabia       7    0    0    1    6   12   30  –18    1

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: From the ASPN Blog After Thoughts in a Blip ::.
0340 hours, 02 April 2021.2

It has been a bit of a tournament so far.

And I know... I haven't been updating this blog at all. Sorry, life ade. Life is complete osik'la right now. Like... I'm scheduled 55hrs next week, and I literally open-close the next four days straight...

So basically I have to watch the games at work through the window, come home at 2am, write up a review of a game I caught kih'ca'narae of and post it here, hoping the algorithm and Margaret don't punish me and cut my viewers like they did back in AOCAF 60 when I wrote a football piece here, and it got picked up by ASPN+ and wound up getting 5.6million likes...

And 11.2 million dislikes...

Nonetheless... let's look at the tournament as a whole as it goes into the second half.

---

So far, we've come up a bit short of where we'd like to be. We've faced TWO of the FIVE unranked teams in the Group of Pentacles. Both of the games we won handily - 5-2 against Suimede and 7-3 against Salzcovia - which were our strongest showings until yesterday. Our first lost came on Matchday 02 against 27th-ranked Gergary, with a 1-nil overtime loss. We faced two Top-25 teams in Anthor₂₄ and Fluvannia₁₆, both of which came out victorious - 6-4 and 5-2, respectively. Unfortunately, the loss against Devonta₂₀ by a goal and the unfortunate defeat in our rematch with Mercedini₆ killed a bit of our momentum, and as it stands, we find ourselves in fifth in our group; tied with Mercedini in points, but with the Kingfishers a game in hand. Our bye day is tomorrow, which will then equal us out, and with undefeated and Pentacles leading Nova Anglicana facing off against Mercedini, we might find ourselves in an actual tie for fifth.

The rest of thr tournament lays ahead, and as I work in three hours, I should put this blip ... and myself ... to bed.

Come on Margaret. Don't shab'rudur us....

[Sarzonia]

To say Owen Franks was nervous before his debut with the senior Sarzonian national ice hockey team was a dramatic understatement. In literary terms, it would be called litotes.

The ashen look on his face said it all. So, too did his wide eyes. The sound of vomiting in the restroom stall and the whoosh of the toilet afterwards also told the tale.

Franks was the starting goaltender for the Junior Stars in a couple of World Junior Hockey Championships and faced knockout round matches with the Junior Stars. But even though this was merely a matchup against an unranked Iba Dwa side, it was still the World Cup of Hockey. Sarzonia's place in the Universe phase was still far from secured.

"You're gonna do great!" Brett Tanguay, Jr. told his onetime teammate with the Junior Stars. Tanguay for his part did his best to conceal a slight touch of jealousy that he wasn't making his debut with the Stars yet. He was happy for Franks, to be sure. But he wasn't used to not being on the ice. Even being on the third line and being swapped out late in matches and not playing on key power play units would have been fine for him. Not playing at all wasn't fun, even though he was happy to see the Stars win five of their first six matches.

Franks took a deep breath before he set his left skate onto the ice and started toward the goal at the south end. That was, until he saw his counterpart from Iba Dwa skate toward the same goal.

"This is supposed to be our goal!" Franks said.

"No, you're at the north end!" When a referee skated over and told Franks he was supposed to defend the north end goal, he gulped in embarrassment and skated over to the north end goal.

Just as he put his water bottle on the top of his net, he heard, "everyone, please rise, and gentlemen remove your caps for the playing of the Sarzonian national anthem." A band wearing the navy and silver strode out to centre ice with guitars strung along their shoulders and a female lead singer stepped up with microphone in hand as they played the guitar-heavy rock song "Freedom" by Fleetwood Mac, signifying the national anthem of Sarzonia. Eventually, it would be time to face off. As soon as centre Nate Barnes won the opening faceoff, Franks's nervousness went away and he ended up making 18 saves en route to Sarzonia's 4-1 triumph.

Jacob Parsons would be back in goal and Yuri Evgenikov would be back as the backup for the team's match against world No. 5 Valanora, but at least now Franks got his debut out of the way. And he got a win that would make him feel a lot better about himself and his chances moving forward.

[Kriegiersien]

The Punch

Boxing magazin

And our today's special fight night: The bloody hockey match between Kriegiersien and Ranoria.

Final score: 3-1 K.O. for Kriegiersien


Elwood Fields vs Frederick Vrabel
Was a brutal brawl that ended with a successful haymaker from Fields.

Mitchel Lucas vs Augustin Khan
The maybe best fight, were both showed classic footwork and punches, tactical clinch and a multiple clean hits to the head from both, before Khan went down.

Guy Rose vs Richart Matthens
The only loss, when Rose just shouted obscenities at Matthens, to then go down with the first hit before he had his gloves off.

Patrick Parrrker knocked down Ezekiel Huber with a swift left-right combination.


Patrick Parrrker had multiple other fights against each of the three big Krauts, that can’t be counted, as he cheated in nearly every fight using not only his fists but low kicks, his stick and choking moves.
He got a game misconduct penalty.

Goalie Ruben Herman also knocked down a player with his stick from behind. Another unfair move, that wasn’t punished because he is a goalie, where it is called self defense.

“We are a nation of fighters and looters. I have 4 coins for teeth from the tooth fairy here in my hand, one is mine. I call that success”, said Patrik Parrrrker, while showing a grin with missing tooth.


Next opponent in the ice rink:
The New Waldensian Team. The Avalanche. With this name, we are expecting a big clash.

[Ko-oren]

Today, we'll look at the World Cup of Hockey group stage with Aewen 'Tarot' Ailise, who was famously seen going into an occult parlor ahead of the tournament. You received a lot of criticism for the visit at the time, how did you the, pardon the term, witch hunt?

"It's never nice to go through something like that. I expected it to blow over once we started winning things anyway - all according to how the cards fell. And when I saw that the tournament was entirely based on tarot cards and suits, I knew I made the right decision all along. The press was nasty for a few days, and the guys have been giving me shit every now and again, but nothing I can't handle. The worst thing was probably how everyone handled it like I was seen shitfaced drunk on the day before a game or something. I mean, for something seen as 'weird' in Ko-oren and its sports, it's pretty innocent."

How have the results been so far? How is your experience so far?

"Really good! Unbeaten does that to you. I think my role has been... decent. I think I hoped to make a larger impact here and there. There's still things for us to improve on, but we're clicking and forcing games to go our way - I don't think many people realised we can play as the obviously stronger side in a game. No passivity here! All as advertised, if you know where to look. The Kelssek game probably has made the biggest impact for us, because we know they take the game seriously. Getting that 3-0 probably got us to play better in the next few games as well. At the time we didn't really care how we got goals as long as we got them, but now we've gotten a good enough idea of how everyone plays that we can create a lot more shooting options. The Pius Desurongcrandis game was a shame, but we haven't looked back. Elejamie is a good team, it's a shame that they and Kelssek haven't found their groove like Sarzonia has. It's really after that that we started scoring a lot more, as well. Let's keep this four-goal streak going."

What are you expecting for the upcoming games with today's knowledge?

"Iba Dwa is up next, and we're focusing a lot on scoring. I feel that for an opponent like that, you have to be able to get a convincing win. You can focus on your style as well as finishing, and we're really going for a four-goal win here. It's all about pulling confidence from wherever we can before we play the Elves. Even if that's a loss, as long as we keep Sarzonia behind us after all is said and done, we've played a fine group stage. Pluvie and Sannyamathland are up next, and I feel those are the games where we can look ahead and figure out how we want to approach the final game and the knockouts. Because after that we face the Stars, probably to decide how the top three shakes out. Oh, and we need to have a lead on the Elves and the Stars at that point, because we're sitting out the final round. Not happy with the planning but that's how it is."

Any more concrete predictions?

"Iba Dwa, hey, I'll get my cards out. Major arcana only is good for you, ok? ... the Sun. Yeah, like I said, I think we can afford to be positive about this one. Valanora, I drew the Hierophant, so, hey! That makes sense. Going back to our traditions, rely on the things we know to grind it out. A low scoring game, maybe? Our playing style for that one might look a little predictable but that's how we got our biggest wins. Pluvie, and, oh, that's grim. The one card I hoped wouldn't show up. Death. Maybe we lose. Maybe there's an injury and someone's tournament ends for them. At the brightest it brings us change, like how we said to evaluate our play for the Sarzonia game and maybe the playoffs. Sannyamathland, and there's the Sun again! After a bad game versus Pluvie, we'll be a lot more open to the future, and we'll find our confidence and optimism back. And now for the card that has a lot riding on it... Sarzonia. The Empress, a little out of left field, that one. Fertility? Nature? Not sure how to read that. Also a theme of abundance. Hopefully an abundance of goals or points? Or how we should draw energy from sources around us... I'll come back to that one."

Will your teammates follow your analyses?

"First, they laugh. Second, they still listen to the cards. I think they help me, or at least give me advice. I don't really care what the rest thinks of it."

Ok, one last card, what about the bye?

"The... umm, Devil. Bad habits. Which we'll have time for during the bye, I guess?"