Cup of Harmony 84 - Rosters/RPs/Results

[Delte]

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Delte 1–0 Talannua
Sports Correspondent Kim Samrodd at Tunn's Farm for the Ughmirren Broadsheets

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I won't dwell overly long on the finer details of this match, but certainly mention should be made of Steed Tombes' player of the match performance in goal which included several gravity-defying wombat dives, a demonstration of cat-like reflexes and even a wholly unnecessary scorpion kick which brought a stern warning from the bench for unstoiclike behaviour. In post-match briefings assistant coach and translator Darra Cankal forgave his antics, stating that after all he did preserve the lead for seventy-odd minutes following Danny Mastorqua's early goal, and further, was of a more... emotional... culture from the Rushmore region and was still learning to be less... demonstrable.

At the same time, or maybe a few minutes before...

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Is Anyone Left?
Junior Pencil Sharpener Polka Lunn at the Women's Institute in Rake Teinton for the Shingarter Herald

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Residents of the small Deltemouth parish community must be wondering if there is anyone of competence left standing at the WI after Old Wives' Gala Queen Betty Ormray was forced to remove a well-known bully from the management committee. It has emerged that Tyrona Arrinburton had previously asked an unnamed volunteer in the kitchen to decapitate herself over a sourdough dispute, and had even taken to bringing in a triffid cactus which she displayed above the toastie-maker to deliberately intimidate staff on open days. This is the third time Widow Arrinburton has been removed from the committee, leading many to question Betty's ability to get the big appointments right. Focus will next shift to new Club Rules Secretary, Spinster Lunt, who has something of a battle-axe reputation of her own.

This has been Polka Lunn in the countryside. I hear The Special Deltic-Cooperite Away Team are off to an unbeaten start with one win, one draw and one bye; one can't help thinking a defeat and an abandonment would complete the perfect set.

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The Rushmori Boat People
4/7 : The Special Deltic-Cooperite Away Team

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“As long as it’s not pink, he says” said Darra Cankal, “then he doesn’t care what colour you put him in.”

Darra was talking to Johnny Sark, the sportsmonger from Sark’s Family Sportsmongery, kit supplier to The Representatives, and to Romain Rivière, the refugee who had been put in charge of the strapping lads from the Cooper River. As Johnny couldn’t speak Sicoutinaise, and Romain couldn’t speak Anglican, but Darra could muddle along in both, he was in charge of translation. After all, he had a flair for Gallic languages and as a customs officer for the Delte River Trust had been instrumental in assisting the Rushmori boat people ashore and into their resettlements in the valley. He was also a handy footballer himself, having played in the last World Cup cycle back in June and July.

“It can be any colour as long as its red, he says,” said Darra, in Sicoutinaise, to the Cooperite.

“Blood red will be the most symbolic, he says,” said Darra, in Anglican, to the Delt.

“We can do blood red, he says,” said Darra, in Sicoutinaise, to the Cooperite.

“Sounds perfect, he says,” said Darra, in Anglican, to the Delt.

And so on and so forth for a bit longer until it was clear that everyone agreed that red, in the shade of freshly spilled blood from the veins of the Cooperite martyrs slain in the muddy fields of Sector C-17, was a good choice for the Away Team.

There followed another set of complicated translations, most of which I will summarise here for clarity rather than transcribe verbatim, in which Darra and Romain were summoned to Issenda Tenning’s tempoaray office in a converted shipping container on the farm. The head of the All-Week Super Ultra Premier Football Association wanted to confirm that to honour the generous donation of strapping lads to the cause of winning the Cup of Harmony, the team would alter their roster submission so that for this one time, rather than fill in the ‘nickname’ box with ‘The Representatives’, on this occasion they would go with the moniker The Special Deltic-Cooperite Away Team.

“I’m very grateful even if it’s a bit unwieldy, he says,” said Darra, in Anglican, to the Deltic boss.

“Not as grateful as us, for the service you have offered to our valley, she says,” said Darra, in Sicoutinaise, to the Cooperite coach.

“We won’t let you down, he says,” said Darra, in Anglican, to the Deltic boss.

“I dare say you wont, she says,” said Darra, in Sicoutinaise, to the Cooperite coach.

[Atheara]

Part XIII out of XIV
The End of The Final Battle And The Declaration

In continuation of this post. This all happened at the end of World Cup Qualifying, except for the final declaration of the civil war despite being RPed in the Cup of Harmony, so please keep that in mind.

After their respective battles, Rozmund Fallagher and the two Fierrevanturos had decided to retreat, knowing well they made a change in the tide of battle with their own victories. The rest of the AMC should have an easier time dealing with the remaining forces of the ISLORA, especially considering the fact that the two Fierrevanturo's had defeated three ISLORA Officers, and Rozmund had crippled one of the ISLORA's main defensive groups all by himself. Their retreat and encounter with eachother wasn't planned, but the all ended up at the forward supply base. Christian had his wounds treated and Rozmund had the same. Meanwhile, Daniel was directing one of the tank battalions through the radio the base had. Even with their victories, it seems that parts of the Athearan Military Corps still had some difficulty here and there, even miniscule issues were always appearing.

Once Rozmund and Christian had their wounds treated, they didn't just decide to call it a day. A leader should still lead when they can and must be the example to follow, as they immediately re-armed and geared up to go towards the frontlines once again. Daniel was apparently joining along, which should also help them even more considering that Daniel would be able to operate a carryable radio for them to call help if absolutely necessary. However, while the three were talking about how to approach the situation, they were all suddenly reminded of Cecilia. They had heard the explosion that happened at the artillery site and they were all worried, considering the Scharlund was the one to watch over the artillery. As they were thinking of it, they received the news on what happened. The Vessel of Wind fought off the new Vessel of Lightning and won, but is injured and exhausted. The three all had mixed reactions to this new piece of information, as they took time to process it.

Rozmund was just glad Cecilia was still alive and didn't end up dying, but was surprised at the revelation that ISLORA was able to get their hands on a Vessel. Christian was intrigued, how did ISLORA get a Vessel? It was something that he'd like to find out, and maybe something for him to dig more into. Meanwhile, Christian's younger brother Daniel was just worried. Were there any deaths? How large was the scale of battle? But, they all eventually calmed down when they were informed more about the battle and how it went down. It was safe to say the three were relieved of the stress on how Cecilia's battle went. Once relieved, they returned to discussing on how to come forward towards the frontlines. Christian informed that there was three main locations that had to be taken. The City Building, the Bank (Which was transformed into a supply base), and a Military Base.

Daniel nudged to outside the forward supply base, an extra strike group and two tanks waiting. These were originally to act as reinforcements for the current attack at the bank, but they allowed the three to tag along with them. This small strike group was to immediately turn the tide of each battle. Daniel hopped inside one of the tanks as Christian climbed up on it. Rozmund would stay outside to stick with the soldiers as they leave the forward supply base for the bank. And once everyone was ready, they all went on. As they went through the destrpyed parts of the city, some of the remaining AMC soldiers that were stragglers joined up on the group. What was suspposed to be a small group of soldiers and two tanks ended up becoming a unit with over fifty men and five AMC vehicles (Which included two secondary battle tanks, an APC, and two AAVs). They slowly marched on as Rozmund had decided to act as a scout and head on to the bank area first. When he arrived, he was surprised at the scene.

There was still heavy combat, AMC soldiers and ISLORA soldiers fired at eachother while taking cover. Some soldiers even resorted to hand to hand combat, while an AMC S-28/I AT was keeping the AMC alive in the fight. ISLORA had them gunned down but the artillery piece was somewhat making a difference. Then, he looked and saw ISLORA drive a remodelled AAV as it teared through the AMC units. Not wanting to waste any time, Rozmund immediately called for the strike group to rush forward. Skip a few minutes later and combat was now ensuing in front and inside the bank as the strike group was pushing back the ISLORA soldiers. The AMC units that were stranded at the bank decided to join along the strike group, as they also still had some weaponry that would prove useful later on. One of the AMC's experimental weapons, an EXP-16 GRE grenade launcher. Still in peak condition. After several more minutes of fighting, the AMC strike group lead by Fallagher and the Fierrevanturo siblings had easily pushed back the ISLORA resistance at the bank. The next location they had to deal with was the military base, as it was more heavily guarded.

As they all marched towards the military base, Rozmund was once again the forward scout.He went forward again and again, taking out any opposing stragglers and exploring to find information and other pieces of knowledge that may help the tide of battle for the AMC. But when he arrived at the near military base, he was surprised. The AMC force that was tasked with taking it was dead, they were all wiped out. Bodies could be seen gathered up in a pile and the ISLORA soldiers seem to be arming an APC and an AAV for defense. They also had two main battle tanks for defense, a surprise Rozmund somewhat saw coming. He decided to take a better view of the base, and once he was done, he retreated to inform the strike group, which had labelled themselves as the 1st End Force for the sake of this final battle. Rozmund finally reached back to the group and informed them about the current situation. But after talking about it and discussing with the group, they finally had formed a plan. They heavily took in that the base had few soldiers despite the vehicles.

Meanwhile, two ISLORA soldiers were just staying on guard at the front of the gate. The two seemed annoyed and quite exhausted, considering the current status of this battle. They know they were losing and still wondered why they were fighting. But suddenly, they heard something. Something was definitely fired from a gun or anything similar. They couldn't really feel or hear anything until an explosion occured, and one of their main battle tanks were destroyed. Before they could even react to do anything, they were shot down. More shells were fired as the 1st End Force charged towards the base with little resistance, due to the massive panic that ensued among the ISLORA soldiers. After half an hour or so, the ISLORA was defeated and they all retreated from this military base, another victory was secured. One more victory and they all were certain that the final battle would be over. Before moving on towards the City Building, which will likely be where the heaviest fighting be done.

As the 1st End Force march towards the City Building, they gathered up anything of use for the fight along the way. Any remaining and stranded AMC squadrons or units, a few more usable vehicles were taken and they took frequent rests on their way. There was now a total of over 140 soldiers along with 11 or so military vehicles that formed up the 1st End Force. As they prepared for the battle, Daniel Fierrevanturo called in air support when required to join in the fight. Rather than waiting, they decided to fire at the City Building to soften up any resistance. The two secondary battle tanks and one main battle tank did so. They were immediately met with fierce resistance of gunfire, a few rockets, and even artillery fire. Rozmund and Christian immediately charged forward to take the fight head on along with a few of the End Force soldiers that didn't have any ammunition in their guns left. Daniel was commanding the vehicles at his disposal to support those who were fighting up front. The battle was in the AMC's favour.

That was until the ISLORA released five energy mechs at the End Force. They were now being pushed back from the City Building and were losing. The tanks were focused on clearing out the surrounding area, meaning that they couldn't take down the mechs. The other vehicles lacked the capability to penetrate the energy mechs armor and the grenade launcher was out of ammunition that was specifically built for it. Daniel called for air assistance. After some time as the AMC tried to hold onto their progress, two AC Type 1/2J-15M assault helicopters arrived as they gunned down the five energy mechs. However, one helicopter was taken down due to one of the ISLORA soldiers firing a rocket launcher to take them down. The other helicopter immediately retreated, knowing that they already had done their best with dealing against the mechs. The AMC continued to fight as the last of the ISLORA's forces were taken out.

And after that, the battle was over. That was all there is to it. No dramatic or true final fight, just the end of an organization. The Athearan flag was raised on the balcony of the building, as the AMC swept the building for anything suspicious. As the soldiers were celebrating with delight that this battle, this war was finally over, the three leaders gathered outside the city building. Rozmund, Christian, Daniel all exchanged looks and talk as they speculate what's next to come after the end of ISLORA. Their main base was destroyed and as far as extremely recent intel goes, the leaders of ISLORA have been arrested and detained, meaning they didn't have to do anything now. But suddenly, one of the soldiers who had finished sweeping the entire building approached them.

Soldier - "Sires! I have a report."

Christian - "State it, soldier."

Soldier - "We found an underground lab within the depths of the city building, which seems to have been used for experiments by the ISLORA."

Rozmund - "What type of experiments?"

Soldier - "I'm afraid it's most likely human experiments, sires."

Daniel - "How... How could they dare to do that! Those people don't deserve what happened to them!"

Christian - "Calm down, Daniel. Sadly, it's part war and research along with hunger and greed. Not even the AMC is clear of it."

Rozmund - "It is true. There's nothing we can do by this point in time, which is sad. What do you think we should do about it, soldier?"

Soldier - "I'd say we blow it up and take whatever valuable data we can."

Rozmund - "Then that will be what you shall do. Blow the lab up and take the data, we don't need to deal with whatever remains of ISLORA."

Daniel - "Please do it immediately. Thinking about it makes my stomach churn up."

Soldier - "Of course, sire Daniel."

And with that, the soldier quickly scurried off to give the orders to his squadron and afew others. The three leaders looked at eachother, and decided to calm themselves. There was no use on thinking what they could have done, but rather, they should think on what they can do. And they did exactly just that. They were also discussing on a lot of other things that happened throughout the battle, before splitting off to celebrate along with their men respectively. Rozmund went to the soldiers who were also part of his and Cecilia's battalion, Christian did the same. Meanwhile, Daniel had went towards the tank and vehicle crews that were celebrating on another part of the area as well. Calming themselves down to see the last, massive blow of this war would certainly be a good thing. Meanwhile, underground, soldiers were extracting data from computers and planting bombs.

Once everything was done, they started the timer of the bomb which was 5 minutes. The soldiers in the undergorund laboratories quickly rushed out through the long deck of stairs as they told orders to reach a designated safe zone they made through the intercoms. All soldiers that were celebrating received this information, including Rozmund, Christian, and Daniel. They all quickly prepared and gathered up as they left for the designated safe zone. As the timer reached 1 minute remaining, the squadrons finally got out of the underground as they rushed outside the city building. All of them entered the APCs and AAVs intentionally left there for them to quickly retreat from the area. And as they drive away, the timer hits zero. Explosions began ringing within the underground chambers as the building collapses, covering up the laboratories and marking the end of the Second Civil War.

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Sometime after the end, before the first matchday of the Cup of Harmony...

Astena was filled with people within the streets. After the end of the Second Civil War, everyone was for quite some time, focused on rebuilding the nation. It took a lot of resources for Atheara to fix and repair everything that was damaged, considering the war had affected the entire nation. All the way from the capital to Eastria. The entire nation was harmed, but it would recover in due time. However, that's not the only reason so many people are out on the streets. There was news that a massive announcement would be made, which many have broke down to be a sort of declaration and statement from The Imperial Council about this civil war. The people would be finally getting clarity about this whole disaster of a civil war. What originally started as a protest of wanting to return into isolation had turned into riots, then war on the streets, and then a full blown civil war. All led by one organization.

Speaking of this organization, any remains or anything that resembles or reminds that of the ISLORA was destroyed. A whole unnecessary piece that has now embedded themselves in Athearan history. The Isolationist Order of Atheara was to be remembered as an attempt to revert back to something that many Athearans forgot about the immediate they left it. The people continued to be on the streets, waiting for something to happen. It was happening in every city, as the entire nation waited for the one woman to explain it all. Eriana Delis, the acting Councilliate of this era's Imperial Council had never expected a civil war, which was an explanation to the terrible handling of the war in the earlier years of it. However, they would learn from this. Everyone would learn. As the clock hits towards eight in the morning, sirens blared for an announcement. Televisions immediately switched towards news channels for the upcoming announcement, and Atheara's eyes were on the podium. This was the moment of truth for many.

As they all waited, those who were watching on TV could hear footsteps as Eriana Delis reached atop. Taking a bit to calm herself, she started with an opening and a greeting towards the people of the country. She was nervous, but this was her responsibility as the Councilliate of The Imperial Council.

Eriana - "Greetings towards the people of Atheara. Before I begin, I would like to thank everyone who has stuck through the trials and errors of this catastrophe of a Civil War. This event has surely struck our nation down to it's knees, but we shall recover for as long as it takes us. I would also like it if you have your attention on what I am about to say throughout the time I have. First of all, on the behalf of everyone, I, Eriana Delis, the acting Councilliate declare that this Second Athearan Civil War is over!"

The people cheered on in delight, while some were in tears. For a lot of the people, many things have been lost throughout this war.

Eriana - "It is thanks to the brave men and women of the Athearan Military Corps, along with those who rose for the cause that this cruel war has finally ended. And for that, I declare that we as the people of this country are our own heroes throughout this civil war. However, with heroics, there is always tragedy. An estimated count between 740 thousand up to 1.1 million people have either lost their lives or have been reported missing. Along with an estimated count of 1.4 million up to 2.3 million people injured, that leaves us with a total toll of between 2.14 million up to 3.4 million people. And for that, this day I declare not only as the end of a war, but also as a day of rememberance to those who were lost or to have lost something."

The people looked at eachother in understanding. Despite the heroics that many have done throughout the war, they should remember that this whole conflict was a tragedy that extremely few expected. The amount of casualties there were, the amount of destruction was only two parts of the testament to that as the people paid their respects in silence.

Eriana - "That is all I have for now, sadly enough. My hands are tied to dealing with the aftermath of this entire conflict, but do not worry. More information shall be clarified when I have the time to do so. I thank you all for your attention."

And with that, the Councilliate stepped off the podium with the people somewhat mixed in their reactions. Most of them were understanding of the situation considering that Eriana had to make most if not all the final decisions, some wanted clear answers right now as they wanted a complete explanation and not having to wait for it, others just left the area to return to what they were doing (Which in this case either resting or continuing rebuilding and repairs), and even a small select few just couldn't really care about the entire ordeal. In order of celebrating the end of the war and in memory of those who fell or those who have lost anything that resembled value to them, a military parade was held. This parade wasn't all glamorous, just a normal military parade with a good portion of the military participating in it.

And then, everyone dispersed. From the soldiers of the parade, to the rest of the people, to the security, everyone left to return to the usual as the remembering and celebartions were over. Some stayed as they were cleaning up, one of those who stayed being Cecilia Scharlund herself. She gave out a sigh as she was standing around, looking at everyone else. Rozmund was taking a break, while Christian and Daniel were also taking a well deserved rest. It was reasonable considering the three did a lot of direct frontline combat. Canna was... Somewhere as far as Cecilia knows. Likely working on something. As Cecilia stood up, her phone rings off a notification. It was a message from one of the high ranked officials of the AMC.

Cecilia gave out a small smile as she replied and went off. A good part of her hardwork is now about to be rewarded.

[Mertagne]

Part 1. The Middle Ages
Part 2. The Early Renaissance
Part 3. The Late Renaissance

Time. Space. Reality. We know all too well that it’s more than a linear path. As scholars in ages present have stated, it’s a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. I am the Narrator. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question that has haunted the minds of Mertagne for eons... "What if?"

Previously on our series, we have taken a look at an alternate history for the nation north of Lake Bekk, known in this new timeline as Vertagne, grown after centuries of history from the small Kingdom of Wesaxe in the Middle Ages. We have seen how the Renaissance, both early and late, has changed the nation, with Vertagne choosing to annex its territory in the early Renaissance, but focus on defence and the development of national institutions and trade in the late Renaissance.
In this chapter, we will delve into the time of the Industrial Revolution, where great strides in productivity and technology would improve the lives of the average citizen, and result in the largest social upheaval the nation would see in centuries.

Using our reverse SERAPH method, which outlines - Social Groups, Economy, Religion, Achievements, Politics, and History - in reverse order, let’s view Vertagne’s victories and struggles in this period.

The Industrial Revolution
At this point in history, industrialisation would, like in many parts of the multiverse, eventually occur, sweeping in from the south and the east of the nation, influenced from the Starblaydi and the Krytenians that would likely be doing the same around this period. The likely agrarian society in Vertagne would find new production methods to enhance and increase the food supply, leading to an increase in population and workers to work in the nation's early factories, which would be set up in the nation’s cities and the areas around its main ports - Leorudo and Dannharbour. Using peat from the Great Calanian Marsh as an energy source, it is likely that Vertagne would industrialise at an average pace, specialising in the production and conversion of goods such as naturally grown cotton and imported wool into clothes, and the production of porcelain goods alongside food. The Lords and Ladies Protector of Starblaydia would sip their tea from Vertagnian cups and saucers, and Krytenians would likely eat cake made at a base level from eggs, flour, and butter exported from Vertagnian farms and mills.

This increase in productivity, a growing population, and the ability to manufacture would see that skilled trade class that existed in the late Renaissance increase their power over the economy, gaining status and importance in the nation. Workers would begin to see the benefits of unionising and talking to each other, reminiscent of the power that the guilds had in the early Renaissance, and this period would be a time of tensions between unions and government, which at this time would be ruled by a monarch with a council of nobles and leading businesspeople, which by this time would likely be one and the same. The economy would continue to grow alongside the nation’s neighbours, and the life expectancy of the nation’s citizens would likely increase further due to greater food security. Increased urbanisation would likely occur alongside the introduction of the railway to Vertagne, and the beginnings of the Trans-Calanian railway would take shape, stretching across Dannharbour to Cravannien, and then onward to Jhanna. Urban centres would begin to form around these rail links, and a belt of cities would spring up across the centre of the nation.

Politically, the monarchy would continue to endure into this age, with cultural norms surrounding the divine right of rulers yet to be dispelled. The Karodin Tetrarchy, ruled by four, and Starblaydia, ruled by its Lords and Ladies Protector, would add to an autocratic block that a democratic Krytenia, now isolationist and hard to reach following a terrible landslide that rocked the border mountains, would fail to puncture. The unions would prove effective in utilising strike action to allow their demands to be met, and a series of democratic reforms would enable freedoms such as suffrage, and the creation of a second chamber for laws to be passed through, similar to a Westminster system of parliament. In a famous speech, King Stephen II (fictional in our timeline) would state that the nation would never be the same again, due to "These Inevitable Syndicates". Inspired by meritocratic ideals from Ko-oren, the syndicates would find themselves represented in the parliament, albeit ultimately with limited powers in comparison to the nobility which would still retain the right of veto.

This age would be one of many achievements for the nation of Vertagne. Allowing the nation to be connected through a rail network would see a great movement of goods and people across the nation, which would increase productivity and migration into urban centres. Education practices would also improve in this time, with more children able to go to school. Many children would find work in the nation’s factories, however.

In regards to religion, the industrial revolution would likely not bring any new faiths on a large scale, however the increased urbanisation of the nation would allow for faiths to congregate on a larger scale. Increased literacy would enable for expansion of tenets of faith further to people who previously may have learned their faith’s ideals through communication, and it is likely that here we would see a proper standardisation of the Vertagnian Christian Church, into whichever sect of Christianity it chooses. A weaker, isolationist Krytenia at this time would likely weaken Anglicanism, so Gesemite Christianity or the sect the Siderians practice would likely take root.

The economy of this time would see unprecedented growth and wealth, similar to many other nations in the region. The quantity of goods able to be created and the yield of raw material gathering would increase significantly, and the volume of trade through Leorudo to other nations on the Bekk and through Dannharbour to the wider multiverse would enable Vertagne to generate enough wealth to, on average, support its population.

Society at this time would be drawn down several lines. Classism, although ever present, would reach a fever pitch in this age, with the upper ruling classes of the nobility and business owners vying for control of the means of production against the working class. The lives of the nobility would likely be worlds apart from those in the brick terrace blocks of poor city areas, and this would likely lead to unrest that a well-funded police force would quell on the streets, but do little to tackle behind closed doors. The monarchy would grow increasingly unpopular during this period, and in order to save itself, would likely have to give up an increasing amount of power to citizens assemblies. It is likely that the lower levels of nobility would be the first to the fire, with local councils being created and granted power over budgets. This, alongside the aforementioned bicameral split in the governing body is enough to prevent national-scale organisation from toppling the societal structure.

By the end of the Industrial Revolution, Vertagne stands as an averagely strong nation with a good farming and manufacturing based economy. Its people, mostly religious to some sect of Christianity, live their lives under a three-class system - the nobility, born with ownership over the land, power, and riches, rules over the nation and oversees most matters of law. The second class, consisting of non-noble skilled craftspeople, make their own wealth through business, and are considered community leaders in the areas they choose to improve. The third class, by far the most populous, is the working class, which ekes out power through their numbers and by refusing to support the second class in order to get their demands met. Through a mutual fear of the classes adjacent to them, this system endures for many years, and social mobility is poor. Vertagne on the world stage is rarely relevant, acting as a food supplier to many nations in the region, yet staying out of large scale foreign policy due to a weak navy that only manages to project power in the Grinshem sea. Its location in Calania makes it a hotbed for goods circulation, however, and many nations do ally with Vertagne to secure a route through the growing Trans-Calanian railway.

[Gnejs]

Big Trouble in Little Viljamark

It was all about getting away. She needed time to think and plan her next move. Why Haavika? She didn’t know exactly, but why not. She couldn’t go home, she knew that much. Those Lodge people would be all over the house, and most likely the whole of Port Kejm. If the Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs ran that weird cult-like Omertà group, who knew the depth of corruption in the Meridian Quarter? Thank the rock that she had sent the kids to her sister up north when the whole fork business started getting way out of hand.

It had been a nightmare navigating The Interior, and truthfully she would’ve been dead at the bottom of some rockforsaken valley had she not been found by that kind old couple. It had probably been naive and foolish to trust them, they could just as easily have been in league with The Lodge, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Thankfully, they turned out decent, and she had made a point to herself of repaying that kindness someday.

However, as bad as The Interior had been, re-emerging into society was even worse. Every person she met could potentially be an enemy, and her paranoia started reaching extreme levels. The old couple had brought her as far as Vengerberg, a small town on the northwestern outskirts of The Interior, and the first thing she had done was use her card to buy massive amounts of food and new clothes. But she quickly started panicking, because her hunters could probably trace that kind of thing, right? She knew they had infiltrated the Interior Constabulary, so why not the regular Constabulary? So she withdrew as much money as she could and got rid anything that could potentially be a liability.

She had to leave Vengerberg as soon as possible, for all she knew Lodge assassins could be closing in on the location where she had just made a massive cash withdrawal. But where to go? North seemed an obvious choice. She had family in Berg. They could hide her; protect her, while she figured out what to do. Nevertheless, if obvious to her, it would be obvious to others as well, and she did not feel like drawing more attention than needed to her family (and the kids). She assumed the family would be under surveillance, but as long as she didn’t show up, they’d leave her family alone. She hoped so, anyways. The east was out of the question entirely; even though there were probably a million small places to disappear dotted across Birka, she would not be able to feel comfortable on the capital coast. She hated the South, and the whole of Vika was a big ‘no’ on principle. So she travelled west, and went about as far west as you can go.

The city of Haavika wasn’t some tiny black hole of a forgotten place where people travelled to “disappear”, and that was the point. Hannah figured aiming for a small hamlet or countryside town wouldn’t be ideal, because those were the kind of places where people noticed strangers. She wanted to blend in, but any of the bigger cities would make her paranoia cripple her completely. Big enough to walk the streets unnoticed, but small enough to not drive her crazy; that was the goal.

And Haavika, or «Little Viljamark» as it was often called, fit her description perfectly. It was a quaint city with about a hundred thousand people living within its extended area, where the old stone and wooden houses of the city’s center were nestled in a bay on the southwest coast of the western Ängby region. It wasn’t uncommon with Viljamark ancestry or ties the other way in the Union, dating back to the olden times of great migrations, and this was especially the case in Ängby. But Haavika was something special, and it was known for its pride in, and celebration of, strong ties to the Tikariotian region in the east. She knew many here boasted direct olden family lineages, but it was also a not so well-kept secret that only very few of these claims could be sufficiently documented and verified.

However, verified bloodlines or not, the pride and love was very much a real thing, “How do you know you’re in Haavika? It’s the only place where people go to the pub draped in Tikariotian colors instead of Union ones”, was a saying she had heard. This was probably somewhat of a modified truth, because while references to, and signs of, Tikariotian culture in general were present, it was really the region of Viljamark that was the focal point of cultural expression. Hannah learned as much when she visited one of the taverns by the dock, where the traditional pork pancakes came served on plates bearing the distinctive turquoise blue and black fox of Fort Viljan Northern FC, the most prominent Viljamark football team.

The place itself was similarly draped in the same color scheme, and the TV hanging in the corner showed a game from the Tikariotian Premier League. The other patrons were all engulfed in the game, and paid little to no attention to Hannah over by the windows, and this fit her perfectly. She was slightly confused about the game, because while everyone had blue and black scarves and jerseys, none of the teams playing did. She eavesdropped a bit while ordering a beer – Tikariotian import, of course – at the bar, and it turned out it wasn’t Fort Viljan playing at all, but the people were rather supporting a team called Port Rhovanyon (the reason being one of their player – Samuel Falkmar – having dual Tikariotian/Union citizenship).

It turned out the tavern also rented out rooms on the floors above, and the woman serving in the dual roles of bartender and hotel reception asked no uncomfortable questions about identification or demands about paying by card, so Hannah booked a room, told the barmaid she did not wish to be disturbed, and retired upstairs. It was an old house with thin walls, and she just knew she’d be cold. The walls also did little to filter out sounds from the tavern below, and it didn’t take long before she had the downstairs patrons loud chants – which she assumed was some sort of traditional Viljamark chant, judging by the weird accent the people were trying to emulate – echoing in her small room. She turned on the TV to drown out all the noise from downstairs, and she was meet with a familiar tune, where Union tennis player Georg Heraklit appeared on the screen, claiming that whenever he was eliminated from the first round of a Grand Slam – despite being one of the top seeds – he always cooked a “bitchin” mulligatawny soup to make himself feel better. Hannah turned off the TV and threw herself on the bed. Ok, so she was here. Presumably safe for a while. What do to next?

She had little time to start plotting, because just then someone knocked on her door.

-----------------------

A map of the Prosaic Union. For reference. Please ignore the light green lands to the west; Gnejs is an island.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 2–3 Cardenao
(Nascimento 41', Aveiro 78' | Chimo 44', Juanma 83', 88' (P))

Indignation!

HUElavia lose an important match with two controversial calls that handed Cardenao the victory.

To say that this match was one of the most controversial matches in HUElavian history would be an understatement. Truly, this match has left the team and the country angered at the result. The first half saw two sublime strikes go into the goal that kept it tied at 1-1 at the end of the half. During the second half, a fantastic curving strike by Aveiro flew past Holland into the goal to make it 2-1. In the final 10 minutes though, it would be a historic farse of a match.

In the 83rd minute, Rosado was tripped up from the ball by Chimo, which caught the players and fans in the crowd calling for a foul when Chimo ran with the ball, with the defense rushing to close the play when he sent a low pass into the box, only for Juanma to shoot the ball past Casillas into the goal, making it 2-2. The players were rushing the referee, wanting the goal not to be counted, but Lavezzi and Yamane (in for Font) got yellow cards for their words. In the 88th minute, a corner was won by Cardenao, where Vera sent the cross in, which came into contact by Lavezzi, where it hit his upper chest, near the shoulder and upper arm, but got cleared away. VAR called into the attention of the referee for a possible handball, where he ran to the VAR machine, and once finished, pointed to the spot, with replays showing a non-existent hit to the upper arm. Regardless, the referee showed Lavezzi a 2nd yellow card, turning into a red and leaving HUElavia with 10 players. Juanma stepped up and sent the ball past Casillas to make it the definitive 2-3, with the players still swarming the referee for what should not have been a foul. Despite a few shots from HUElavia in additional time, it was not enough, as the team fell once again and jeporadized their chances to advance to the Round of 16. At the end, while there was many cheers from the supporters for Cardenao, there was a very audible boos and whistles in disapproval of how the match ended, with a scowl. Afterwards in the press conference, many players and Coach Aveiro voiced their displeasures, with the president of the HFA wanting to submit an inquiry on the referee on their decisions, believing they should not be a referee in these kinds of matches.

Now, HUElavia must win against Kimi-Suomi and hope that other matches go their way in order to advance as runners-up. But it is easier said than done. Now, HUElavia will be playing with their main starters, with the exception of Ardance starting for the suspended Lavezzi. All the team can do is move forward, study film and practice in order to keep their Cup of Harmony dreams alive.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[West Barack and East Obama]

NATASHA OBASHA: SPECIAL REPORTER

11th November

I alighted the taxi right outside my apartment block. I ran up the stairwell to get to my flat, where I bolted the door shut and began gathering my belongings. It could just be a matter of seconds before a whole swarm of BBI operatives would storm my flat and apprehend me for domestic terrorism, so I had to be quick.

Toiletries? Check. Fake passports? Check. Glock? Check. I had already thrown my phone into a dumpster in the suburbs near the Pentagram so I grabbed a burner and called up the extractors. I learned about these guys when investigating the disappearance of Hussein Smithies, and so I called them up.

"I need the... uh... Tutti Frutti Granola Bars delivered to 24 Obampa Boulevard. Urgently." I frantically whispered.

"Ma'am, the express delivery will be double the price. If you don't have the money you won't get what you want. Pickup is in 15 minutes." came a voice from the other end, before they hanged up.

I grabbed the briefcase from under my bed containing the money I've embezzled from the BBC over the last few years. A lot of it was spent on the fertiliser and bribes lately, so I might be a bit short. I started counting when I heard the front door open. I ducked under the bed and pulled my gun out, gripping it tightly. One wrong move and my life would be over.

"Hey? Are you there?" came a familiar voice. "I've got the video." This was strange. Where was the rapid footsteps from 10 BBI SWAT team operatives? I mean, it was unusual for them to try and lure me out with Bar-Rack in a sting op but I guess it could work. Knowing that I could easily take one person on, I crawled out from under the bed and pointed my gun directly at her.

"WOAH! What the hell? Put that thing away!" she yelled.

"Not until you explain what the hell is going on. How did you get here? Didn't you get caught by those Sarin Task Force fellows? Are you working for them now? Are you wearing a wire??" I yelled back.

Bar-Rack looked stunned. She took a deep breath, then said: "Look, just think rationally about this. If I was caught releasing deadly toxic gas into a government building, they sure as hell wouldn't trust me to go after you after just twenty minutes! If anything, they'll just put a bullet in my head straightaway. You and I both know how policing here works. So just put the gun down and let me show you what I got."

I lowered my gun a little. She took out a hard disk drive from her pocket, and plugged it into her laptop.

"You see, I probably didn't get caught because I didn't have to spend a while downloading stuff from that computer. Whilst waiting in the vent, I saw one of the guards perusing archive CCTV footage of Basement 1 using this! I just swiped it and immediately made my escape. For some reason you were already gone so I just took your car if you don't mind." She explained.

"Excuse me? You just... took a hard drive? What if it was bait? It could have a tracking chip! And my car?? Great, if we weren't already wanted before, we definitely are now. We have to move NOW." I replied.

I grabbed my belongings and Bar-Rack got hers. She placed the laptop in her bag and we made ran down to the bottom floor. We were right on time, as the coast was clear and we saw our ride pull up outside the apartment block. We hopped in and sped off.

"So... where are you two off to then?" the driver asked us.

"We're going to Delaclava." Bar-Rack said.

[Cardenao]

Heroic 2-3 Win Against Top-50 Team, CardenVAR Takes The Spotlight

Good evening my dearest readers. No BSing today, let’s get right into it.

It was the third Cup of Harmony matchday, our second mind you as we had a bye day to kick off the tournament. The Cardenao national team was facing off against the 48th best team in the multiverse, the HUElavians of HUElavia. Formidable opponents no doubt about it, they were coming into this fixture on the back of a shocking 4-2 loss to the 152nd ranked The Jovannic. That was a weird match, one you could certainly make an argument that you would’ve expected HUElavia to win, but that’s the thing about football, all that matters is the scoreline at the end of the ninety minutes. In the pre-match build up, many analysts predicted the HUElavians would come out with an attacking mindset and when the opening whistle blew, that certainly proved to be the case.

Right from the start, the team from HUElavia took the game to the Cardenao defense. Constant attacking minded play, looking to penetrate through the middle before swinging the ball out wide to a winger to progress down the touchline before swinging in a cross. It started off very promisingly for the ‘home team’ as Nascimento found himself open at the edge of the box with the ball at his feet. A beautiful feint was enough to send Emmanuel Odita to the hotdog stand and open up a 1v1 opportunity for the HUElavian to power the ball past Ray Holland into the net, BUT! Ray the man, Ray the legend, Ray the absolute brick fucking wall said ‘YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” and managed a miraculous fingertip save to keep the score level at 0-0. The opening 15 minutes were more of the same, with the Cardenaoan team slow to acclimate to the pace of play as HUElavia attacked, attacked, and attacked again.

Slowly but surely though, our boys in blue and gold started to find their feet and play their way into the game. Haritz Larrainzar and Diego Valenzuela particularly stepped their game up, standing tall in the midfield, owning the pace of play, dictating the tempo and creating several clear cut scoring opportunities, most notably when Giampetro Vera sent a rocket shot narrowly whistling over the crossbar in the 27th minute. Things were fairly even through the 40th minute, with both sides seemingly taking advantage of the time to catch their breath a bit to try and work the pitch a bit more tactically to set up good attacking chances, but in the 41st minute the first breakthrough occurred.

It was a repeat of HUElavia’s goalscoring opportunity in the opening minutes, Nascimento found himself unmarked at the edge of the box for a cross coming in. Only this time, the mad lad faked a volley shot to give himself some room, let the ball take another bounce, and teed up on hit, hitting an absolute ‘rocket to the moon powered’ shot that hit the back of the net so hard, I was worried the net would burst apart. It was a supremely impressive goal and Cardenaoans could only just clap and applaud what they had just scene, The HUElavian’s were going fucking nuts though, celebrating with all variety of musical instruments and I’m pretty sure a firework or two set off outside of the stadium. Gotta hand it to them, they know how to celebrate a goal!

Fortunately we didn’t have to wait long for our response! Diego Valenzuela, our glorious and most honorable captain, won a goalkick out of the air and passed it to Vera, who jumped over a sliding challenge and exploded through the midfield. He slide it out wide to Chímo Ventura on the right wing who hit a pair of stepovers and sliced insides towards goal before laying it off to Juanma Saez. Juanma understood the assignment, and brilliantly scooped the ball up and flicked it over the defensive line for Chímo to run on to. He took a touch to collect the ball and steady himself, before neatly chipping it up and over the onrushing keeper’s head to level the score 1-1. It was a brilliantly worked goal and the Cardenaoan’s in the stands jumped to their feet and roared their appreciation for the brilliance they had just seen. Hugs, cheers, beer getting thrown in the air, it was all brilliant. 1-1 going into the half.

The second half was honest to the Gods fairly boring, both teams now very much aware of the threat the other posed and how quickly the other team could attack and score. The second half was marked by cautious play, attempts to control the pace of play, just generally trying to suffocate the other team out of the game. The Cardenaoan team took the tiki-taka approach, trying to spread the ball around, forcing the HUElavians to run after the ball’s shadow as it was whipped across the pitch, and while it certainly did help boost our possession percentage, it didn’t lead to any clear cut chances, and it was ultimately HUElavia who would go ahead in the 78 minute through a fantastic curving strike from Averio to make it 2-1 in HUElavia’s favor.

My friends, the next ten minutes of football were so lit.

Urgency for Cardenao was turned up to 11 out of 10, HUElavia was still pushing forward knowing that they were going to need as many goals as possible to qualify, both sets of fans were outrageously riled up and yelling, jeering, screaming in passion. It was a total madhouse and it came to a head in the 83rd minute. Rosado turned with the ball but was barged into by Chímo Ventura who then nicked the ball from his feet and charged down the field. As the defense rushed out to close down the play, he feinted as if he were to cut inside the box before sliding it to who else but Big Juanma in the middle, who calmly slotted it home to make it 2-2.

The HUElavian’s were outraged, rushing the referee screaming while Juanma wheeled away doing his trademark Pistolero celebration. The lads from HUE must’ve said some real pleasant stuff as two of their players were shown the yellow card. Was it a foul? It could’ve been. But it wasn’t.

That was all Scooter McNash needed to see. They were rattled and now was the time to throw it all forward. Off came Diego Valenzuela, on came the 6’6 striker Yeison Mesa as the Cardenaoans pushed forward to win it all.

Strong attacks, decisive movements, Larrainzar’s shot was saved by Casillas while Ibai Acosta-Vargas’ header went narrowly over, it was a nailbiter. In the 88th minute, a long shot from Acosta-Vargas was tipped aside by Casillas to give us a corner and a chance. Giampetro Vera whipped a cross into the box where it was met by the chest of the yellow-carded Lavezzi and it was cleared away. Enter our angel, CardenVAR.

Yes my readers, a…dubious penalty was awarded by the heroic referee and just like that, we have a chance.

Up stepped Juanma.

A breath to settle himself as he locked eyes with Casillas in goal.

A smile as he ran up.

The ball in the back of the net.

El Pistolero wheeling away again.

HUElavia 2-3 Cardenao.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: How the Teletext sausage is made

[Brookstation]

BACK INTO THE GAME
BROOKSTATION EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN AN INTENSE EIGHT-GOAL THRILLER AGAINST SENDHANG

by Jeremiah Rhodes

It was finally time for the match that was about to decide much of the proceedings of Group G. The game was upon Brookstation and Sendhang, two teams which had by now become seemingly familiar to each other, as they headed into their World Cup rematch fixture. The clash between the two teams previously didn’t yield a favourable result in either of their recent encounters, which made the game all the more important for the Dreamers. Athens is one of the most interesting sites in all of Delaclava, widely known for its architectural wonders and historical significance but it was the Colosseum, a massive hub capable of hosting 66,000 people,that was the centre of attraction.

Sendhang had undoubtedly been impressive throughout their campaign. Having missed the qualification to the World Cup by a very narrow margin, the team had immediately left its mark by winning the first game of the Cup of Harmony against the competitive Saint Eleanor side. Brookstation on the other hand had already played their first two fixtures against Delte and Talannua respectively, drawing in both cases and thus the Dreamers were yet to face their strongest opponent yet. Sendhang held on to the lead early in the game within only 7 minutes of the game’s commencement thanks to Keylar Samoi’s swift header off Beripeda’s corner.

Viewed from a long term perspective, the idea of reaching the playoffs was still very futile. What had been made out of the nearly 25000 Brooks present in the stadium with red and white banners ? With such a shock that early in the game, nobody could anticipate a good result but there were a whole lot of surprises yet to unfold. The most significant feature of the next 15 minutes was John Johnson’s 22nd minute goal. Brookstation’s John Johnson turned his marker and shot right-footed past Sendhang’s skipper Albertus Wageo. It was Johnson’s 15th goal of the year, putting him on top of Brookstation’s goalscorer’s list.

Johnson’s goal seemed to have brought a shower of blessings for the Dreamers. Brookstation turned the game completely to their advantage with goals within 8 minutes of the second half. Geovani Angeles met Harlow’s corner with a powerful low header which went in at the near post and then skipper Robes scampered free to finish with a scoop over goalkeeper Wageo in the 53rd minute. Another eight minutes later, John Johnson produced two superb touches when he scored once again in the 61st minute. He guided a long ball from Kearyn Caceres past the nearest defender, controlled it with the sole of his boot and then finally steered it past Wageo.

With Brookstation 4-1 in the lead, the Dreamers had more or less named the game to themselves but they wouldn’t have the game so easily to themselves. Despite an extremely comfortable lead, Sendhang made the job way more complicated for Brookstation. Nanang Wirajuda emulated Johnson’s brace when he scored Sendhang’s second goal two minutes later , cheating down a long cross from the right and then scoring at the near post with his left foot. Substitute Cezar Nowela could’ve made it 4-3 shortly afterwards but Logan made a brilliant reflex save from Caceres’ deflection. With less than 15 minutes left in the game, Sendhang had surprisingly asserted dominance over Brookstation on the field, even restricting Brookstation to a possession of 20% at one stage of the game. To be honest it was an obvious reaction to a series of goals but this style of play could call for serious trouble. Sendhang had finally been able to find the net in the 78th minute after several attempts for the goal when Kalbasi met a Nanang Wirajuda cross with his back to goal and turned sharply to score. It was without any debate the best goal witnessed in the game so far but the question was, would it be enough to limit Brookstation to a draw or even a loss ? Tension rose among the 60,540 crowd with every passing minute and one Brook fan even walked out at 4-3 because he couldn’t take any more of the suspense.

This is when Billy Browne introduced his managerial genius, completely transforming Brookstation’s style of play. Ideally, a team should be bent on focusing on the defense at such a stage in the game but instead the Dreamers shifted to an unusual aggressive style of play, similar to that during the early stages of the game. As a result, Brookstation dominated the last phase of the game, preferably looking for another goal to consolidate their win. To counter the growing threat of the Brook attacks, Sendhang rebounded to the back by calling their midfield and even a part of their offense towards the defense. Sendhang faced their most terrible shock when the young Bruce Hoogewarf, who had rarely made an appearance prior to this scored his first goal for the senior Brook side when he headed in a corner with only four minutes left. The two extra minutes that had been awarded to the sides flew away as quickly as it could and when the referee finally blew his whistle, there was a scene of excitement on the pitch. After four whole games, Brookstation finally got back on track by successfully taking their revenge on Sendhang.

Brookstation’s Group Stage campaign officially comes to an end next Sunday with their last match against the tough Saint Eleanor side. With only one game in hand, will Brookstation be able to revert their past record by making it out of the Group Stage of the Cup of Harmony for the first time ? Saint Eleanor is undoubtedly a stronger side, a side which had made it to the World Cup just last year and a side which has displayed their abilities to the world on multiple occasions before. Will Brookstation be able to make it a step further or will luck intervene in the Dreamer’s path once again ? Whatever the result might be, it is definitely going to be a heck of a match.

[Yue Zhou]

Yuezhou's Talent Retention Problem Looms Large at WC
WHAT DOES NYOWANI KITARA HAVE THAT WE DON'T?
Yun Zhong, dragons-den.yz

CENTRALIS, ELECTRUM -- When the whistle blew at the end of extra time, the Yue manager and his star Yue winger sank to the ground in defeat. But they could take consolation in the fact that they had gone far further than anyone had expected them. Although they came into the World Cup as underdogs, they overcame the former world champions in the group stage before making a Cinderella run to the semifinals. They may have fallen at the penultimate hurdle, but Liang Wei and Wang Jiahui could take a lot of pride in their performance. And after Yuezhou's relatively successful World Cup 88, this was exactly the kind of run that the YFA dreamt that they were setting up for.

Just one problem - the former Yue assistant manager and star winger were representing not Yuezhou, the land in which they were born and raised and built their careers, but Pavolan rivals Nyowani Kitara. The former was unceremoniously sacked from the Dragons after the YFA turned blue, while the latter, pursued by the military coup that sparked the Yue Civil War, went on the run before finding asylum in Akongo-controlled Nyowani Kitara. As a result, both changed allegiances, arguing that they were representing the People's Federation, not the United Republics (at the time still not fully recognized by the surrounding Rushmori states). And while Nyowani Kitara has since followed in Yuezhou's footsteps by ousting their socialist leader, both have become unlikely Kitaran stars and remained with the team.

Zwangzug bested another Yueren on their surprising road to the World Cup finals as well. When the Zebras defeated Nephara in the Round of 16, it was Xu Yunjie, better known as Myana starlet Tanith Xu, starting at left-back for the Cormorants. The YFA had pushed hard to get Xu to commit to the Dragons, but when Nephara calls your name, "maybe we'll make a run at the Cup of Harmony this cycle" becomes much less appealing. To be fair, Xu slipped away far earlier than Wang or Liang, as her parents moved to Nephara in the run-up to the Yue Civil War. But the YFA's failure to snag Tanith Xu could see itself repeated over countless other members of the Diaspora Generation. The generation of kids who fled the country at the outbreak of the Civil War is now starting to come of age, and many of them see little reason to return to their chaos-plagued ancestral homeland. The YFA did manage to gazump Kara Mingsdottír from Græntfjall in a rare victory, but they still offer a level of institutional and facilities support that is far outpaced by other Rushmori nations.

It's a trend that's being seen across other areas of Yue society as well. Many of the best and brightest of our country fled the chaos of the Civil Wars, and while those left are trying their best to rebuild our country, they still sorely miss those who left. Yue security forces greatly miss the expertise of many of the Yue People's Army members that have stayed abroad. The fledgling Yue democracy is somewhat lacking in experienced assemblymembers, with many politicians dead or purged from the tragedies of the War. But most importantly, a generation of talented Yue youth footballers have fled the war and gone abroad, whether to Nyowani Kitara, Nephara, or Græntfjall - and don't see much reason to come home. With what was once thought of as a Golden Generation rapidly starting to wear down, whether the YFA can sway their minds could be integral to the future of the Yuezhou National Team.

Lineup to face Bears Armed, Cup of Harmony 84 Group Stage MD4:
(4-3-3) Zhao; Lu, Yang, Yuan, Dong; Yang, Wan, Li J (C); Jiang, Liu, Luo
Responding to the physical prowess of the Ursines, Chen Huikang has sought to inject more steel into his lineup. The younger, powerful Lu Lanying replaces Jiawei Chuan at left-back, while Yang Xie adds more energy to midfield. A win would put Yuezhou much closer to the Round of 16, while a loss could leave them forced to defeat Juvencus on the final matchday.

[Audioslavia]

Egon Must Nears Herald Takeover
Jaffacake Recalled from Cup of Harmony as Peg Enshoogles

"Your jaiket's oan a shoogly peg" goes the saying in Jaffacake's native Ceilerden. Translated as 'your jacket is on a wobbly peg', it's a phrase said to someone who may well be about to lose their job. Having reported on Audioslavia's national team over a first three matchdays in which the side, still under RJ Styrn's stewardship, have won two from two, Jaffacake is reportedly to fly home from Sonnel - an activity nobody enjoys - in order to do his part in the upcoming transition of power.

'His part' is very likely to involve standing outside a locked building while his belongings are thrown down to him from a window.

The rivalry between self*-made tech billionaire Egon Must, 45, and self-aggrandising hack meme Jaffacake, 2XX, has only gone from strength to strength in recent weeks, with the former taking to Twii.tur to throw some ham-fisted shade at Jaffacake - along with offering advice to Cassadaiguans and Nyowani Kitarans about their current affairs - while Jaffacake fired back via a rented blimp with the phrase 'Egon Must's Dad Sells Essential Oils On Facebook" apparently flown over Must's house all last week until eventually shot down by a drone-display team in the shape of the clown emoji.

It's a rivalry that begs for both men to be shot into space at the earliest opportunity.

In football news, RJ Styrn is bullish ahead of a crucial tie with Eraman, suggesting that her team were more than capable of going through to the next round on a full twelve points. Styrn's goal must be to win the tournament, but an honorable second goal is simply to win as many games as possible. Silverware is on the line, sure, but so are ranking points, and if the Bulls want to be in with a shout of qualifying at some point during the nineties they need all the help they can get. Help can, and must, come in the form of their points hauls coming in batches of three for as long as the team can muster.

Whatever the result against Eraman, former manager Jeremy Jaffacake, a 10,000-1 outsider to take over from Styrn after the tournament, will be watching from home.

[Ceni]

Orisonel: Juvencus game "anything but harmonic" as FA mulls sanctions against homophobic fans

After the disastrous 3-2 loss against Juvencus in which Juven fans hurled homophobic insults at Cenian fans and players, Cenian FA director Fonak Orisenel slammed both the Juven FA and fans involved.

"This is the Cup of Harmony, for God's sake, a tournament that is supposed to promote sporting goodwill and competition with good sportsmanship," said Orisenel in an invective-laden press conference following the loss. "But the behaviour by Juven fans in the match today was anything but harmonic. There are not words in the universe that can express our sheer outrage at this behaviour."

Orisenel also echoed calls by Juven paper Il Scudelliano for the Juven FA to take responsibility for the actions of its fans. "Quite frankly, chants like this never happen in a vacuum," said Orisenel. "It reflects poorly on both the country of Juvencus as a whole, and on the Juven FA which is implicitly condoning such behaviour by vouching for fans who later abuse their privileges by shouting homophobic abuse at the host team."

"And, to add insult to injury, it has tardied in issuing a formal apology for its fans," Orisenel added.

For context for our international readers, Ceni has one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations in the SAREIMA regions — perhaps only rivaled by its co-host Delaclava, where the majority of the population identifies as bisexual.

That figure includes a number of national team members, including nonbinary goalkeeper Aneirin Woodbridge, attacking midfielder Asher Koromin, and up-and-coming defensive midfielder Lyra Avant. And a number also have connections to that community, such as strikers Iain Cyn-Penzag and Sebastian Ellex-Mar, who were both raised by same-sex couples.

Many players involved testified that the abuse played a major part in that game's final result. "When we're playing a game, we have to devote 110% of our mental capacity to playing football," said Avant, who sat on the pitch crying with her head in her hands after the match. "When we have to try and shut all this shit out of our heads, don't pardon my Azertienne at all, it adds to the mental load we have to carry in the game."

It was a defensive error borne from that increased mental load that allowed Ceni to concede the game-winning goal from Juven striker Joaquim Martell.

Meanwhile, Cyn-Penzag held two middle fingers up to the Juven fans in half-time. Cobre referee Nwabueze Okwaudigbo, eager to avoid being shouted down by the raucous and rabid Juven fans by supposedly showing favouritism to the home team, immediately awarded Cyn-Penzag a red card for "abusive language," claiming that the Laws of the Game did not allow for him to consider mitigating circumstances in awarding the red card and leaving Cyn-Penzag's participation in the remainder of the group stage in doubt.

Orisenel and team manager Luke Longstar pledged to protest the red card and the concomitant suspension. "Mr. Okwaudigbo did nothing to caution or discipline the Juven fans. Indeed, the only action he took in relation to the homophobic chants was to punish Cenian players who justly reacted to the crowd," said Longstar in a written statement. "This is blatantly unfair and contravenes the Laws of Football."

But Cyn-Penzag said that the gesture was worth it, regardless of the penalty. "I didn't want to stand there and put my head down and do nothing, especially when the referee was clearly intimidated by the fans," said Cyn-Penzag. "In my opinion, every Juven fan should be given a lifetime ban from attending any football match ever, as well as an entry ban to Ceni."

Attendees at the Halcyon National Stadium tended to agree with Cyn-Penzag's sentiment, even if it might seem harsh. "Why would you come to a country whose most famous footballer is gay, where there is a strong LGBTQ community, and expect to get away with homophobic chants?" wondered fan Resh Renenaes. (Renenaes was referring to Andrew Arrowsword, who had an incredibly publicized wedding with now-husband Liam Penderyn several years ago.)

In the end, Orisenel pledged to do all in his power to sanction the offending players, hinting that the Cenian FA might even advocate for penalties against the Juven team in this Cup of Harmony. "No offence such as this should go unpunished in international football," said Oriesnel, "and we will not let abuses like this slide on home soil."

"In addition, I don't think it's fair that a football team can directly benefit from these homophobic slurs and then go on to reap the rewards of that by advancing from the group stages," Orisenel continued. We should shut that behaviour down in its entirety, and there's no step that we won't consider taking. The fallout should be severe."

[Delaclava]

DELACLAVA 3–1 Baggieland
Bartoš 13', Meyer 42', Romeijn 75' | Bassett 67'
Rodriguez; Baxayev, Champagne, Gouin, Barker; Bartoš (Zaitsev 46'), Romeijn, Tudor, Martin (Demirjian 46'), Kovalev; Meyer (Gretler 46').

This match was played at Cathedral Square in Christiana, but despite the deities being well within earshot, no amount of prayers for the Throstles could help them contain the home Phoenixes, who overwhelmed them with their aggressive play and controlled possession for nearly two-thirds of the game. Although a nagging calf strain seemed to slow the star Lukas Meyer in the latter stages of the first half, he still did his part with a nifty finish as Delaclava wore down the Baggieland backline from pillar to post and didn't waver when Laurie Bassett struck back to give the Throstles a sliver of hope. The Phoenixes move to two wins in two games and look to be well in control of a historic berth in the Round of 16

Waringpost

UwU Lena's "99 Hüpfende Luftballons" shoots to top of charts

Uwu Lena's recent turn in the Delaclav news cycle has found them tapping into a brand new market for their music.

The 26-year-old Hannasean pop star's single "99 Hüpfende Luftballons" has debuted at number one in the Vivace 50, the Delaclav music charts, four years after its initial release. The achievement has set numerous Vivace 50 distinctions: Uwu Lena is the first Hannasean artist to chart and to reach number-one, and the song is the first in 47 years to reach the Top 10 more than a year after its initial release.

Lena previously had gained little exposure in the Delaclav music market, with fewer than 500 listeners on the music streaming platform Wavelength. But the artist is now at the center of an emerging scandal in Delaclav politics, as a clip from Lena's BingBong account appeared to show them naked in a room with President Anna Voss and basketball players Przemysław Derda and Alarig Gouyet. Further research has since confirmed that Voss and Derda had multiple encounters after Voss officially visited the team prior to an International Basketball Championship match, and that Derda, Voss, and Gouyet all attended a nightclub on the same night where Lena was performing a concert, after which Lena would post the clip.

The story has created considerable curiosity in Lena's music, and noted critic David Brasser has observed: "Delaclav listeners seem to be drawn to the fun and bright yet melancholic melodies and rhythms in Lena's music. In addition to their open approach to personal and artistic expression, Lena also takes on an image of sexuality that is both unrestrained and thoughtful."

Of note, Lena is not the only one who seems to have benefited, at least initially, from the encounter. The national basketball team, led by Derda and Gouyet, went on to win the silver medal in the IBC, losing only to defending champions Nova Anglicana, with Derda himself earning individual accolades for his play. Voss, meanwhile, has seen her approval rating increase to 69%, with polled citizens praising her "openness and sexual freedom" and observing that her willingness to have a good time and experience culture is a desirable quality in a world leader. The Delaclav Parliament, however, has opened an investigation into Voss to determine if the trip was subject to any misuse of government funds.

It is unclear whether Lena is expected to perform in Delaclava in the near future, although reports have suggested that they have entered into a relationship with Gouyet, which may lead Lena to spend more time in the country and schedule appearances.

When asked for comment, Lena stated, "This is uwu indeed! To all fans of UwU, UwU. I wuv you all."

[Delaclava]

And with that, please enjoy the new UwU Lena hit song. Imagine this, but more synth, more dance, more electro beat, and it's about how fun breasts are. #WhoaThere #ShallotsNotTurnips

Day 4 cutoff!

---

Group A
Yuezhou 2–1 Bears Armed
Cap Nord 2–2 Ceni

  Group A                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Yuezhou                  3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7
2 Juvencus                 3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6
3 Ceni                     4   1  2  1    9   8  +1    5 E
4 Cap Nord                 3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
5 Bears Armed              3   0  0  3    3   9  −6    0 E

Group B
The Holy Empire 2–0 Valentine Z
Atheara 1–3 Cabo Azure

  Group B                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cabo Azure               4   3  1  0   15   6  +9   10 Q
2 The Holy Empire          3   1  2  0    7   5  +2    5
3 Atheara                  3   1  1  1    2   3  −1    4
4 Valentine Z              3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3
5 República Guanacasteca   3   0  0  3    2   9  −7    0 E

Group C
Gnejs 1–0 Acastanha
Koronavia 1–0 The Cordian Isles

  Group C                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gnejs                    3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9 Q
2 Pasarga                  3   3  0  0    6   3  +3    9 Q
3 Koronavia                3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3 E
4 Acastanha                3   0  1  2    4   6  −2    1 E
5 The Cordian Isles        4   0  1  3    3   7  −4    1 E

Group D
New Gelderland 0–0 Chartistan
Mercedini 0–3 Adab

  Group D                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Adab                     4   3  1  0   10   4  +6   10 Q
2 Chartistan               3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
3 Sargossa                 3   1  0  2    4   4   0    3
4 Mercedini                3   1  0  2    1   6  −5    3
5 New Gelderland           3   0  2  1    1   2  −1    2

[Saint Eleanor]

Cup of Harmony 84 - Group G, second game
Sendhang 1 (Temiar Kintak goal 35')
Saint Eleanor 0

Cup of Harmony 84 - Group G, third game
No matches scheduled for Saint Eleanor

---

Julia Atherton: In so many of her own words I won't even bother to put a summary quote here
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers interviews the series' most tenuous link to Eleanorian football... and one of its more tentative
Originally published on Wednesday 14th August 2002

Everybody knows what Julia Atherton's done, so I'll let her do all the talking. "Right, then, you bastards... where was I? Yes. I went to school and I'd say I did alright; I talked to a few people and all that. But for the most part, I was about taking part in PE as best as I could, studying for a few things, and, well, not studying for other things. Which, looking back on it, was very shit of me. At least I passed everything, didn't I? Anyway, I was good and I pushed onto Sports Science at Tinhampton Uni, Coastal; first-class, no problems whatsoever... but for some reason, I really wanted to fix cars. So fix cars I did. My parents aren't remarkable or anything of the sort, no, if you wanted to ask about that."

"I was fixing cars one day when I was asked to join the Eleven Retinues, the local football club who were taking part in the league; I told them 'fine, you can bloody well have me on the squad' - no threatograms or anything like that. Goodness, I really liked my threatograms when I could use them. For the most part, it was a nice atmosphere where nobody was really too sensitive; we were a well-oiled unit compared to everyone else, and although we never actually won the league - which was the single worst managed thing about the league - we had good times. Sometimes, they were far too good. Although I didn't fix any of my teammates' cars."

"My favourite moment from the league... I know that's not what you're asking, but it is, in a roundabout way. Towards the back end of the first completed season - did I mention there were only two completed seasons, the third fell through due to a massive player strike surrounding a complete overhaul of the league, and the TFA's never returned since? I still have no clue why they left me in charge of the finance department; they did, but that wasn't my favourite moment. There were two games to go and the title was a bit of a moot point - New Lions all the way, pity Fetakela Manuta got thrown overboard by Olympic a couple of years ago - but we were playing Refinery Hills; at the time, second was all to play for, and third and below had to go through a convoluted playoff just to make it. The weather wasn't particularly good, it being Tinhampton, but I had the ball just outside my penalty area for reasons I don't quite remember - was it a failed clearance or something friendlier? Never mind about that; I just hit it as hard as I could, watched on and the other goalkeeper was just scrambling about in his own net. It was a bit embarrassing, but also pretty cool and it's something I'll never forget."

"I said about ruining the TFA earlier; after that, I gave up everything Tinhampton had to offer, moved to Grand Beach district in Saint Eleanor, joined the local football club - actual professionals this time who were paying us around two thousand a week for regular gametime in a good league, even if it wasn't rigged up to all the international competitions - and had a really good time there. Adam Salt in particular - who was there from 1990 onwards, I think - was a very good manager who knew his stuff, put a good gameplan into place that was actually quite similar to what I got at the Retinues, got us together and regularly challenging for the top half, and one year after the FA joined the IFCF, we even made the Challengers' Cup. Of course we lost the first tie we played to Galatica of Pasarga, but that will definitely be sticking around in my mind for a bit, as well. I'm not here to provide a full history of Grand Beach, but after I retired, Adam asked me if I could take over as manager and I said yes; I've been quite blessed to have a good squad, especially in the attacking department, which is a bit of a surprise for the Dolphins."

"I honestly think a lot of the controversy surrounding me has been overblown. Nobody today seriously thinks I gave Zack Pierce the whip-round in Concord Heights. I know I didn't save a single penalty against the Lions when they played us in the cup semifinal that first season, my first ever shootout, but I have actually saved quite a few at Grand Beach. Us throwing away the 2-0 lead against Polaris in that first Globe Cup campaign - we were three games away from the group stages! - was mostly the fault of my defence for being a bit overconfident with everything... although come to think of it, I am looking forward to Saint Eleanor racking up enough wins to make it to Ceni again and avenge those demons like Priscilla and I did about ten cycles ago."

"And as a final note - yes, I brought Grand Beach back to the IFCF this year, which is honestly quite a big fucking deal if you think about it - even though everybody says I haven't been doing enough with the squad or I'm too conservative or so on. I like it there and I'm not sure I'll move on... actually, this interview was supposed to be about the goal I scored from eighty yards out, now, wasn't it? Crap. As I said, good times, pity the big strike and the TFA shitting itself had to kill it off; I'll see you around, hopefully. Maybe at the next press conference on Albion Road?"

Julia Atherton... do we need to say anything more than that? Assertive, impressive, notable, a bit more humble than before - but still just as forthright. And she didn't even raise her voice once. Impressive.

[Ceni]

While you wait for scores, you can enjoy (ironically or not) what has become the Cenian national team's anthem at this point.

Group E
West Barack and East Obama 1–1 Delaclava
Mertagne 5–2 Ochre Islands

. Group E                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mertagne                        3   3  0  0    9   4  +5    9
2 Delaclava                       3   2  1  0    8   4  +4    7
3 Baggieland                      3   1  0  2    7   9  −2    3
4 West Barack and East Obama      3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2
5 Ochre Islands                   4   0  1  3    9  15  −6    1

Group F
Eraman 1–1 Audioslavia
Poafmersia 1–0 Ziwana

. Group F                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia                      3   3  0  0    7   4  +3    9
2 Audioslavia                     3   2  1  0    4   1  +3    7
3 Eraman                          3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
4 Ziwana                          4   1  0  3    3   5  −2    3
5 Elmyia                          3   0  0  3    2   6  −4    0

Group G
Sendhang 0–1 Delte
Saint Eleanor 1–0 Brookstation

. Group G                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delte                           3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Saint Eleanor                   3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6
3 Brookstation                    4   1  2  1    6   5  +1    5
4 Sendhang                        3   1  0  2    4   6  −2    3
5 Talannua                        3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1

Group H
Cardenao 3–0 Brenecia
Kimi-Suomi 2–2 HUElavia

. Group H                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cardenao                        3   3  0  0    8   3  +5    9
2 Brenecia                        3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
3 Kimi-Suomi                      3   1  1  1    6   5  +1    4
4 HUElavia                        4   1  1  2    8   9  −1    4
5 The Jovannic                    3   0  0  3    3  10  −7    0

[Yue Zhou]

THE JIANGDONG TIMES
THE VOICE OF JIANGDONG
COURT ANNOUNCES MINIMUM 60% THRESHOLD FOR CRC ACCESSION VIA REFERENDUM
WANG Wen, POLITICS

NANGANG -- In a defeat for Hong Nanwei's Forward Path and Zhen Qiang's coalition government, the Yue Supreme Court declared that pro-CRC accession forces would need to achieve sixty percent of the vote in order for any CRC referendum to be legally binding, rather than the simple majority that the recently-passed Referendum Act claims. The Court argued that joining the CRC would be such an important change to the nation's foreign policy that it would be equivalent to passing a constitutional amendment. "When Wu Zhongsheng and Zheng Zhoulun drafted the Yue Constitution," a spokesperson for the Court stated, "they intended for the executive branch to have a limited presence in the people's ability to dictate their foreign policy. While Zhen Qiang is more than welcome to follow CRC precedent in calling an accession referendum, any such referendum must achieve a substantial majority, such as those required for amendments, to pass."

While the Yue Supreme Court is openly nonpartisan, critics have suggested that President Wu Zhongsheng, still in a coma following his post-election stroke that has left Zhen Qiang the nation's acting leader, has packed it with his loyalists. As such, forces that remain loyal to Wu in his National Union party, upon hearing that Zhen planned to call a referendum to join the CRC, reportedly viewed the Court as a way to push back on the Interim President's relatively liberal agenda. "The court sent a powerful message today," crowed Liang Ziyou, leader of the right-wing opposition party Liberation Army. "Zhen Qiang and Hong Nanwei cannot use a 50-50 vote to force the Yue people to turn their backs on Pavola and Yuezhou by joining such a radically liberal organization. While sixty percent is not enough to represent a legitimate majority in our eyes, we welcome the court's decision as a step in the right direction for Yuezhou."

Support for CRC accession has recovered from a low of fifty-five percent in the wake of the Yue Federal Elections to sixty-three percent following the left-wing Progressive Democrats' official endorsement of the "yes" position. Still, though, new party leader Shang Ziyang refused to take a stand on the Court's decision, telling his supporters to "respect the judicial process" and "have faith that reason will prevail". Zhen Qiang remained similarly quiet, and it was rumored that he was already aware that the Court would make its decision. Perhaps knowledge of this imminent ruling is what allowed him to present a united front amongst National Union so easily, as intra-party skeptics could simply pass the legislation and let the Court rule in their favor. However, Forward Path, the centrist coalition partners who have been the nation's strongest pro-CRC voice, condemned the acts as "horrific judicial outreach that suggests endemic corruption in the Wu administration" despite echoing other pro-CRC parties' optimism.

With a month to go until the historic referendum, the outcome - as well as international reactions to this latest ruling - remain unclear. Still, there is plenty of time left for new developments by Yue political standards, especially with the possibility of President Wu waking up in play. If Wu Zhongsheng does awake from his coma to find Yuezhou on the precipice of a new direction, things could certainly complicate further. For now, though, the parties will continue to campaign, and the nation will hold its breath as CRC accession teeters on a knife's edge.

[Baggieland]

The Assignment

Apprentice Øye then spent the next month honing his shooting skills. His compact quarters at the Lodge had every nook and cranny adorned with multiple heads of stags and wolves, with a special place set aside for 'Bambi', his first quarry. Then there was a knock on his door.

Grand Master Lei Siulung: "Killer Bob believes that you're ready for your first… job. Memorise the face in this photo."

Apprentice Øye: "Who's that?"

Grand Master Lei Siulung: "Bjørge Lillelien, he's a journalist from The Port Kejm Sentinel in Gnejs. You're going home Apprentice Øye."

Apprentice Øye: "Okay, what has this fella done to deserve my attention?"

Grand Master Lei Siulung: "He's been investigating the fork scandal, and he's getting a bit too close for comfort. Do a good job, and don't forget to leave no trace of violence."

Apprentice Øye packed up his assassin accoutrements and took the next flight to Gnejs. He had no intention of harming Bjørge, as that guy was investigating the fork scandal and was therefore going after the same people that Øye wanted to bring down. Upon arrival in Gnejs, he had been told to meet up with his old boss, Jakob.

Jakob: "Øystein, long time no see! I guess I should call you Apprentice Øye now that we're both members of the Lodge. Sorry about that whole kidnapping thing, but hey, it's all turned out rather well, hasn't it? Our brothers in the police force have been tracking Bjørge's daily routine, so it should be no problem for you to find him… and then do that new thing that you do."

Apprentice Øye: "Yeah… umm… I'll get round to that in a few days. Hey, how's Hannah?"

Jakob: "Hannah… well… she's become a bit of a problem too Øystein. She refused to cooperate with the Lodge and now she's gone and disappeared. No one knows where she is at the moment, but we'll find her."

At this point Apprentice Øye realised that Hannah could be a potential ally, so finding her would have to be his top priority. If the Lodge couldn't locate her, then she must be well hidden. To help him concentrate on figuring out where Hannah would have gone, he took an extra large dose of snuff. During the resulting sneezing fit Apprentice Øye had a sudden urge to head west, way out west. He had never been to the far western parts of the Union before, the only thing he knew about that area was that westerners liked pork pancakes.

Two Days Later in a Tavern in Haavika

Apprentice Øye: "Have you seen this woman?"

Manageress: "What's it to you?"

Apprentice Øye: "It's really important I find her. I'll give you some pork pancakes."

Manageress: "Well, those are some fine looking pancakes you've got there. She's upstairs, room 12."

Apprentice Øye walked up the stairs and knocked on the door of room 12.

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia 1–0 Ziwana
Goalscorers: Erle Sartini 40'
Lineup: Nicole Potts (c); Kilikina Lee, Diamond Byan, Nikkita Alfaro, Xenophon Robson; Magreta Rym, Sylvia Fusco, Erle Sartini; Janelle Frederick, Jordan Huerta, Leontiy Seet
Substitutes: Dagur Lawrence (Rym 62'); Agapito Murphy (Huerta 62'); Zak Kaolyanov (Robson 77'); Tessa Bjarnesen (Frederick 77')

Sporting Daily
Cup of Harmony 84: Permutations for MD5
Most of the attention of the footballing world might have been focused on this morning's game between Banija and Zwangzug, where Zwangzug clinched their first title as a nation. This result was also enough to propel our new World Cup champions to 4th in the world on the rankings chart, though an update of the rankings would not come up until the conclusion of the Cup of Harmony. With that in mind, we turn out attention to the final matchday of the group stage, where as many as 24 teams are still in contention for the 7 remaining spots in the Round of 16. Here, we present the list of matches that we are looking out, as well as trying to figure out how the final bracket would look like.

Group A

  Group A                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Yuezhou                  3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7
2 Juvencus                 3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6
3 Ceni                     4   1  2  1    9   8  +1    5 E
4 Cap Nord                 3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
5 Bears Armed              3   0  0  3    3   9  −6    0 E

Matches to Watch: Yuezhou vs Juvencus; Cap Nord vs Bears Armed

Co-hosts Ceni fail to qualify for the Round of 16 with a draw against Cap Nord and no matches left on their schedule. This means that the race to the Round of 16 is a tight one to the finish, with Cap Nord playing eliminated Bears Armed, while Juvencus and Yuezhou play each other. For Yuezhou, a point is enough for qualification, while Juvencus would try to aim for all 3 points to put themselves out of range of Cap Nord. Cap Nord actually has a chance to qualify - they just have to start by defeating pointless Bears Armed to get 7 points. 7 points would probably go down to a goal difference tiebreak, should Juvencus win (tiebreak against Yuezhou) or Juvencus draw (tiebreak against Juvencus).

Group B

  Group B                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cabo Azure               4   3  1  0   15   6  +9   10 Q
2 The Holy Empire          3   1  2  0    7   5  +2    5
3 Atheara                  3   1  1  1    2   3  −1    4
4 Valentine Z              3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3
5 República Guanacasteca   3   0  0  3    2   9  −7    0 E

Matches to Watch: The Holy Empire vs República Guanacasteca; Atheara vs Valentine Z

Despite second-ranked The Holy Empire underperforming with 1 win and 2 draws to their name, the hamsters are favourites to qualify for the knockout stages as runners-up, with a simple task ahead of them - win against the pointless República Guanacasteca. While Hamsters vs Pigs might be an interesting match to watch, Valentine Z and Atheara are attempting to pounce on the spot. A win for either side might put them in a position to secure the runners-up spot should the Pigs pull off an upset win. If either one of the games end in a draw, the group will be tiebroken by goal difference.

Group C

  Group C                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gnejs                    3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9 Q
2 Pasarga                  3   3  0  0    6   3  +3    9 Q
3 Koronavia                3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3 E
4 Acastanha                3   0  1  2    4   6  −2    1 E
5 The Cordian Isles        4   0  1  3    3   7  −4    1 E

Matches to Watch: Gnejs vs Pasarga

With the fate of the 5 teams already secured, fourth seeds Gnejs/Prosaic Union will play against top seeds Pasarga to battle for the top of the group. The winner of the match will play against the runners-up of Group B (which looks like The Holy Empire) while the losers of the match will play against Cabo Azure. On paper, actually losing the match might be better. Or, if you are the Pasargan national team, you might play for a draw. However, the decision is nowhere near obvious. If The Holy Empire doesn't progress from Group B, chances are that, being the group winner might net you better chances, though your quarterfinals is one of Adab and the Group A runners-up. But at least the Round of 16 is slightly easier. Anyways, the only other team interested in the result is Cabo Azure, who plays with the loser of this game.

Group D

  Group D                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Adab                     4   3  1  0   10   4  +6   10 Q
2 Chartistan               3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
3 Sargossa                 3   1  0  2    4   4   0    3
4 Mercedini                3   1  0  2    1   6  −5    3
5 New Gelderland           3   0  2  1    1   2  −1    2

Matches to Watch: Sargossa vs New Gelderland; Chartistan vs Mercedini

Adab is a group winner, but the race for second-place is nowhere near complete. With the four teams separated by just 2 points, nobody has any idea who will qualify for the knockout stages. The winner of Chartistan vs Mercedini will have an advantage; though Mercedini's poor goal difference means that should they win, they need Sargossa to not clinch a win. Or unless Mercedini wins really big to overcome the -5 goal difference.

Group E

  Group E                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mertagne                        3   3  0  0    9   4  +5    9 Q
2 Delaclava                       3   2  1  0    8   4  +4    7 Q
3 Baggieland                      3   1  0  2    7   9  −2    3 E
4 West Barack and East Obama      3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2 E
5 Ochre Islands                   4   0  1  3    9  15  −6    1 E

Matches to Watch: Mertagne vs Delaclava

This is the other group that has everything secured. Again, Mertagne and Delaclava play each other on the final matchday to decide who is the group winner. Unlike Group C, the opponents aren't very clear even till today. As such, it might be very difficult to predict which result is better, and teams should play for the win where possible.

Group F

  Group F                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Poafmersia                      3   3  0  0    7   4  +3    9 Q
2 Audioslavia                     3   2  1  0    4   1  +3    7
3 Eraman                          3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
4 Ziwana                          4   1  0  3    3   5  −2    3 E
5 Elmyia                          3   0  0  3    2   6  −4    0 E

Matches to Watch: Eraman vs Elmyia; Poafmersia vs Audioslavia

Poafmersia have gotten their qualification spot, and they just don't have to lose to close rivals Audioslavia to secure top spot. Meanwhile Eraman needs a miracle - they need to defeat already eliminated Elmiya, and hope Poafmersia defeats Audioslavia. Eraman would just have to secure a goal difference enough to overcome Audioslavia (both teams just produced the group's first draw result).

Group G

  Group G                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delte                           3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7 Q
2 Saint Eleanor                   3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6
3 Brookstation                    4   1  2  1    6   5  +1    5 E
4 Sendhang                        3   1  0  2    4   6  −2    3
5 Talannua                        3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1 E

Matches to Watch: Sendhang vs Talannua; Delte vs Saint Eleanor

Delte vs Saint Eleanor is an obvious one - winner will qualify as group champions. Delte has secured qualification in advance, but Sendhang still has a chance of gunning for the runners-up position. The battle is straightforward - Sendhang needs to start by defeating winless Talannua. Then, Delte needs to defeat Saint Eleanor. If both teams are level on Goal Difference, Sendhang has a head-to-head advantage, and will be through.

Group H

  Group H                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cardenao                        3   3  0  0    8   3  +5    9 Q
2 Brenecia                        3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
3 Kimi-Suomi                      3   1  1  1    6   5  +1    4
4 HUElavia                        4   1  1  2    8   9  −1    4 E
5 The Jovannic                    3   0  0  3    3  10  −7    0 E

Matches to Watch: Brenecia vs Kimi-Suomi
Cardenao has secured the qualification spot, and with an easy game against The Jovannic, they just required a single point to secure the top spot regardless of the other results. This means that it is up to Brenecia to fight for their spot. With second seeds HUElavia eliminated, the challenge for Brenecia is just to not lose against third seeds Kimi-Suomi. Should Kimi-Suomi win, Cardenao will always be first placed, and Brenecia will be eliminated.

Bracket as of current
Ceni half
SR1 - Yuezhou/Juvencus vs Chartistan/Sargossa/Mercedini/New Gelderland
SR2 - Cabo Azure vs Gnejs/Pasarga
SR3 - Gnejs/Pasarga vs The Holy Empire/Atheara/Valentine Z
SR4 - Adab vs Yuezhou/Juvencus/Cap Nord

For the Ceni half bracket, only one tie has a very clear answer - Cabo Azure versus the loser of Genjs vs Pasarga. The rest of the ties don't look obvious. Being in SR1 or SR2 means you definitely avoid The Holy Empire till the semifinals at the minimum.

Delaclava half
SR5 - Mertagne/Delaclava vs Cardenao/Brenecia/Kimi-Suomi
SR6 - Poafmersia/Audioslavia vs Delte/Saint Eleanor/Sendhang
SR7 - Delte/Saint Eleanor vs Poafmersia/Audioslavia/Eraman
SR8 - Cardenao/Brenecia vs Mertagne/Delaclava

For the Delaclava side, things don't look as clear, with all the qualified teams not securing their positions in the group just yet. Cardenao is likely to play the loser of Mertagne vs Delaclava, while the winner of Mertagne vs Delaclava will play the winner of Brenecia vs Kimi-Suomi. That looks increasingly likely. Group F and Group G are in similiar situations, with the top team having to play against the current runners-up while another team has an outside chance of sneaking in as the runners-up.

On paper, the Ceni side should be the tougher side. Among the top 6 teams, that side features the higher ranked The Holy Empire (2), Pasarga (12) and Adab (29). The Delaclava side is likely to be dominated by Brenecia (8), but others such as Audioslavia (18), Saint Eleanor (33), Poafmersia (43) and Mertagne (50) aren't simple pushovers.

[Kimi-Suomi]

Hello there! Kaipasitko meitä? Our campaign thus far has looked both good and bad, with a good win paired with a tough loss before we entered a bye on MD3. Now, we knew that we had to score points quickly if we wanted any chance of advancing to the knockout phase - and Esko Laaksonen knew that most of all. He knew that points had to come sooner rather than later...but how would today fare?

Pioneer Field in Corcorran would host our matchup with HUElavinen (HUElavia) and with survival on the line, both sides knew the importance of this contest and played like it was very important. Both Esko and Cristiano Aveiro Lima traded blows, trying to find any weaknesses in the opposition that could be exploited for the good of the result and that would produce a bit of a standoff across the entire game. We would take the lead after 21 minutes via an excellent strike from Valtteri Nordström, but Ringo Honda responded in kind just before halftime. The substitutes added more chaos in the 2nd half, with both sides using all 5 subs to good use to try and break through and claim those 3 precious points in our 2nd-to-last game and their last group game. They would take the lead in the 77th via a header from Rafael Mayordomo but we would respond soon enough, the 82nd seeing Annina Tuominen add her name to the scoresheet to make things all square again. The final few minutes were just frantic, with both sides refusing to give up on winning this game...but in the end, the final score blew on a 2-2 draw. They were eliminated, and be would be too...if not for Cardenao.

Cardenao beat Brenecinen (Brenecia) 3-0 in order to qualify themselves, so all we have to do is beat them ourselves in order to advance as well. These guys are ranked #8 in the world, but being here means something went horribly wrong along the way. They've certainly done well here considering the circumstances, Derdriu Wright is commanding one of the pre-CoH favourites after all, but now we could end up eliminating them from the enter competition...by saving ourselves.
That is the scene for Huuhkajat vs the Patriots at the Babbage Grounds in Mariana.
One must rise, and one must fall.
And after everything we've been through, we ain't giving up just yet.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

[Elmyia]

Beaucester Gazette
Shock as Pope Benedict XVI Ends Retire for Exorcism
Pope Emeritus form lynchpin of 5 man 'dream team'

In a move that has stunned the worlds of religion and football alike, Pope Benedict XVI has come out of international retirement for one last job. It was announced yesterday that the nonagenarian holy man was joining the 5 man 'dream team' of holy men assembled to exorcise the demons from the young Elmyian marksman Vesper Benedetti.

Moves for the former Pope had been kept securely under wraps, with the news coming as a shock to most. The former pontiff brings a wealth of experience to the side, and boasts a 100% record in exorcisms since the 2005 conclave that put him in the Vatican hot seat.

Benedict joins 4 other experienced religious figures in the attempts to remove the demons from Benedetti and allow him to resume normal life. The striker has laboured through the Cup of Harmony tournament, struggling to find goals and with the deep Satanic rage that has filled him. In scoring 2, he has failed to fire as we might expect, and most are hoping that banishing the dark fire inside him will allow him to find his form again.

The other four figures are the Archbishop of Mosfleet, Father Marconi of Catamouge, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All-Greece and Bartholomew I of Constantinople. This provides a balance between Catholic and Orthodox figures, which is hoped will bring balance to the team for the upcoming match up. The list of figures also balances local figures, and figures familiar to Benedetti, with big names from further afield. Reports so far suggest training is going well, and the team are building patterns of play that they will hope to put to good use against their long standing rivals from hell.

The team has been assembled over the last couple of weeks, and by all accounts sound confident. The Archbishop of Mosfleet and Father Marconi, who knows Benedetti personally, were unlucky to come away without a result when facing these demons last. The addition of senior figures, with the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Greece, was hoped to add the quality necessary to get them over the line this time. The arrival of former Pope Benedict XVI has injected fresh impetus into the lineup, with his mastery of liturgical matters, and capabilities in Latin, thought to add an extra dimension in attack.

Despite the addition of these names to the lineup, the mysterious forces controlling Benedetti appear confident they can still get what they need. "The thing is, they know they have to come here and get a result. The onus is on them. The lads aren't worried, we know how good we are, and we have the quality to see them off," opined Beelzebub, attending to press conference duties the day before the match up. Last time out Behemoth played a key role in shutting out the holy duo of Father Marconi and the Archbishop, and it may be that stopping him is key if the holy 5 wish to come away with a result.

[Acastanha]

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And the President of Acastanha is...

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After an interesting result from the first round presidential election, the two top candidates are battling for the seat in the second round. Prediction about the top two was varied between the 3 main contenders, Abelardo Saramotxo, Miranda Garbuno and Benigno Karpanyo. Which eventually won by Karpanyo and Garbuno. A 3-days campaign time was given for them following the second round election with 1 break day. The election was schedule on the weekend to maximize the turnout possibility. There is however a trend that happening in the past few elections where the second round would get a lower turnout than the first round. 'People sometimes lost the interest,' said CEA spokesperson. And on the 4th day of 50th week year 2022, the result is announced.

And Miranda Garbuno officially win the Presidential election by securing 52.05% of voters. It is a close win with around 150,000 votes separated the candidates. Karpanyo express his disappointment in a speech following the announcement. Although he congratulate Garbuno and hoping that both sides can work together for the future of Acastanha. On the other hand, Garbuno is surprised with the result. On her winning speech, she said that she herself felt like an underdog and already ready to lose. But the results show otherwise. She accept her victory and looking forward to build the country.

From the results, we can see there's a huge drop in the turnout. In the first round which was held at the same time as the parliament election, there were more than 5 millions people came to the booth and cast their votes. But in the second round, there were only 4.5 millions people who voted. A larger drop were surprisingly seen in Palidas. 1.9 millions voters in the first round against 1.6 millions in the second round. A drop of 5.5% of voters were also seen in Arra. Despite a larger drop in Palidas, Garbuno is able to win in 4 out of 5 provinces in Palidas. With the exception of Ocidental. It is confirmed that KB and PKJ supporters are leaned towards Karpanyo which lead to Garbuno losing in the province. Garbuno also made a surprising victory in Arrakan Province, the largest province in Arra. It seems that UdP and CAD contribute to her victory there. PLDP strong position in Região da Capital also contribute to Garbuno's win there.

With the result, it is confirmed that Blue-Red coalition will lead the Parliament as the supporter of the elected president, Miranda Garbuno. The current power had by the coalition are 36 seats, UdP (13), PLDP (12) and CAD (11). If they can't attract another party to join their coalition, then Garbuno will lead a minority government. In the opposition side, Red-Yellow Coalition had already secure 39 seats. They have more parties in their coalition. 6 to be exact, ANP, NAA, STA, PPS, KB and PKJ. Other parties that still undecided are Eco, AP, NMP, VP, UaT and the independent members. These undecided seats counted for a quarter of the lower house. With the approaching handover, lobbying will conduct heavily. There are still 10 weeks left before Garbuno and the new members of parliament took office. This is the time for the government coalition parties to reached majority in both houses.

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Group Stage MD 4
Gnejs 1-0 Acastanha

Goal:
No goal

MD 5
Acastanha v Koronavia
@ Volatus Millennium Stadium, West Bank, City Centre, Ceni

Calls up

Starter
31 GK  Santiago Karba
12 LB  Rafael Oronako
3  CB  Santiago Urupao
16 CB  Dionisio Leimanki
4  RB  Jorge Vidshav (C)
17 LM  Lisandro Turtapa
6  CM  Plinio Adondare
20 CM  Nóe Brinanko
9  RM  David Gothrado
10 ST  David Yushankar
11 AT  Felix Kalchankar
Substitute
23 GK  Armando Padia
13 LB  Manuel Savalor
2  CB  David Erunde
27 RB  Casimiro Urinjane
7  LM  Pedro Ustankar
8  CM  Igor Erdagh
28 RM  Andre Aramde
22 ST  Manuel Brandas

[Gnejs]

Tying Up Loose Ends

The Issue

A string of bizarre and grisly murders - involving gilded forks and Cracquet paddles - have plagued the Union of late. The victims have all been semi-prominent society figures - amongst them your own Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs - and the Constabulary have discovered the perpetrators to be a couple of former civil servants from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and other Charitable Activities (MCSCA) gone rouge. The investigation has also uncovered that all victims belonged to a secret Illuminati-like criminal cabal that has worked covertly for years to undermine Union authority, saw division and strife, manipulate international relations and enrich themselves through violence and intimidation. A miasma of anxiety covers the room as a group of trusted advisors try to counsel you on how to handle this delicate situation.

The Debate

"It's clear what you have to do," states Jakob Pettson, the new Director General for the Department of Cultural Heritage at the MCSCA, while nervously looking over his shoulder. "Devote all available resources to hunting down Hannah and Øystein and bring them to Justice. I know we don't have capital punishment around here, but this might be one of those rare exceptions where a slight policy readjustment could be in order. And then we can just put a lid on all that Lodg.. eh, I mean criminal Illuminati business. Imagine how embarrassing it'll be for you and the entire administration if this got out!"

Accept

"Of course we need to catch these lunatics," reasons Roland the spreadsheet-guy, your anxiety-prone new Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. "But we have to expose the crimes of this dirty mafia as well! Forget trying to cover up all of this; it'll be impossible. I'm sure the media is already on to the story, and your best bet here is to be proactive. Put all the facts out there, condemn this sleazy gangland operation and promise you'll clean up, leaving no stone unturned."

Accept

"Not enough," interjects your resident shaman Embla Månstjärna, while pulling out a large piece of gneiss from her sack. "There is Justice already at work here. The evil of this Black Lodge must be eradicated throughly, the poison sucked out of every limb. Let the crimes of these cowardly deviants be known, but allow the course of ancient Justice to run, so that these avatars of The Rock may continue to cleanse our Union." She gives Director General Pettson the evil eye and drops the piece of gneiss on your table, shattering it completely.

Accept

"Or what about we if we just focus on something else for a change!" shouts Magnus Sten, your Minister for Culture, Sports and other Charitable Activities, who finally decided to show up. "It's been all forks and secret conspiracies around here forever, and I'm tired of it! Did you guys even know we're killing it in the Cup of Harmony?! If the Dandelion boys play their cards right we might even end up playing those Space Hamsters! I've never liked gerbils, with their beady little eyes and those disgusting teeth, I had a Guinea pig once and it bit my finger whenever I tried to feed it, damned ungrateful little thing, and it smelled bad and shat all over the house. I hope the Space Hamsters are housebroken or whatever it's called because otherwise they'll have a hell of a problem cleaning up down there in Ceni, or is it Delaclava? You know what that sounds like? Baklava, and that's the most tasty pastry I've ever had, so if they're doing baklavas in Delaclavas I say we should go there, Space Hamsters or not! Speaking of not, let’s not do anything about all that other stuff, bygones and whatnot, let’s just order up some baklavas and watch the final group game! Go Dandelions!"

Accept

[Mertagne]

Part 1. The Middle Ages
Part 2. The Early Renaissance
Part 3. The Late Renaissance
Part 4. The Industrial Revolution

Time. Space. Reality. We know all too well that it’s more than a linear path. As scholars in ages present have stated, it’s a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. I am the Narrator. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question that has haunted the minds of Mertagne for eons... "What if?"

We have dived deep in the alternate history of a nation north of Lake Bekk - currently called Vertagne - that formed from the victory of the ancient Order of the Fourbarbs at the battle of Vecchio in the Middle Ages. This victory would go on to have untold altercations to the fate of the nation, with the Kingdom of Wesaxe managing to weather the storm of civilisation and those that serve to ruin it, emerging as not a dominant but a contending power in Calanian, Anaian, and multiversal history. Through the early Renaissance, the nation gathered its territory through the subjugation of border tribes, and through the late Renaissance, it gathered resources and prestige through international trade and the development of learning and culture. The Industrial Revolution brought with it improvements in the quality of life to the average citizen, and a shift in the balance of power between the ruling aristocracy, who have held power in the land for nearly 1000 years after the victory at Vecchio, and the working classes. As we move past the Industrial Revolution and into the Modern Age, using our reverse SERAPH method, which outlines - Social Groups, Economy, Religion, Achievements, Politics, and History - in reverse order, we will see how Vertagne is transformed into a nation that resembles the one in our timeline, albeit with many major core cultural differences.

The Corvidae Conflict
This period in history for Vertagne is where the cracks in the nation’s porcelain visage would begin to appear. A nation composed of multiple ethnicities such as this is, if governed improperly, likely to enter periods of strife. The Hebrans, now feeling the effects of centuries of subjugation under Vertagne in the form of the principality, are unhappy with the power dynamic in their nation, and lobby for greater representation. A group rises up against them, stating that they are perfectly happy with the status quo, and that the Hebrans are continuing to ally themselves with an increasingly agitating Karodin Tetrarchy, and are thus threatening to destabilise the nation. This group, led by a ferocious nobleman from the Forkelands that has representation in the upper chamber of the nation’s political structure - the original chamber that stemmed from the court of the monarch, and the chamber that does truly contain the power in Vertagne - Lord Alexander of House Crowley, forms a faction known as Corvidae, which gains power in the parliament and deposes the monarch by force after a terrible plot to assassinate the standing monarch, King Phillip IV, allowing Crowley to declare himself King Alexander I of the House of Crowley. Crowley begins a vicious war campaign with the aim of invading the Karodin Tetrarchy, to the shock of the international community, claiming it is the right of the Vertagnian people to 'rid the multiverse of barbarism as it has done time and again throughout the centuries'. Within eight months, The Tetrarchy falls under the might of the more powerful Vertagnian army, which has drawn on conscription to bolster its numbers, and attacks on the Quechua Republic, parts of Starblaydia, and Krytenia begin, with Crowley claiming that it is the right of the nation to expand its influence and land as the rightful guardians of the land around Lake Bekk.

Corvidae spread their toxic ideology, one of perceived superiority and hatred against others, across the multiverse, with nations such as Gouvanarch, whose relations soured with the Tetrarchy long ago, and and weakened Brenecia looking to move out of the yoke of Nepharan influence, pledging allegiance to the Corvidae cause and becoming Corvidae client states in their own right. An international coalition of nations such as Quebec and Shingoryeo, Kita-Hinode, and Eura rise up to stop the autocracy of Corvidae, and in a years long conflict, eventually the Vertagnians surrender after a pushed offensive from the northern coast in which King Alexander Crowley is killed, which causes the remaining Vertagnian Corvidae loyalists to surrender. The invaded lands that Corvidae managed to capture in the war are returned to their pre-war owners, but the Tetrarchy’s influence on the multiversal stage is greatly diminished. The Treaty of Serrapince - negotiated in Tumbra and overseen by a variety of delegates from nations across the SARIMEA regions - is punitive against Vertagne as the main aggressor of the war, resulting in a crippled Vertagnian economy through war reparations, the declawing of the army, and the ceding of territory to the main opposing force, Eura. Northern Vertagne is integrated into the Eurasphere, with a chunk of the northern coast and half of Fligsive absorbed into the quasi-national entity of the “Euran Oceanic Territories”, reflecting their status on the northern coast. This territory prevents a build up of a Vertagnian naval presence in the Grinshem Sea, and Fligsive is split into a “Northern” and “Southern” portion, which results in segregation between the richer, Euran-invested north and the Vertagnian controlled south.

Vertagne elects, under the pressure of democratic nations such as Eura, a modern Krytenia that has long since moved on from international isolation, and Tumbra - the latter of which did not declare war in the Corvidae Conflict due to their constitution, but aided in much of the peacekeeping effort afterwards - to become a republic at the conclusion of the war. Vertagne, seeking a split from its torrid past, elects to change its name to Mertagne, and institutes a unicameral House of Representatives and free, democratic elections. Reeling from post-war economic, political, and cultural issues, the nation spends the next few decades rebuilding its infrastructure, aligning itself further with democratic ideals and rebuilding its relationship with the nations around it on the Bekk. Here, Krytenia and Legalese, being the most democratic nations on the Bekk in this timeline, enter a co-operative relationship, and Mertagne remains firmly under the influence of these two nations and Eura.

During this time, major shifts occur in the political makeup of the nation, as over the span of just a few decades after the Industrial Revolution, Mertagne transitions from a monarchy with few political freedoms to a fully fledged republic. This transition, done by force from the more democratic governments in the SARIMEA regions, results in a fledgling democracy that works hard to oust the corruption from its halls, but this is ultimately something that the government will struggle to deal with into the modern period. The unicameral House of Representatives, which meets in Cravannien, will be home to a series of rather light-touch political parties that will likely be dominated by labour-movement friendly governments, after much of the blame of the Corvidae conflict was placed on the aristocracy from which Lex Crowley originated from.

The achievements of this wartime period vary depending on your outlook - the near-destruction of the influence of the Karodin Tetrarchy, a nation with which pre-war Mertagne had frosty relations with at best, could be seen as an achievement. The war would enable for the Corvidae to make advances in science, often at the exploitation of those whose territories they invaded, and advances in weaponry, rocketry, and electronics would grace the nation at a cost. Much culture and art would be lost or stolen by invading forces, with Euran special forces famously stealing a famous painting depicting the siege of Leorudo, which would stand proudly in the office of the Euran Prime Minister through the modern day in this timeline.

Religion would persist to the end of this period, but a devoutly Christian Lex Crowley would likely sour the religion for many of the nation’s free thinkers, who would turn to a science that would have been increasingly separating from institutions of faith since the industrial revolution.

The post-war Mertagnian economy would have been ripe for investment from foreign nations, often at the expense of the country itself. Its punitive reparations would stifle economic growth, and the nation’s status as a bread-basket of Calania would see much of the food surplus traded away to neighbouring nations to support the struggling economy. With severe bombing of much of the central Mertagnian territories, the factories which provided much of the base for the manufacturing sector need to be rebuilt, and never quite reach their pre-war highs. Mertagne increases the size of its service sector significantly, moving to a service economy that fails to match per capita its neighbours. The nation’s position as a key goods route is hampered by the widespread use of cargo planes and container vessel shipping, which further damages the economy.

Over time, the economy manages to stabilise, at a markedly lower level than the highs of the late Industrial Revolution.

The social groups of this time would likely also be under immense strain - in a time where many would have fought for an abhorrent ideology in the Corvidae cause, communities would be reeling in the post-war period and trying to distance themselves severely from it. Democratic community leaders would likely come from a mix of the aristocracy and skilled tradespeople, in a similar manner to the chamber of the late Renaissance, but with universal suffrage many candidates would stand for election to the Chamber from a variety of causes ranging from communism to populist causes. Class divides would likely be worse than ever, with the upper classes bouncing back from the effects of the war more readily due to their wealth. In an effort to develop a more secure economy and investment within the nation, the ability for the upper classes to purchase land and property is increased, and many upper class families invest in local communities or company towns to turn a profit. Furthermore, to the north, Fligsive struggles under segregation, and the two groups of northern and southern Fligsivi drift further apart under the decades in which the city is split.

[Audioslavia]

Poafmersia!
Poafmersia!

Prior to the first round of World Cup 87, then Audioslavia manager Rohan Cammers arrived to a press conference dressed appropriately - loafers, bermuda shorts, string vest, deerstalker, 16th century ruff collar, bomber jacket, lederhosen, hoop earrings, monocle - and announced to a waiting room of journalists that it was Poafmersia(!) and not Valanora or Trolleborg, that posed the biggest threat to the Bulls in that particular World Cup. He wasn't wrong. Audioslavia lost to the Red Panijas on opening day by four goals to two. Defeat to Valanora followed before a 6-4 victory over Trolleborg proved not to be enough to qualify thanks to an unexpected, but ultimately fair and eventually canon, interpretation of the tiebreakers.

World Cup 87 came at a time when all Audioslavia seemed to do was play Poafmersia, play Valanora and get eliminated one round earlier from tournaments than people expected. We'd figured we'd overcome all three afflictions, progressing to the latter stages of our last four major tournaments (helped by non-qualification for the World Cup, naturally) but here come Poafmersia again to ruin the collective day of a nation.

The Red Panijas had defeated Audioslavia on the opening matchday of World Cup 86 qualifying, scunnered them on the opening day of the World Cup 87 finals and, annoyingly, would go on to beat the Bulls on matchday one of World Cup 88. A one-nothing win for Audioslavia in the return fixture of WC88 qualifying is Audioslavia's only positive result against Poafmersia, who boast a 4-1 record against the Bulls.

And so, rather than pontificate on which of the side's second round opponents would pose the biggest problem, Styrn started her press conference with the same word Cammers had five cycles ago.

Poafmersia!

"We're not even through yet" said Styrn, throwing her hands in the air at a question about potential second round opponents Delte. "We need at least a point to get through"
"Would you settle for a draw?" came another question, to which Styrn shook her head.
'We won't go out to get a draw. We play every game to win. We go out looking for a tie, we're tying a noose around our own necks"
After securing a one-all draw against Eraman, the Bulls are three points clear of third with a game to play. Defeat to Poafmersia would open the door for Eraman to further close the three-goal deficit in terms of goal difference, and if there's any population that doesn't particularly want to see their team eliminated from a tournament due to Poafmersia and tie-breakers its that of Audioslavia.

Despite needing the win, Styrn appears likely to stick with the same 4-5-1 and 5-4-1 formations that she's used throughout her tenure as manager, meaning a choice will once again have to be made between young gun Helios Roy, recently a league title winner at Osarese Marcadia, and Teus-turned-Bull Wilhelm Hielscher-Zendagorta of Cazadores Cathair, who offers more of an all-action alternative to Roy but has yet to find his keen eye for goal for the national team.

"The formation, the team selection, it's not as important as the performance" says Styrn, perhaps a little alarmingly. "We've got a good group of players, very level throughout the whole squad. I'll keep putting players in the positions they're accustomed to and its up to them to perform. If they want to keep playing, and keep playing in major tournaments, they need to win games like these."

"Games like these", she says. Sure, the stakes are high. Defeat and elimination would not only end Styrn's reign as manager on the sourest of notes, but would affect Audioslavia's pots for the upcoming World Cup 93 qualifiers. If the Bulls intend to actually play in the World Cup over the course of the 90s, they'll need to win not only 'games like these', but this very game.

After Styrn's run is over, people may question whether or not she really understood the enormity of the task in front of her, and the heavy cost of failure to keep the national side in the world's top twenty-five or so. She, like Andre Luis Partico from another era, may become an Audioslavia manager deemed to be a failure despite winning a pluraility of silverware.