World Cup 93 - RP Thread

[Brusseldorf]

Required reading
Los Alrededores (The Surroundings), continued

Teddy found himself in a humble Namibian village, far removed from the glamorous stadiums he was accustomed to. But to Teddy, this was an opportunity to share his love of architecture with those who would otherwise never have a chance to learn.

With his audience gathered before him, Teddy spoke about the earliest forms of architecture, from the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the soaring cathedrals of Europe. The villagers were rapt with attention as Teddy's words transported them to distant lands and bygone times.

He spoke of the intricate designs of the great pyramids and the lush Hanging Gardens of Babylon, marvelling at the skill and ingenuity of the architects of old. The villagers listened with awe as the footballer shared his knowledge, their imaginations fired by the possibilities of what might be built with their own hands.

Teddy went on to describe the many different architectural styles that had emerged over the centuries, each one a reflection of the culture and traditions from which it had sprung. He spoke of the majestic temples of Asia, the soaring spires of Europe, and the vibrant buildings of the Americas. The villagers were enthralled by his stories, the world suddenly a much bigger and more wondrous place than they had ever imagined.

As the lecture drew to a close, the villagers gathered around Teddy, their eyes bright with the wonder and possibility of the world he had shown them. He was humbled by the gratitude they expressed, realising that sometimes the greatest gift one can give is simply the gift of knowledge. And as he left the village behind, Teddy knew that his love of architecture would stay with him always, and that he had left a little piece of that love with the villagers too.

---

Despite their lack of experience at the international level, the young team rose to the challenge and delivered a stunning performance against the national team of Magnecia, defeating them by a resounding seven goals to nil.

They may have been considered underdogs going into the game, but quickly showed that they were not to be underestimated. With a blend of youthful enthusiasm and raw talent, the Brusseldorfen youth quickly took control of the game, passing the ball with precision and making their way into the Magnecian half.

In the 12th minute of the game, striker Max Weber scored the first goal for Brusseldorf, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The Magnecian team tried to push back, but they were no match for the skill and determination of the young Brusseldorfen side. Midfielder Lisa Brandt scored the second goal just five minutes later, and Brusseldorf continued to dominate the game.

As the second half of the game got underway, Los Alrededores Juniors showed no signs of slowing down. Weber added two more goals to his tally, while midfielders Sophie Müller and David Schmidt each scored one. The seventh and final goal of the game was scored by defender Jonas Becker, capping off a remarkable performance by the young side.

Such a resounding win victory over the national team of Magnecia was heralded as a triumph of Brusseldorfen football, and it showed that Brusseldorf has a wealth of talent waiting in the wings. The future was bright for this young team, and fans couldn't wait to see what they would achieve next.

The story continues…

[Ziwana]

Birnin Select’s Road to the 7-8 Super 8 Cup final By Mavuto Forte

Before the Super 8 Cup Birnin Select where a club in misery for the last 16 years seeing their rivals’ winning cups and league championships. However, this all changed last season as the Peoples Team where the superior side in the first half of the league season then capped it all in the inaugural Super 8 Cup where Select defeated two-time league champions Sandheights City 4-goals to 1 in the Quarter- Final, defeated the greatest football club in the land Western Unites 5 goals to 2 in the semis before facing their historic arch-rivals, Ainsworth FC in a mouth-watering fixture. Ainsworth FC renown for being very good at winning cups rather than league championships where the favourites, however, the Peoples Team overcame the Spartans after going 1-goal down in the 16th minute from Richard Mumba to comeback by two goals one in the 47 minute and another in the last minute of added time after 90 minutes from Steve Banda to claim Selects’ first silverware in 16 years.
Once again like last season Birnin Select where performing well in the league, however, the injuries of crucial players in Zack Dawnbridge, Andrew Gondwe, James Makina and Steve Banda where a concern for all Select fans. All over social media rival fans laughed at Birnin Select, how would they defend their title without their key players. The taunts however, seemed to have motivated the Peoples Team who have defeated their fierce city rivals in Amangwazi Birnin and Ainsworth FC in spectacular fashion. Let’s have a look at their journey on their way to the Super 8 Cup final.

Quarter-Final (First Leg)
D,2-2 vs Amangwazi Birnin

Coming into this game nobody expected this result. The Peoples Team had fallen to the their cross-city rivals 3 times in their last 3 meetings. In fact, they had recently at Birnin Select’s home ground where Amangwazi Birnin came away with a win. Francis Chiwaya set up his side to defend from the beginning to try and force a draw, however, once again Yamikani Chester was caught up in trouble after he brought down Charles Tembo in the box. Charles Tembo stepped up to take the penalty and calmly shot it past his William Tembo to put the Royals 1-up. This goal seemed to motivate the Peoples Team who saw Mphatso Hara score a marvelous goal from 30 yards out to equalize in the 48th minute. Limbikani Chiwaya, younger brother to manager Franics Chiwaya would then score in the 53rd minute from a direct free kick to put the Peoples Team ahead of their rivals. However, the Royals would wake up in spectacular fashion and pull another goal from a Blessings Chavula goal to put his side level with Select. The game would end 2-2 with fans of both teams anticipating the 2nd leg game.

Quarter-Final (Second Leg)
W,1-0 vs Amangwazi Birnin

After 142 years with a stadium, wandering all over Ziwana to play their games, the Peoples Team had finally found a home to call their own. The newly built, state of the art, 68,000 capacity Hashaan Casimir Arena named after the late Ziwani national team and Select player was going to host the second leg of the quarter-final. What a way to inaugurate their stadium facing their rivals Amangwazi Birnin. Before the match kicked off Select owner, Mphatso Kambuwe announced that next season Birnin Select would be known as Mansanduni Union. Kambuwe said that it was time that the club fully embraced professionalism by moving away from the amateur name of Select. He also committed to continue supporting the club in all his capacity to not only transform the club into the biggest team in Ziwana but also in Mandalanusa.
With George Rooney back after being suspended games earlier, Birnin Selects midfield was up to full strength, this allowed the side to dominate the midfield. Amangwazi Birnin tried attacking from the wings but where unable to dominate as George Rooney seemed to be everywhere on the pitch making clearances and bullying Amangwazi forwards. The first goal in Hashaan Casimir Arena would come in the 64th minute from Birnin Select legend Patrick Harrison who cheekily chipped the ball into the net to win the game for the Peoples Team. This win made Birnin Select believe in themselves again.

Semi-Final (First Leg)
W,2-0 vs Ainsworth FC

After the win against the Royals, the Peoples Team where pumped to face the Spartans. Birnin Select where brilliant and Limbikani Chiwaya stood out in the Birnin Derby, putting Ainsworth on the defence. He scored a brace that put the Peoples Team in a good position going into the second leg.

Semi-Final (Second Leg)
L,2-3 vs Ainsworth FC

In this match the Spartans fought back against Select. Richard Mumba was absolutely unplayable, he scored a hattrick in 5 minutes in the first-half leaving the Peoples Team in a panic. In desperation, an injured Zack Dawnbridge has his cast removed whilst on the bench to play. The Ainsworth defenders where pretty rough on the injured Dawnbridge to stop him from finding space to score, however, they eventually failed as Dawnbridge was able to find the net twice from a bomb of a shot in the 60th minute and by dribbling through the Spartan defence before flicking the ball in the 78th minute to push Birnin Select into yet another Super 8 Final. Dawnbridge’s resilience and commitment to the people’s team have earned him praise and a nickname akitor. The nickname akitor fits well, in the movies of the 80s in Ziwana the actor in movies no matter how many times he was shot at or beaten always stood up and never died this started a phrase in Ziwani circles akitor safa (the actor doesn’t die) because he is the real man. Anyway Dawnbridge’s heroics have booked the Peoples Team a place in the Super 8 Final against Black Leopards to be played at Zibaba Sports Arena.

[Huayramarca]

A Day in the Life of: Nicolás Allauca

By Carlos Humala

Nicolás Alfredo Allauca Tenorio, a player that often escapes from the spotlights, the praises and recognition from the pundits but a player with some excellent attributes in the pitch that makes him be almost unmovable from the Starting XI of the Condors. Fast, smart, and a collaborative player with good positioning skills, Allauca has became a stronghold in the midfield for Huayramarca through the years, and as time passes, he manages to get better and better at his position, although playing a silent role in the National Team. From humble origins, in the remote place of Oxapampa, to shine with Huayramarca in the international stage, the midfielder of Québec & Shingoryeo’s Winnipeg United comes here to talk about himself, for the first time, in a personal interview.

Nicolás has taken some time, he should’ve arrived 10 minutes ago but he hasn’t. I await patiently, as I’ve been told that Nicolás tends to be quite shy, so he might be even thinking about continuing with the interview or not having it; I understand his reasons perfectly. After some wait, he comes rushed and sits, says hi and waves hands. “Hi, Nico. I hope I didn’t interrupt any activity from you.” Nicolás, with sincerity, says “No, you didn’t interrupt anything. I woke up later than usual, so I had to rush to come here.” I accept his reasons, then replied “No worries, it can happen to anybody.” Nicolás is now ready to talk with us about life, football and prospects for the future, as he tends to be somewhat nitpicky when planning things, so he has some plans for 10 to 15 years in the future already flying in his mind.

“So, Nico. Tell me about you?” Nicolás said “Eh… Well. I was born in Oxapampa, Arequipa. My family didn’t have a lot of contact with others as we were farming at higher altitude than anybody else, keeping our llamas and vicuñas in good conditions as we sold their wool at the town centre each weekend. That’s how we survived and how my family was raised, through wool, as we didn’t have any other chance in terms of education, business, etc.” Then, I asked one of the most common questions for that kind of answers “Did your parents asked you to work as a child?” Nicolás said “Yes, I had to do it as we didn’t have any other chance. We didn’t have education nor any other possible income source. So, wool and transportation to the town to sell it to some foreign corporations whose business is high-end textiles.”

His answer is quite logic, as many people in the Huayramarcan Sierra opt to produce wool from llamas, alpacas and vicuñas in order to sell it at marketplaces or to corporations; the goal is to receive a big payment to alleviate the needs and scarcity many of them are subjected to through their life. Few people manage to do it, as luxury textile companies often tend to pay even less than a small entrepreneur wishing to produce nice clothing. I asked Nico about his thoughts on the environment he was grown, he said “I actually liked the environment. I love nature, I love peace and loneliness, freedom to roam and interacting with animals. Home is unique for me and that’s why my family still lives there, although, in better conditions than those I grew up before; and also, I love to spend my vacations there, it makes me feel connected with Pachamama as it should be.

For beginners, Pachamama is the Mother Nature in the ancient Huayramarcan mythology, a supernatural force that makes people feel alive and connected to their roots, by providing them with the means they need to live and succeed in life. Nico continued saying “There’s nothing I regret nor I didn’t like from life there. My parents are splendid, united, my siblings are tightly-knit, and we often spend time playing there like we did when we were children. It’s coming back to our roots, to what we really are.” Then, some questions about sport for Nico; he said “I didn’t know about sports when a child. As I said, we live pretty isolated from everybody else, so we are in our own bubble. I have to say that the activities we did, like herding llamas, alpacas and vicuñas; walking through the mountains, cropping, etc, helped us to have some good stamina and physical condition to play any sport, but we didn’t know it, we just had the conditions.”

And yes, the life in the Sierra often implies some hard work, physically-reliant activities that demand a lot of caloric burning, muscle definition by repetitive activities, etc. But they were so disconnected from what we know as “reality” that they completely missed that out. Nico had more to say about “I did have some contact with sports when I was 6 or 7 years old, as I did played football the Sundays when we sell the wool at the market. We had some fun with other children in the marketplace. I remember playing at the midfield, providing passes because I was comfortable with it; although, I didn’t know it.” Then I asked him about dreams, something he had on mind when he would turn an adult; Nico said “I just wanted to take my family out of poverty. I wanted to sell wool and connect myself with some of those famous textile producers, it would’ve been a game changer for us.”

“So, Nico. Any chance to get into school?” “Nico said. I received some support from social workers who were working in literacy campaigns; I learned the most important concepts, but didn’t have a chance to go to a school. I mean, it was too far to visit in a daily basis; nor we had what it was needed for (shoes, textbooks, materials, etc.), hence my family wasn’t able to do so.” Allauca added “Now, I’m studying and levelling up in virtual courses. I really appreciate that I have the means required for it, also the ease of access for it. Also, the knowledge is tremendous, it’s eye-opening and makes you be aware of many things in your surroundings that you don’t usually notice it. Education is a blessing for those who can access to it, and I trust in its transformative power.”

Nico also talked with us about his formal contact with sports, when he was 19 years old already “I noticed that some of my old friends at the market were already playing at local teams, in a quite formal way. One day I asked Ramon, my closest friend, information about their team and how I could get in; he told me that trainings were on Wednesday and matchdays on Sundays, so I decided to test myself with them.” Then, I asked Nico about his first experience at a football team “It was natural, trainings were hard but I got used to it, as it was a bit more intense than my normal farming and herding routine; once I did, the manager considered that I was suited to be a midfielder, as I played since a child every Sunday for fun, but with the role of a ‘helper’. I didn’t understand what that implied, but he told me to ‘provide support to my teammate in the mid, to switch positions when needed, to have better attacking options. That’s what I tried to do and it seemed to work.”

“Did the manager teach you some basic tactic ideas?” Nicolás said “He did, and in a quite good level to be fair. He made sure that our team would be compact and solid while defending. For attacking, transitions were important, hence I got an important role by distributing the game through the wings or to the attackers, it was matter of collaborating and winning possession as fast as possible.” “Could you affirm, safely, that he was the support you needed to kickstart the career?” Allauca said “He was, without doubt. Also, I can even say that he is, as I try to stick to the roots and implement some ideas from that time, with a different twist, to make my play style better than yesterday.” Constant improvement, a key point at football, to be better and better by implementing those lessons you learn through the career, Allauca has clearly understood those basic principles.

“But what about your professional ventures, Nico?” He took some time to elaborate, then replied “I am one of those players whose story come from the beautiful Copa Huayramarca. We were an amateur side, we decided to get enrolled into the tournament and made some uniforms from some textiles we got as a gift. The team was playing nicely through the first couple of rounds, but struggled at the key moments, still, we were able to keep the boat floating and reached the final. We lost, but it was enough to get us promoted into Liga 1.” As a matter of context, the Copa Huayramarca is an amateur-only tournament where the finalists are promoted to the top flight, third place goes to second tier and fourth place to the third tier.

“It is, indeed, Nico. Copa Huayramarca is that golden key for talents spread across this big nation, a key that opens the door of a world full of chances to succeed and get to foreign leagues such as you did.” Nicolás said “Yes. It didn’t take a lot of time to get called for the National Team. My performance at the Condors helped me to get in touch with some Chromatik teams such as Anomalies and Felswyr, but I didn’t get used there as it was a clash of cultures, I felt outside of my environment and that harmed my success chances at Chromatika. Then, it came the move to Québec, which has helped me to get better when it comes to footballing level. I have improved since then, I feel more comfortable because it’s a big country without too many inhabitants, which makes me enjoy it more as I can be lonelier after finishing trainings and matches. It helps me to cope with stress.”

“Did you have any bad experience at the field before?” Nicolás said “Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had any issue while playing. I just felt out of my element, my comfort zone before but I was able to come back and change my mind after it.” Then, I asked Nicolás about how he projects himself for the future, he said. “The current manager appreciates my effort, that makes me feel better. I’m sure that I can provide the team with better performances as time goes on, as I get used to learn and implement new game strategies to avoid being predictable. I want to be remembered as one of the best players Huayramarca has ever had, tough task but not an impossible one.”

Then, taking back his commitment to education, I asked “Some minutes ago you mentioned that education is important for you. Are you enrolled into some kind of initiative that promotes it?” Allauca said “Yes. I’m involved at my own foundation; I try to provide scholarships and build schools at some of the most remote places at the Sierra. I don’t want children to not be able to attend school by certain limitations, schools should be closer to their homes, so we can really include them and make Huayramarca a better place for all.” Social commitment is strong from Nicolás, who dedicates some time providing follow-up to the projects he has started at his community, also by conversating with people about their needs and creating ingenious ways to mitigate needs from people without enough financial resources.”

Then, to finish off, Nico “What do you expect from the team in this Qualifier?” He said “I expect commitment to do their best work possible, to make Huayramarcans feel happy about their national team. I want to fulfill my recent dreams of being important for this teams, that’s something I try to keep doing in the midfield as much as I can.” Then, a last question before he hops into the bus “Any ritual before the football match?” Allauca said “See the photos of my family, touch some llama wool for luck and then doing my best in the field. That’s how I get inspiration to be the best player when able to do so.” It was now the time to leave, to the pitch, to see how Huayramarca had one of their best performances in the World Cup Qualifier by netting Pyazhnaya 6-2, with a splendid 6 goals first half, and two late goals from the visitors to soften up the score. Nicolás Allauca had a quite brilliant night, with two assists, yet he has to score a goal in the Qualifier, as he hasn’t been able yet; we hope he can do it as soon as possible.

[Sharktail]

Sharktail Post EP75

Kota Lama: The Blue Army can only sit silently. Sharktail's two home games ended in draws. The action at Stadium Biru have nothing to be brag on.

For all Sharktail fans, they really expect something from these two matches. It's easier, full 6 points. It is very valuable because the position of all the teams is not too far at the moment.

But no matter what, the efforts made by the Sharktail squad have not yet been able to translate into smiles.

Manager Sharktail is once again caught in hard times. Not having time to feel relieved after going through a difficult time, Sahami faced a difficult situation again now.

"They know how we play. The got us good this time. We can only be able to be satisfied with one point. However, I will still stick with my style. Might only change the rotation of player, nothing more. If there will be a new style at Sharktail, you can see the manager nmr, it will not be me. That alls."

After the last match, Sharktail's chances for the next round are getting harder. With eight points distinguished from the first ladder, it might be hard even dream for it. What Sharktail needs now a lot of miracles. If that happens, the Sharktail flag might be on the list in the World Cup Final.

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Two years ago . . .

Ailen Koirala felt absurd to be out here.

Chipped asphalt ground beneath her soles as she climbed out of her car. She shut the door gently, not wishing to disturb the stillness, then felt ridiculous. Overhead, a single streetlamp illuminated the crossroads, throwing a harsh yellow light over the dust that obscured faded lane lines and casting stark black shadows across the fields beyond the roadway. An east wind blew fitfully, tugging at Ailen's pant legs and throwing stray locks across her face. It swirled patterns into the dust, suggesting forms, even writing, but never quite intelligible. It was cold.

She checked her watch. 5:31. It was still dark outside the reach of the streetlamp, but squinting into the now freshening wind, she could see the telltale glow of the coming dawn on the horizon.

"This is ridiculous."

"Most things are, if you stop to think for a moment."

Ailen whirled. There, at the edge of the road, where the pool of light began to fade into shadow, stood a woman. It was a woman, wasn't it? It was hard for Ailen to be sure. The voice was pitched low for a woman's, if it was a woman's. It was hard to make out much detail about her figure (their figure?) in the half light. The figure looked around, peering at the featureless fields and roads as if admiring a host's living room.

"Been a while since I've been in Squornshelous. Not sure I like what you've done with the place, though. I always did have a soft spot for the Imperium."

"The Imperium?"

"Yes, pity about that, so much easier to have a good time back when you had just one loony in charge of everything. Your Confederacy is terribly sane and boring by comparison."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh that's all right darling, I find my fun wherever I can, always have. Change is the one constant in the world after all."

Ailen took a breath. This was not going how she'd expected. Of course it didn't help that she hadn't really expected to meet anyone out here at all. "I'm not sure I understand. Are you . . ."

"Well who else would I be darling? Do you often meet strangers at the Crossroads just before dawn? Strangers who already know why you're here?"

"No, I don't suppose so. You say you know why I'm here already?"

"Well your SCFA has got a couple of big matches coming up shortish, haven't they?"

"So you know who I am too then."

"Call it a lucky guess. Luck's kind of my thing after all."

"Right. Well. You're right. It's this playoff coming up against Audioslavia."

"Ah me. Audioslavia. They're one of my very favourites you know. So many wonderfully improbable things. So many delightful misfortunes."

"Ah. Yes, I suppose."

"Oh, don't think for a moment I don't like your lot. I've had my eye on you from the very beginning, naturally. That opener! And all those qualifications with hardly any RP? Just whose hand do you think that was?"

"Ok now you've really lost me. That Ripperonin conspiracy theory was debunked I thought."

"Sorry dearie. I forget sometimes where the line between IC and OOC is. You've got a big World Cup playoff coming up, you want to be sure of where I stand on it, and I can tell you're far too dignified for a good old-fashioned Milchaman ritual chant. So what's it to be? You have a trunk full of my favorites there?"

"Favorites? Oh, the chickens you mean."

"Not real ones I do hope. I don't do feathers. Messy."

"I, ah, well I didn't actually bring any."

"I see. You drove all these miles out into the country to a crossroads for the purpose of meeting with a supernatural being to strike a bargain, and you didn't bring anything by way of an offering?"

"Well I have to admit I didn't think I'd really find anyone."

"You drove out here expecting nothing at all? Where Football Association presidents find such copious free time I'll never know."

"I'm sorry. It's just. Well it's a lot to take in."

"Yes, well don't think you're original in feeling overwhelmed." The figure brought a finger to pursed lips and tapped once. Twice. "You know what dearie, I like you so I'll make you an offer. I promise that Audioslavia will never score against Squornshelous again."

"What, you mean ever again?"

"Well a few matches at least. I'm bound to change my mind eventually, but then if you knew enough to find me here you had to know that as well."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Future Considerations."

"Future Considerations?"

"Don't go deaf on me now dearie. The wind isn't blowing that hard."

"In sports future considerations usually translates to giving something away for nothing."

"Usually is not always. You agree to my deal, and I'll tell you what I want, when I want it. And you'll get what you want, for a while anyway."

"You could ask me for anything."

"Yes."

The figure stood still. Ailen felt sure she'd been moving around, gesturing, but also quite certain there had been no motion whatsoever from the shadowed form at the edge of the road. She frowned. Did she really believe in any of this? This had to be some kind of elaborate prank, didn't it?

"If it helps you make up your mind, I'll let you know that I tend to like things that are absurd, but mostly harmless. Mostly anyway. Hence the rubber chickens."

"All right."

"Splendid. See you whenever."

A gust of wind kicked orangey dust up into Ailen's face. When she'd rubbed the worst of it from her eyes, the figure was gone.

SRS: 3
ESL: 1

Scoring:
SRS: Ness 15', 49', Bondarov 62'
ESL: Forsen 81'

Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg (Norling 68'), Titov, Yarlut, Halfariani; Hedberg, Hashemi; Bondarov, Zazagan (Nisarizo 78'), Yonte (Sauber 85'); Ness (Hjort 85')

SRS: 1
AUD: 0

Scoring:
SRS: Ness 40'

Lineup: Shimski; Bakken, Titov, Jagdish (Panoss 75'), Halfariani; Hashemi (Hedberg 75'), Zazagan (Nacar 80'); Bondarov (Norling 89'), Volam, Yonte; Ness (Yarlut 90+2')

Qualifying Schedule & Results:

MD01: AUD 0-1 SRS @ Arena Kirola (cap. 72,000), Cathair, AUD
MD02: SRS 3-1 RYF @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, West Flania, SRS
MD03: STR 1-1 SRS @ TBA
MD04: VEZ 0-1 SRS @ Fate Stadium (cap. 333,000), Naypyithaw, Burma, Val Z
MD05: SRS 6-2 AER @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD06: ASG 1-0 SRS @ TBA
MD07: SRS 6-2 EQS @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD08: OBR 1-3 SRS @ TBA
MD09: SRS 5-1 BRP @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD10: MUR 1-6 SRS @ TBA
MD11: SRS 3-1 ESL @ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (cap. 71,200), Santraginus, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD12: SRS 1-0 AUD @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD13: RYF  v  SRS @ TBA
MD14: SRS  v  STR @ Sunergy Field (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD15: SRS  v  VEZ @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD16: AER  v  SRS @ Centerby Stadion (cap. 36,000), Vorácy, AER
MD17: SRS  v  ASG @ Megabrantid Financial Field (cap. 69,245), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD18: EQS  v  SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS  v  OBR @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD20: BRP  v  SRS @ TBA
MD21: SRS  v  MUR @ Green Heart Center (cap. 20,760), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD22: ESL  v  SRS @ Eshialand City Superdome (cap. 75,000), Eshialand City, ESL

[Fort McKinley]

Dave hadn't been aware of the change of lineup strategy when he settled in to watch the Grim Reapers take on Fort McKinley in Shiloh Springs on his TV with Lee, Kate and Jason, so he was a bit confused as to why some of the nation's best players were sitting on the bench; if the Mackies had wanted to put on their worst display as their former star forward tuned in from Anaia, they succeeded brilliantly.

“I thought they'd pretty well held the score down on the opponents for the most part? Are the Reapers just that much better?” Lee at least read the papers enough to keep up with results throughout the tournament.

“They look like they haven't played together at all. They're so sloppy.” Jason was a proper fan so he knew when things didn't look right while Kate also was savvy enough about the sport to recognize the distinct lack of quality relative to when her brother was part of the team.

As mentioned previously, Kate Guy Allen had taken an entry level supervisory job at the Curundu Motor Works complex of factories and offices that were part of the national automobile manufacturer Locust Car Corporation, while her future spouse actually worked for the Curundu Regional Authority which her father was head of; they'd met at a celebration party for Republic Day (May 1) and she was so taken with him at first impression that she made her older brother Sam 'suggest' to his subordinate that he ask her for a date.

None of them had much empathy for the Mackies, as their time in Quebec had opened their minds to a completely different way of life and thinking; the result of the following match against Yakk gave them as much bemusement as the one they saw with their own eyes.
"A 5-0 win after a 6-1 loss. That's Comrade Dr Allen's Will in a nutshell" was Lee's text to the others on the morning after the second fixture.
__________________________________________________________________________________

HEROES LOOK TO WITHSTAND CAPITALIST ASSUALT (FMNA) SHILOH SPRINGS--The Fort McKinley National Football Team will face the cabbage and garlic eating rodent-like people from the Ocher Islands in the last of the three consecutive home fixtures with an eye on repeating the turnaround experienced in the most recent home match.

The Yakks were overwhelmed by our Heroes by a total of 5-0, avenging the 1-0 defeat on the opening matchday. There will be a close eye focused on the officials assigned to contest against the nation which represents itself as the color of low protein animal waste, to ensure that no interference in fair play will occur.

[Turori]

Turori Sport Report

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 11 :: The Turori National Team's qualification run came completely un-done at the Cednia Beach Center in Cednia Beach, Turori as the Eels fell into an early hole against Tikariot and ran out of time to fight back as a pair of late goals were not enough to overcome the early deficit. After winning their first 9 matches in World Cup 93 Qualifying, the Turori National Team were atop the overall table and the #3 team in the multiverse seemed to be cruising to a spot in the World Cup Finals. All of a sudden however the Eels are looking favorites to miss out on the playoffs entirely with back-to-back defeats to their qualification rivals Krytenia and Tikariot.

For many it will be no surprise to see Tikariot leading the table at the halfway mark as the Owls had done the exact same thing as a 3 seed in the previous World Cup qualification campaign, dominating their group and cruising to a spot in the World Cup 92 Finals. It appeared things would be different this cycle with the skill of Turori and the leadership of their head coach Tarek Edgeli but in the end it appears it was just a quirk of the scheduling that would have Turori playing their last two games of the half against their two toughest opponents.

Despite going down 0-3 inside the first hour, the Turori National Team were always playing competitively and appearing like they could get back into the game at any time. The Eels were without their number one goalkeeper Derizi Amatopa and had to rely instead of the performances of Inland Peaks FC netminder Timaala Hualtia. While Hualtia did not make any obvious errors in the game that one could easily attribute to conceding a goal to the opposition, one would have to wonder with a World Cup Golden 11 netminder available if Amatopa might have been able to keep one or two of those Tikariot goals out of the net.

It started to be desperation mode for Edgeli and the Eels in the 68th minute when they would turn to the substitutes bench and bring on Loala Inkabu and Tsinuzpa Rana'aiao. Within the next five minutes Edgeli would cycle through numerous players with Trenian Omalizo, Kinabo Telioa and Lumlao Noauryua also making their way into the game. Eventually the fresh legs would pay off. After ten minutes of familiarization on the pitch, the new look Eels produced their first goal, a looping shot in the 83rd minute by Tulaki Rauogba that would fly over the head of Brian Merson and into the back of the net. The goal had brought some energy and optimism back into the Cednia Beach Center and the fans would even get to cheer one more time when Loala Inkabu scored Turori's second in stoppage time, bringing the difference back to a single goal. That would be as close as the Eels would come, however, as they would close out the first half of World Cup 93 Qualification with two consecutive defeats nad dropping out of the Top Spot in the group.

 Turori 2 - 3 Tikariot	
	Turori Goals:	:: 83' Tulaki Rauogba:: 91' Loala Inkabu             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 56%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 9 :: Tikariot :: Possession: 44%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 13
	Turori Lineup :: 	Timaala Hualtia, Karek Edgeli, Moumouni Verre'elali (Trenian Omalizo 72'), Amakli Inuro'o, Biliki Rona'atu'i (Loala Inkabu 68'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (Lumlao Noauryua 73'), Naraiza Ruaplal (Kinabo Telioa 73'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Tsinuzpa Rana’aiao 68'), Tulaki Rauogba, Nua'oma Aikiki, Turakia Diijelhma

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 12 :: The Turori National Team were fortunate to be able to stay at home for the opening matchday of the second half of World Cup 93 Qualifying against the República Guanacasteca who already had some fans in The Island Emirate to attend the game. The Eels had won the first leg of the matchup way back on World Cup Qualifying Matchday 1 having gotten goals from Tulaki Rauogba and Turakia Diijelhma to kick off the first of a 9 game World Cup Qualifying Winning Streak.

The Turori National Team would get Goalkeeper Derizi Amatopa back for the matchup against the pigs and it was a good thing they did as over the course of 90 minutes the Eels attackers could not find a way to get a ball past Sergio Gonzales as the Turori National Team were shutout in the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in over a cycle since a 0-0 draw with the StrayaRoos Barrier Islands. Playing their only game of the campaign at Kionao Minor Field, home of Kionao Locals, the Eels never fully looked settled in. Edgeli would make two changes at half time in an attempt to spark the team, taking their namesake Karek Edgeli out of the match and inserting the attacking presence of Loala Inkabu. After the change, the Eels did look a little more dangerous getting a pair of shots on goal and one sequence that including 4 consecutive corner kicks in quick succession, but ultimately it and the other 3 substitutions Edgeli would make in the second half of play would not be enough to navigate the Eels to victory and they would instead have to settle for a draw.

 Turori 0 - 0 República Guanacasteca	
	Turori Goals:	               
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 52%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 8 :: República Guanacasteca :: Possession: 48%:: Shots: 2:: Corners: 5
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Moumouni Verre'elali, Karek Edgeli (Loala Inkabu 45'), Planio’o Nrujsa, H’munao Cagomia, Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Klaillal Tuirma 65'), Kinabo Telioa, Trenian Omalizo (Lati'ala Giaoka 75'), Nua'oma Aikiki (Naraiza Ruaplal 65'), Lutara Makakio (Biliki Rona'atu'i 45')

World Cup 93 Qualifying Group 13 :: After completing the single digit matchdays with a perfect record and a four point lead in the Group 13 Table, the Turori National Team, ranked 3rd in the multiverse, had dropped three straight results and plummeted to joint third in the table and falling more than a game out of the Automatic Qualification Zone with Tikariot now occupying the top spot 4 points clear of Turori and the Commonwealth of Baker Park. Turori's late collapse would also benefit Krytenia who found themselves just three points behind Turori on the outside of the playoff zone. The Result would also create a clear divide in the Group 13 table where 4th place Krytenia now find themselves six points clear of 5th place Atheara and the remainder of the Group 13 contingent. Just past the half way point in the campaign, just two goose eggs remain in the group with undefeated Tikariot topping the table and the statistical anomaly of Raspotochje in 11th with the team having yet to draw in their 12 games played thus far - though they probably wish they had considering 10 of their 12 games played thus far have ended in defeat.

AOlympic Update: AO Bowl VI Final :: While the Turori National Footsport Team have seen an order for self-destruction applied against them, it brought increased focus onto the one Turorian team that is performing well of late, the Turori National Gridiron Team.

The Grid-Eels finished atop their Qualifying Group and with the direct placement format in effect it meant that Turori would advance directly to the AO Bowl Final. Their opponent would be the top team in the other Qualifying Group, two-time defending World Bowl champions Banija. The matchup would ensure a first ever two-time AO Bowl Champion as Turori were champions of the 3rd AO Bowl Regional Gridiron Championship while Banija had won the very next edition, both coming on home soil. This time the two teams would meet on neutral turf at the Marcus A. Chang Stadium in Myeongju.

Banija would get on the board first with a field goal on the opening drive of the game and that would end up being the only scoring of the 1st Quarter. Things would open up more from there as both teams would find the endzone in the 2nd quarter, Turori would briefly take a 7-3 lead but Banija would re-take the lead on the very next drive and looked to take a 10-7 lead into the half. However, the big momentum change of the game came when it appeared Turori would take a knee from their own 43 yard line with 18 seconds to go but instead, from victory formation the Eels would fire down the field and 57 yards and an extra point later would find themselves with a 14-10 halftime lead.

The late shot would take some of the winds out of the Banijan sails as the weather conditions changed and the ground game became the best option in the second half. Turori wore their opponents down with field goal after field goal and forced Banija to think touchdown when they would normally think 3 points, the Eels forcing mistakes and eventually hanging on for the 26-10 victory to become the first ever two-time AO Bowl Champions and adding their names firmly into the discussion of the best Gridiron teams in the multiverse.

[Sendhang]

93RD WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Matchday 11

Sendhang ended the first half of the 93rd World Cup qualifiers with the visit of Indusse to the Federal Stadium. The Rice Farmers were a little too confident of themselves for the match. They were on a 5-matches unbeaten run and thought that they can do it again against Indusse.

How wrong was them?

Indusse themselves were on a 6-matches unbeaten run going into the match. They were not to be underestimated. A big mistake by the Sendhangite.

Indusse dominated the match in the Federal Stadium, scoring as early as the 6th minute through Goblin Grundjee who dribble passed 3 defenders before placing the ball into the net, shocking everyone in attendance. They continued to dominate the match after the goal, controlling the game by playing inside Sendhang's half. The Federal Stadium was silent as Sendhang was unable to connect more than 3 passes. 1-0 at the break.

By half-time, the Sendhang players have realized, Indusse is a very good team that can challenge for one of the playoff spot in the group. But it was too late for Sendhang, Indusse were clearly the better of the two on the night as they scored their second just after the break, again through Goblin Grundjee who terrorized Sendhang's defense on the night. It was total domination by Indusse as they win the match 2-0. A major setback for Sendhang's hope of qualifying for the World Cup.

[Graintfjall]

Græntfjall – 4 (2)
Björnólfur; Hermione (44’), Reidar, Eyvar, Harmony (77’ Leona ); Valtter; Danny (59’) (77’ Rebekka (90’)), Kæja (14’), Erin (88’ Anarr ); Röskvi (58’ Joel ), Sara K (c) (77’ Ari )

Ceni – 2 (1)
Falkenrath (45+2’), Onasi (83’)

---

Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Björnólfur; Hermione, Anarr (85’ Reidar ), Eyvar, Jan (85’ Leona ); Danny (63’ Lotte ), Valtter, Kæja (29’) (63’ Steinar ); Þrastar (53’ Vanessa ), Röskvi (54’), Sara K (c) (70’) (77’)

Stevencousin – 1 (0)
Kallstrom (62’)

MD13–14 squad: 1. Ásólfur, 12. Mikkel, 23. Hanif; 2. Hermione, 3. Jan, 4. Eyvar, 5. Asbjørn, 17. Tom, 19. Reidar, 20. Leona, 22. Anarr, 24. Alyssia, 26. Harmony; 8. Danny, 10. Kæja, 11. Valtter, 13. Erin, 15. Lotte, 18. Tinni; 6. Rebekka, 7. Sara K (c) (suspended for MD13), 9. Röskvi (suspended for MD13), 14. Vanessa, 16. Þrastar, 25. Joel

Sorry your grandmother was eaten by a kraken.

Condolences on the loss of your husband to ravenous kraken attack.

A brother-in-law is like family, and losing one or two to krakens is never easy. Sorry for your loss.

Jason Þórhallursson picked up another card – it had a picture of a cartoon kraken on the front – and read the message inside. “You know, as a country, Græntfjall’s condolence cards…”

“… lack a certain diversity?” Sara Kristoffersdóttir smiled, and put the Sorry for the loss of your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate to kraken attack card back in the rack. “You might be better off getting one when you get to Banija.”

“Yeah, it’s just, the flight’s already delayed. When I get there the car’s going to pick me up, take me straight to the funeral. I won’t have a lot of time and I can’t really barge in late saying, sorry, I was just trying to find a card that doesn’t have a cartoon of people being ripped in half by krakens on it.”

Sara glanced down at the rack. “I’d steer clear of this aisle, in that case.”

Jason rolled his eyes and walked around to check the display board again. The flight was clearly listed: Háttmark to Istria. DELAYED. He sighed heavily and scratched his (thankfully clean shaven) chin. “I’m going to go grab a coffee.”

Sara shuffled up to walk in stride with him. She was wearing big sunglasses but she was still recognized, and she had to politely wave off a few approaching fans.

“Is it true coffee’s illegal in Banija?”

“Selling it is.”

“I would literally die.”

“You can bring your own stuff.”

Sara contemplated how many tons she would need to import to keep her fuelled up for the length of an S-FPL season, and shook her head. No, any transfer to a Banijan club could be safely ruled out.

They ordered coffees: the fawning barista asked straight away if they “really were them”. Them being Jason Þórhallursson, all time leading goal scorer for the Snow Wolves, and Sara Kristoffersdóttir, current captain and rapidly catching up with his record. After agreeing to one (1) selfie, they managed to pay and find a relatively private booth.

“Why are you even here?”

Jason stared at Sara. She’d always been a slightly odd woman. “What are you talking about? You asked to meet me?”

“Yeah, when I found out you were going to be in Háttmark. But, I mean, why are you? Squornshelous to Græntfjall to Banija isn’t exactly as the honking goose flies.”

“I can visit home, can’t I?”

“So, what, you came back here to do laundry?” she snorted.

“Something like that,” he muttered darkly.

“Whatever. Your flight’s up.” She gestured to the display board, which had ticked over – from DELAYED to BOARDING.

He quickly gulped his coffee, and gathered his bags together. Halfway through assembling them, he remembered they’d been in the middle of a conversation. “Sorry. You wanted to meet. Why?”

“I wanted to ask if you’d consider coming back.”

That got his attention. His head snapped up and he regarded her for a long while, reading every freckle on her face as though decoding a cryptogram. Yes, she’d always been a slightly odd woman.

“Sara, you don’t need me,” he laughed. “You and Kæja scoring for fun, Röskvi …”

“Röskvi’s suspended for the next game, which should in no way affect his goalscoring because even when he’s not suspended he couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”

“You’ll get Mímir back soon.”

“And when we do? He’s not enough.”

“Sara, I have to get my flight.” He stood, hauling his bag over his shoulder. “But this is crazy. You guys have scored thirtysomething goals in however many games, you’re top of the group. CR final without me, Eagl’e’s’ Cup without me or you, what are you worrying about?”

But Sara was stubborn, and she didn’t melt to Jason’s charm like certain other midfielders she didn’t care to name. “This is my team, and I want it to be the best. And so long as you’re on two legs, that means you’re in the mix.”

Jason briefly considered sawing off one of his legs.

“I’m not asking for a commitment now. But I want you to think about it. Seriously, think about it. About whether you really want your last act in blue-and-white to be losing to Valanora. About whether you haven’t got one last important goal in you.”

She glowered up at him. What an odd woman.

“I promise I’ll think about it. But…” Just then, Jason broke off to check his phone, which had just pinged with a news alert.

“Fuck’s sake. I’d better go see if they do a 2–for–1 on condolence cards.”

[Guanacasteca]

After David Arellano’s open letter to the nations in Pavola, and all of Rushmore was, apparently, subjected to ignore cannons from all the governments, desperation was the common factor among the high-ranked officials at the Army of the República Guanacasteca. They were seeing, with dismay, how their best chance to make themselves heard, their best shot to get support from a government, vanished because of their methods to “solve the situation pacifically.” Instead of solving, they seemed like they were failing to defuse a ‘social bomb’ able to destroy what they have been able to build, though guns and blood, for 200 years.

Arellano was frustrated, he was insulting everybody due to their inactivity when he ordered to persuade those nations through the letter; time was running out for him and he knew that he needed to hit hard and better than Alpízar, so, there wasn’t a better idea than instructing a group of officers to prepare an infiltration operation at the closest and most intimate circle of “self-proclaimed president Davíd Alpízar”, known as “the rat” by the colonels at the army. “It’s the time to put a trap and some cheese to hunt that rat” said Arellano while sitting, as he was recovering from the injuries he suffered during the bombing of the headquarters of the army.

He pointed a gun at everybody in the room, asking if somebody was able to take a step forward and be a volunteer for the assassination attempt against Alpízar. Some of the soldiers decided to leave, but were killed because of a rage attack from Arellano while screaming “cowards! Traitors of the motherland deserve to die!” Some of the officers that were left, standing in panic, decided to volunteer in fear of retaliation or a cold-blooded ending of their lives. “We need you, so go, do it for the motherland! The army shall live while República Guanacasteca lives!” The officers were given some intel about potential locations of Alpízar at Tibás, most of them pointed at a bunker at La Sabana a park located in the outskirts of the city.

As Arellano told them about the location, he continued saying “I want that rat dead, I want a proof of the assassination… I don’t care if you bring me his ear, tongue, head, etc. I want a proof of assassination. If you fail to bring any proof, I’ll kill you instead; if you fail the operation or try to withdraw from it, I’ll be aware, another group has been already deployed near, so you’ll always die.” The leader of the group said “You’ll have his head, Patrón” said Omar Castillo, one of the most loyal soldiers to Arellano, one of those who saved his life from the rubbing remnants of the HQs. “For the Republic, you’ll have what you have asked for. Don’t even doubt about it.” Said the officer while leaving.

Arellano was smiling, his fear-mongering tactics always work to manipulate people, he has done it again… But the rival this time was stronger than he expected it to be, an encouraged population trying to coup the army and kick it out of power for the first time in 200 years was a threat for them, hence, any risks were permitted to make sure he would remain at power at al costs. Guanacasteca was being hold hostage of an ego fight of the military officers, as it has been subjected through many parts of its dark history… But this situation has something different, Arellano is able to recognise and said “People doesn’t respect us anymore, they are more tightly knit than before… Our words are now useless in the South, and it seems that the North is heading in that way too. This is my last chance to defend this institution, our last chance to preserve the privilege of ruling this country with an iron first.”

Meanwhile, Alpízar was thinking about the lives of many people killed in the attacks, yet he was satisfied due to the progress made by the rebels in the North, shutting down some important complexes of the army, pushing fear in Arellano who now was rounded up and with little to no margin of reaction… Alpízar was smiling and saying “This is getting done, and we need to strike harder than them. I’m already suspecting why they haven’t targeted us yet… What are they waiting for?”

Things are mysterious, but life can change from one moment to the next one, one shall not take things for granted in a war, nor be too confident or cocky about one’s chances to win. At war, everything is possible…”

[PotatoFarmers]

Brusseldorf 0–1 Poafmersia
Goalscorer: Dagur Lawrence 18'
Lineup: Nicole Potts (c); Kilikina Lee, Cindy Oriol, Nikkita Alfaro, Xenophon Robson; Padrig Dürr, Michael Jackson, Erle Sartini, Valentin Gotti; Jordan Huerta, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: None

Poafmersia 2–2 Depivik
Goalscorer: Jordan Huerta 27' (assisted by Erle Sartini), Dagur Lawrence 55 (assisted by Michael Jackson)
Lineup: Nicole Potts (c); Kilikina Lee, Cindy Oriol, Nikkita Alfaro, Xenophon Robson; Padrig Dürr, Michael Jackson, Erle Sartini, Valentin Gotti; Jordan Huerta, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Diamond Byan (Alfaro 70'), Jacqi Equine (Robson 75'), Tessa Bjarnesen (Dürr 81'), Bolívar Tamura (Gotti 81')

The Karodin Tetrarchy 1–3 Poafmersia
Goalscorer: Valentin Gotti 32' (assisted by Xenophon Robson); Jordan Huerta 69' (assisted by Erle Sartini); Dagur Lawrence 81' (assisted by Michael Jackson)
Lineup: Nicole Potts (c); Kilikina Lee, Cindy Oriol, Nikkita Alfaro, Xenophon Robson; Padrig Dürr, Michael Jackson, Erle Sartini, Valentin Gotti; Jordan Huerta, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Jimmy Couch (Lee 60'), Leonora Hall (Dürr 74'), Sylvia Fusco (Sartini 82'), Nacro Astro (Alfaro 82')

Poafmersia 1–2 Banija
Goalscorer: Aapeli Shea 60' (assisted by Michael Jackson)
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts; Kilikina Lee, Nacro Astro, Cindy Oriol, Xenophon Robson; Michael Jackson, Min Berg, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Jordan Huerta, Leontiy Seet
Substitutes: Bolívar Tamura (Seet 68'); Taliah Alcock (Bjarnesen 68'); Agapito Murphy (Huerta 79'), Erle Sartini (Berg 79'); Jimmy Couch (Lee 86')

Lionsroar 4–8 Poafmersia
Goalscorer: Dagur Lawrence 8' (assisted by Bjarnesen), 27' (assisted by Xenophon Robson), 78' (assisted by Sartini); Tessa Bjarnesen 40' (assisted by Lawrence); Michael Jackson 45' (assisted by Robson); Xenophon Robson 57'; Aapeli Shea 62' (assisted by Jackson); Lovise Zimmerman 90'
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts (c); Lovise Zimmerman, Nacro Astro, Diamond Byan, Xenophon Robson; Michael Jackson, Erle Sartini, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Dagur Lawrence, Bolívar Tamura
Substitutes: Nikkita Alfaro (Astro 50'), Jolánka Hadaway (Bjarnesen 64'), Liina Williamson (Lawrence 80'), Magreta Rym (Sartini 80'), Jacqi Equine (Robson 86')

Magnecia 0–2 Poafmersia
Goalscorer: Jackson Handris 17' (assisted by Leonora Hall), 60' (assisted by Dagur Lawrence)
Lineup: Nicole Potts; Jimmy Couch, Cindy Oriol, Nikkita Alfaro, Jacqi Equine; Leonora Hall, Michael Jackson, Aapeli Shea (c), Valentin Gotti; Jackson Handris, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Kelefe Hans (Oriol 70'), Queralt Gagliardi (Equine 70'), Sylvia Fusco (Jackson 83'), Bolívar Tamura (Handris 83')

Poafmersia 0–0 West Barack and East Obama
Goalscorer: None
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts; Lovise Zimmerman, Nacro Astro, Diamond Byan, Xenophon Robson; Michael Jackson, Erle Sartini, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Dagur Lawrence, Bolívar Tamura
Substitutes: Jordan Huerta (Jackson 45'); Jackson Hanrdis (Tamura 61'); Taliah Alcock (Bjarnesen 68'), Kilikina Lee (Zimmerman 68')

Poafmersia 1–0 Mytanija
Goalscorer: Jackson Handris 55' (assisted by Huerta)
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts; Kilikina Lee, Nacro Astro, Diamond Byan, Xenophon Robson; Dagur Lawrence, Erle Sartini, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Jordan Huerta, Jackson Handris
Substitutes: Leontiy Seet (Handris 76'), Sylvia Fusco (Sartini 82')

Sporting Daily
Home win over Mytanija gives Red Panjias boost ahead of 6 crucial games
Fiskadaha - Spirits in the Red Panjias camp took a much needed boost after Poafmersia came away with 4 points and 2 clean sheets from 2 crucial games, against West Barack and East Obama, as well as Mytanija, putting the team within 5 points of leader Banija, and a slight advantage heading to a 6-game run, including a home game to Trolleborg and a trip to Cap Nord, which Poafmersia cannot afford to lose.

Just a week after achieving the Red Panjias' highest-scoring game ever with a 4-8 away victory to region-mates Lionsroar, the Red Panjias silenced the increasing criticism of their team spirit by showcasing 3 strong defences, first in a clean 2-0 victory at Magnecia, then held the ever-threatening West Barack and East Obama at home, before learning from the mistakes of matchday 1 to defeat Mytanija.

While there wasn't much goals, the match against Mytanija was surely not short of highlights. In particular, vice-captain Nicole Potts showcased who was the more capable goalkeeper, putting in spirited performances to save really nice shots by Drazen Skara and Mirko Hranilovic. The two youngsters, who was responsible for all of Mytanija's 3 goals in Radnika, Esca, was unable to find their way past Nicole Potts this time round, with Potts showcasing why she continues to be the Q-League's top keeper even at her age of 33. It was so much that substitute keepers Jessica Ardens and Aleksander Malloye was caught on camera telling each other that "they might not get a good opportunity to get on the field", seeing the performance of their vice-captain. But among the defence, it was Nacro Astro that stood out, the defender from Astograth's Bakartirla Buccaneers making a statement about his current form with really nice man-marking of Drazen Skara. Against the player 7 years younger than him, Astro was able to comfortably keep up with the pace, and had no major issues apart from that one time when he was caught napping when Skara was able to ole the ball under him to Hranilovic.

In midfield, Michael Jackson's poor form meant that the Mancodas City midfielder was unable to add more caps to his tally tonight, with Dagur Lawrence playing a slightly deeper role alongside captain Aapeli Shea, with Erle Sartini playing the role of the box-to-box midfielder. The Adab United midfielder was responsible for two free kicks, both of which was taken by Jackson Handris, the niece of former national team striker Shakira Handris. While Handris was subbed off at the 76 minute, her only goal was all the difference between 3 points and 1 tonight for the Red Panjias, helping them to close the gap on the second placed team.

Vice-captain Nicole Potts, who represented the team at the post-match press review today, was thankful to the fans who came down to boost the team's performances. "We are grateful for the fans for continuing their support despite less-than-ideal performances in the opening few matchdays. Now that this team has gotten the chemistry between them, we believe we are in a better position, and that we can use the learning points from the past few matches to constantly improve ourselves." She stopped short of setting the team a goal, but added that they will claim "maximum" points for the next 6 mataches whenever possible. "A good streak of results will definitely do lots in boosting team morale, ahead of the crunch tie against Banija," said the goalkeeeper.

---

OptaPoaf's Fantasy analaysis of the week

This is a section released by OptaPoaf and published on major newspapers with sports coverage in Poafmersia. It features the Ko-oren Fantasy Game and what is the optimal solution based on results up to that matchday versus other entries currently on the list. ICy, 1 week = 2 matchdays.

Group 1: Juvencus (19.73 KPB) - 36 pts
Group 2: Ochre Islands (12.21 KPB) - 30 pts
Group 3: The Gothanita Isles (2.51 KPB) - 23 pts
Group 4: Sargossa (12.09 KPB) - 29 pts
Group 5: Graintfjall (42.4 KPB) - 36 pts
Group 6: TJUN-ia (25.61 KPB) - 32 pts
Group 7: Squornshelan Remnant States (30.77 KPB) - 35 pts
Group 8: New Gelderland (8.16 KPB) - 31 pts
Group 9: The Holy Empire (30.63 KPB) - 38 pts
Group 10: Estorvipa and Estorpiva (9.3 KPB) - 26 pts
Group 11: Pratapgadh (0 KPB) - 28 pts
Group 12: West Barack and East Obama (7.51 KPB) - 26 pts
Group 13: Tikariot (21.81 KPB) - 33 pts
Group 14: Xanneria (6.98 KPB) - 33 pts
Group 15: Aleirave (10.11 KPB) - 32 pts
Score: 468
KPB: 239.82

Group 1: Juvencus (19.73 KPB) - 36 pts
Group 2: Naixi (1.75 KPB) - 25 pts
Group 3: The Gothanita Isles (2.51 KPB) - 23 pts
Group 4: Sargossa (12.09 KPB) - 29 pts
Group 5: Yuezhou (19.64 KPB) - 29 pts
Group 6: Ziwana (10.24 KPB) - 24 pts
Group 7: Aeragny (1.83 KPB) - 21 pts
Group 8: Sylestone (0 KPB) - 28 pts
Group 9: The Holy Empire (30.63 KPB) - 38 pts
Group 10: Patriotlandia (1.42 KPB) - 22 pts
Group 11: Pratapgadh (0 KPB) - 28 pts
Group 12: West Barack and East Obama (7.51 KPB) - 26 pts
Group 13: Tikariot (21.81 KPB) - 33 pts
Group 14: Xanneria (6.98 KPB) - 33 pts
Group 15: Aleirave (10.11 KPB) - 32 pts
Score: 427
KPB: 146.25

Top 5 fantasy results overall:

1. 金玉 耶蘇-亜里 (Jesus-Ali Kintama) (239.45 KPB) - 399
2. Arrows and Swords (236.56 KPB) - 398
3. Sylestone (237.36 KPB) - 397
4, Shnowy Owlsh (238.07 KPB) - 389
5. Audio (239.08 KPB) - 388

Analysis of the week - This is the stage where some teams start to show how good they are, while at OptaPoaf, we hate ourselves for backing the wrong horses. For example, in Group 1, while Lozho (1.17 KPB, 22 FP) is a very solid pick, Juvencus (19.73 KPB, 36 FP) is a team that you must have when maximising KPB, based off their performance thus far. The "obvious" choice in other groups is not so obvious. For example, in Group 5, the WC91 world champions give a solid return of 36 FP, but you could save around 22 KPB to get Yuezhou and their 29 FP. Is that good? Our optimal team of the week says otherwise. There are some groups which definitely got people head-scratching, such as Group 8, where 6th seeds New Gelderland are joint-top alongside unranked returnees Sylestone. Or Group 14, where Savigliane's dominance has been overshadowed by how sixth seeds Xanneria is getting as many FP as second seeds Milchama despite being 3 points behind. The biggest surprise, however, has to be returnees Murphtannia, whose leaky defence in Group 7 has caused them to be at -6 FP, which is quite the record to be holding 12 matchdays in.

As has been the trend, we decided to go for the minimum possible. We still have no idea why after 12 matchdays, a negative score is still possible, but there you go:

Group 1: Oflia (0.08 KPB) - 3 pts
Group 2: CONGOlese republic (0.75 KPB) - -2 pts
Group 3: Millenhaal (0 KPB) - -3 pts
Group 4: New Portland Republic (1.17 KPB) - 3 pts
Group 5: Talamia (1.07 KPB) - -3 pts
Group 6: United Bongo States of America (0.42 KPB) - -4 pts
Group 7: Murphtannia (0 KPB) - -6 pts
Group 8: Rouyoute (2.6 KPB) - 3 pts
Group 9: Safiloa (0 KPB) - -1 pts
Group 10: Lashnakia (0 KPB) - 1 pts
Group 11: Novaros (1.67 KPB) - -3 pts
Group 12: Depivik (0.58 KPB) - 0 pts
Group 13: Strayan Rus (1 KPB) - 2 pts
Group 14: Aust Scor (0 KPB) - 0 pts
Group 15: Cormoe (0 KPB) - 0 pts
Score: -10
KPB: 9.34

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

Independent Athletes from Quebec (IAQ) - World Cup 93 Team
WINDOW 7 - vs. Euran Overseas Territories, @ Sharktail
26-PLAYER ENTRY

GOALKEEPERS (3): Seung-Myeon Kravitz-Hyeon (Montreal Koreana), Clemence Moussenguet (CSKA Quebec), Leopold Shim (Megabrantid, SRS)

DEFENDERS (9): Pierre-Karl Cizeron (CDSA, MYT), Goh Hak-Seong (Olympique de Rimouski), Devlyn Harris (Sporting Ittuributa, ASG), Coralie Higgins-Mah (CSKA Quebec), Clement Mattern-Soh (Perce Town), Noel-Hercule McKinley (West Couno United, TMB), Bastien-Luc St-Onge (AS Beszieres, VLD), Benoit-Richard Ukaleq (Mipojoseon), Klara Verlaan (FC Inter Nantwich, TMB)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Mathinna Bouck (Montreal Koreana), Joelinton Dyxkeson (Brantisvogan, SRS), Arsene-Michael Litt (Liria Prirzen, MYT), Samuel McTavish (Lakewood City, TMB), Camille Oh-Chainey (CSKA Quebec), Jean-Philippe Vaillancourt (Couno Rangers, TMB), Yim Dong-Heui (Bohemians Metropolis, VLD)

FORWARDS (7): Hannah Currie-Masson (Leaside Lions), Eloise Kweon (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), Johan Ludvigsson (Admiral Storevik, SVJ), Oberon M'bah-Pinho (Kingston FC), Otis Tekaronhonte (Eivora Athletic FC, TKT), Nathalie Thormeyer (Swangard Athletic), Ruby Vanderley (Lanar, CMT)

---

Dr. Heo and the Portal of Madness II: Map of the Problematique

PART 2.2 (34) - 내 낡은 서랍속에 바다

Then, the dark, translucent cloud started to form shape, as the paint-strokes turned from curves into multiple circles, and then ellipses, before being mended to generate clouds. Nothing had formed over the sky before that moment, though the Creator himself could hear celestial songs being played out by the Ssoedoryeong and the Neodoryeong (쇠도령과 너도령, brotherly gods who are responsible for administering musical instruments, former brass instruments and latter woodwinds).

But besides that, the sky was free of the human matters - no aeroplanes busily flying over the northern Calanian skies, no sight of multinational merchant fleets travelling between East Blood Sea triangle of Quebec, North Squornshelous and Aboveland & Nykipiflugpuu—just nothing.

Right at that moment, Jang Joon-Gweon pointed out the lone figure who was slowly approaching them from the horizon to the Creator. The Creator only smiled back, because he knew that the Doctor was coming as asked, wearing the dark, long-tailed coat of a Gangrimdoryeong (강림도령, 降臨道令 - crown counsel of the Dead in Shingoryeoite underworld, the representative of the grim reapers without capitalisation to avoid confusion with Quebecois football national team).

But then there was an unexpected twist. As the clouds continued thickening, changing the sky as it developed into a night's fog, Joon-Gweon noticed how Dr. Heo, who was carrying the green, antiquated Schottic Torch of teleportation, struggled to manoeuvre his way as he twitched back and forth. His mouth was barely uttering any intelligible sound, while his limbs swayed and lost control, half in control of another force and half on a verge of seizure.

'Shite,' said Joon-Gweon, as he watched Dr. Heo flying in zig-zag shape now. His visibility was low, one that could be cited to the vertigo an unfamiliar individual may feel when in such flight, while their attempt to communicate with Dr. Heo was left futile as he flew back and forth, with him coming close to the water one minute and a thousand metre up high in the sky the another. 'Is there anything we could do to help, The Creator? Is there anything?'

'No,' said The Creator, having figured out that it carried even greater risk to intervene with one of his creations, especially when he was trapped inside one of his earlier-life visions. 'Let him go through this alone. Eventually he will make his way down here.'

This would prove true as after a few minutes, the Doctor would finally be able to let go of control. A strong gush of wind would start to blow all over the beach, and as Dr. Heo would take more time and stabilise himself, the sound of Sirens would also be heard, almost as if the wall between that of the underworld and the living world had been breached, which would then be followed by an explosion from some distance away.

'Okay, good. Nothing new from this part of the woods here,' said The Creator to Joon-Gweon. 'He will make his way back here sooner than later, I would advise you to worry no more. That said...'

The Creator, who had known about the said occurrences from the past grim reaper occurrences, smirked as Dr. Heo gradually descended from about 500 metres high, his limbs calming down in movements, before landing in front of them. The Creator noticed that Dr. Heo's mostly dark clothes had an additional feature of their own - that of a green-dotted fox hide for his neck collar - which made the Doctor look a bit odder. Joon-Gweon was watching right beside him, chuckling along. Whatever tension they had held just minutes prior were evaporated by a rare feature that neither knew how that had occurred.

'Well, I see that you had made your way to your first destination,' said The Creator, as he spared no time taking away the neck collar away from Dr. Heo. 'Gangrimdoryeong, maiden voyage wasn't easy, wasn't it?'

Dr. Heo struggled to answer. Rather, he was embarrassed to see that Joon-Gweon and his own Creator, who had spared a piece of his mind, watched him fall close to the verge of unravelling. 'I would be lying if I found it easy,' said he, slowly regaining his self before speaking again. 'I found myself....as a child. Not exactly myself, but as close enough as I was back then.'

The Creator raised his neck, before readjusting it to look directly at the elderly man. 'Please tell me what happened there. I have not seen any subject of mine go through those. If you wonder to what extent, I have fed Joon-Gweon cotton candy dreams involving his girl.' He turned around and looked at Joon-Gweon, whose face turned red. 'What was her name?'

Joon-Gweon couldn't answer, the sixth-former feeling way too anxious and surprised at the twenty-something's familiarity. 'Hannah, Hannah-'

'And I think that's enough enquiring for now. Let's not waste any time over those teenage feelings,' Dr. Heo intervened. The end of the Schottic Torch was hot, filled with a self-sustaining flame that was connected to Dr. Heo by the ties to The Creator and more importantly, the memory of his younger self. 'I saw myself when younger, almost as I were back in search for my own 'A la recherche du temps perdu'. But the story spoke itself differently, and the narratives told there were different.'

'Go on,' was all that The Creator said. 'I am not your enemy, my dear creation.'

Mid-2000s, Songak

It was difficult to see through the vision of an alternative version of one's life, especially with the risk of interdimensional fracture and resulting apocalypse being not that far away, and it is even more difficult to do so when it would involve teenage memories. This would also involve Heo Dong-Soo, whose teenage days were suppressed and in the process of erasure for reasons better enquired to the Creator. Specifically involving Tara.

In this version the last time Dr. Heo would talk about his teenage days were with his senior-level seminar students at Univ. St. Croix on an 'Modern history and historiography of emotions' module/Seminar. The version of the story he would deliver in an oration by memory, had involved a girl named Tara who was his first love, but had never made it work due to his mistakes when the time was right. Those days there were a certain level of tensions between various ethnic and demographic groups of ever-vibrant, grammar school community of the Songak's famous Lycee Koreana, and in middle of tensions between that of her world and his, which had contrasted widely, the former expatriate from Centralis, Electrum; and Garigal, Acadiana, would find himself lost and descend into a spiral initiated by his sophomore mistakes.

From the sound of it it appeared as if the mistakes themselves were beyond that of his control, for the amities were not meant to last longer. But those who would remember it from the Season Six 'The Agent', or even the Season Eight 'Avalon' you would find it wrong.

Pierre McCarthy, in that version, was a desperate teenager who had loved this Jewish girl named Lara - don't you notice how they rhyme so nicely? - but his belief in binaries, one that would lead Pierre into the life as a superagent living in Cenial and Songak under Maison M label, would cost him on this. Instead of stars failing to align, it would be his own lack of mental fortitude and blindered self that would cause him to send a horrific letter detailing why such a friendship would not make sense. And when he would eventually try to pull it back, the mistake was by then too late to be overturned, eventually causing poor Pierre to make a vow not to return to the country.

It was along those lines of mistakes that this version of Dr. Heo would cover, not because he would wish to, but because the story he was implanted had come from another person in Pierre McCarthy. As dedicated of an attempt he would try to plant right now, those familiar to him would know that it's a falsehood, for they would remember how Dr. Heo, who actually attended their rival school at His Majesty's College, was a rather simplistic mind, focusing on his fencing career like The Doctor himself.

And if you are reading this again, we are now back into the actual vision of Dr. Heo, which would now be added to the torments of the earlier, alternate vision of his purposefully implanted by The Creator as a show-off move. He would still be a relatively odd individual, whose minds sailed far away to another world as he would read works of history and literature, and sometimes find solace in the sabre that he carried. Unlike that version and the Creator himself he wasn't so musically inclined, with his vocal range as tenor intact but his mind not always there - a major difference from the creator.

This is not to say that Dr. Heo did not read out his own stories of a younger self in roses to his students or those close to him. Rather the opposite - he told of them even more. This is where our accounts would diverge once more, however, as the alternate version that the Creator had purposefully placed his own mind into that love of his would not happen again until the age twenty-one. By that point, he would be at Queen's College as a senior (though competitively a redshirt junior), and was in the middle of his postgraduate application season..

‘So why was I haunted by that…other me?’ Dr. Heo asked, himself beyond fuddled by being lost in the middle of the visions of an alternate self. ‘Those weren’t exactly my memories, and I thought I could control my mind and words…and yet I couldn’t. I found myself helpless, almost feeling paralysed at times.’

‘Because that wasn’t your own memory,’ said The Creator. ‘That vision, just first of many to come, was trying to help you understand me and by using the intuition from there, how to fix the interdimensional breaches that I have formed inside my head. It’s just that I have either made an error on my first round or that those in the Underworld who weren’t exactly good with putting together memory pieces.’

He sighed, then continued to speak. ‘All I could tell you is that the device, the torch you have, will help you travel and restore it with the powers of those like-minded to our people. I cannot tell you how, but it is well within your reach. But to control the ability to put together the net, and to pin the centrepoint, isn’t up to just that torch. It’s up to you to figure out yourself, Dr. Heo. Dong. Soo.’

’Did you notice anything specific while there, Doctor?’ asked Joon-Gweon, as he found himself the right timing. ‘Like any kind of book or something like that would help us along the way?’

‘No, not the ones I specifically recall.’ Dr. Heo answered. ‘If there were any, no way I would know a jack about fairytales.’ In all honesty, he had no idea what Joon-Gweon was talking about.

‘Well actually, he’s not wrong,’ The Creator smiled back at Joon-Gweon, satisfied with the line of enquiry by the young lad. ‘Sure there is no book, or so to speak, and I may not have even needed something like that. That would be called “I am busy and have other things to do.”’

Then he would point to the Schottic Torch, as he spoke again. ‘But the dreams are the windows into the lives of our multi-narrative selves.’

Then The Creator disappeared again. At that very moment, Dr. Heo and Joon-Gweon turned to look at the Torch. As explained by The Creator, the Torch was glowing with the visions of the next dream that was to emerge. The stories of that November Friday afternoon, when Dr. Heo had dived into Lake Mahan, the easternmost and most brutal of the five Golden Lakes of southern Quebec, were glowing in the carved, metallic tapestries of gold and platinum. Back in that moment all seemed lost for Dr. Heo, and now he was feeling the pains, without actually able to see the exact, coded details of what it meant to be sent back with that memory. To the times when he, as with Hannah Moran from when she was little, would be brought back to life under a greater plan.

[Vilita]

Village Victory as Jungle Rebels Top Group 11 Table

Riailia Cliff Stadium, Riailia, Turoki Island, Vilita :: The local infrastructure could barely handle the influx of fans who descended on the small village of Riailia in the remote northern Turoki highlands for what was undoubtedly the biggest National Team matchup ever held at the Riailia Cliff Stadium. With just 19,000 permanent seats, the venue is rarely considered to host national team matchups but in celebration of a Village milestone, the local leaders put together a package for consideration by the Vilitan Footsport Association and the higher ups at the Tivali Ring stadium were persuaded to award the venue a World Cup Qualifying matchup for World Cup 93 Qualifying campaign aligned with the celebrations in the Village on the condition that they added at least 6,000 temporary seats to get a capacity above 25,000 for the match. In an attempt to minimize demand, the Vilitan Footsport Association scheduled the lowest ranked team in Vilita's Qualifying Group as the National Team opponent for the match to be contested in the Riailia Village. As it would work out, that match would be the final game of the first half of the Qualifiers against a Nation called Pratapgadh.

Fast forward 10 matchdays and unranked Pratapgadh with a remarkable 8 wins in 10 matches found themselves atop Group 11, leading the Top-seeded Jungle Rebels and setting up a top-of-the-table Qualification matchup on Matchday 11. The Venue: Riailia Cliff Stadium. While table topping mash ups tend to be reserved for the biggest most modern venues in the Tropics such as Lunar Park in Seraai or the Lonngeylin Coliseum, the media would descend on this little village in Northern Turoki Island with all the attention of the multiverses top pundits - not just because of the nature of a top-of-the-table clash but also from the underdog interest story following Pratapgadh's unlikely run to a potential World Cup Qualification.

While the locals were just relishing the opportunity to see their own Vilita National Team playing in their backyard, the Neutrals were coming in doing whatever they could to snap up tickets in support of Pratapgadh as they looked to see if the underdogs could collect their biggest victory yet against a team ranked in the Top 10 of the World Cup Committee Rankings. Ultimately, they would be let down quickly when the Jungle Rebels got the scoring started just 4 minutes in through Kunaro Tlikara. For their part, Pratapgadh kept the match close and had many chances of their own in the first half including an ambitious long range effort from Mehul Parte that nearly caught Vilita's Ukamai Talingri off guard, the Baker Park based goalkeeper having to palm the ball over the bar to avoid making the highlight reel for all the wrong reasons.

Vilita would get their second goal of the game in the 33rd minute when Treasvo Tlikara turned a fired a quick shot that Pratik Surana was able to get their body in front of before Tushar Kauntia swept the ball away for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner, Mikele Alasita delivered a perfect cross that found the head of Ijyua Klizlo. The stadium erupted as the ball found the back of the net. Klizlo, born in Riailia Village, still plays for the hometown club and many consider them to be the best footsport product ever to come from the area. The loyalty to keep playing for the Village team and help usher them through the league system has been praised by some and criticized by others as bigger clubs like the Turoki Tide and Jungle Strike FC have been turned down for the defenders services. It seemed to all be worth it in the moment as Klizlo scored just their third career international goal in front of family and friends who packed the stands in Riailia.

While Klizlo celebrated there was a moment of concern for Vilita as Alasita, who delivered the cross, appeared to have strained a leg muscle on the delivery and would have to be substituted - being replaced by Lentali Purama. The Jungle Rebels would keep the 2-0 lead into the half. When play resumed the momentum had evened out and the yellow and blue clad Pratapgadh National Football Team had a new found energy after making a pair of substitutions of their own. Just past the hour mark they would put that energy into production with substitute Vishwarupa Thakur ending Ukamai Talingri's shutout bid and turning it back into a exciting top of the table matchup by reducing the Vilitan lead to just a single goal. Thakur nearly got a second to level the scores less than 5 minutes later after finding space at the top of the box but their shot rang squarely off the upright before being cleared out for a throw in. As Pratapgadh pressed up in a final desperation to save a point and protect their lead atop the Group 11 table, Endur Rotropii's Jungle Rebels would seal the game off. Mijiakuj Sklinai had the freshest legs on the field and stayed up while the Jungle Rebels kept 9 players behind the ball to protect the lead. A smart interception from Awukchu L'bakka followed by a quick outlet to Fyin Miateal who spotted Sklinai with a step on the Pratapgadh defense. It was off to the races and the pacey Alikki-Corra Academy product Sklinai took every touch right as they would best Surana to score the first goal of their internationstatal career, putting the game out of reach and securing three points for the Jungle Rebels.

When the full time whistle blew it was delight for the local fans and their star player Injyua Klizlo who was unsurprisingly named star player of the match with the game winning goal. With the victory, Vilita climed to the top of the Group 11 table for the first time in the campaign and set off to prepare to defend their position over the second half of World Cup 93 Qualifying.

 Vilita 3 - 1 Pratapgadh	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 4' Kunaro Tlikara:: 33' Injyua Klizlo:: 91' Minjiakuj Sklinai            
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 56%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 10 :: Pratapgadh :: Possession: 44%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 5
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Injyua Klizlo, Awukchu L’bakka, Rojara Tiones (Nii'arala Milaaso 60'), Mikele Alasita (Lentali Purama 34'), Fyin Miateal, Trezisi Rokopolis, Letirpsi Vulitn (Tero Alatalo 34'), Treasvo Tlikara (Minjiakuj Sklinai 77'), Kunaro Tlikara (Sami Samii’i 60'), Diamoa Waviino

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2023
Commonwealth seek to extend seven match streak
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

The Commonwealth National Team will close out the three match homestand with the visit of Cheetahs & reptile Coalison at the Queen Victoria Stadium following a Belle Haven doubleheader that has seen the Bees move to within 4 points of the top of the table with 10 matches remaining.

The Gold & Black moved level with Turori on points after the Eels managed to only gain a point over their two previous matches, and BP have made it seven matches unbeaten since the loss to Turori at the BBP on matchday 5.

C&RC have won one third of the fixtures they've played, despite having only scored 5 goals; the continued prominence of the Baker Park defense could provide the difference in Ezriquay, while the visit to Strayan Rus--bottom of the table with just 5 points--is a dangerous trap ahead of the next break that will see Inwellistan visit Rogers Stadium before the return fixture in Turori.

Tikariot sit in pole position in Group 13, unbeaten in all 12 matches thus far (10 wins, 2 draws) and have the ideal run-in fixture list as they will face BP and Turori over the final four matches.

Squad List MD 13-14

lineup vs Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison @ Queen Victoria Stadium, Ezriquay (37,475)
Rossi; Allen, Finnegan, Freeman; D'Alessandro, Garfield, Shanahan, S Logan; A Knight; Obulundi, Phan
subs--Dickerson, Hardwick, Obodime, Olivera, Vetter, McFairlaine, Eichorn Khan, Hardison

lineup vs Strayan Rus @ N/A
Dickerson, Hardwick, Finnegan, Obodime; Ryan, Olivera, Vetter, McFairlaine; Eichorn; Khan, Hardison
subs--Rossi, Allen, Freeman, D'Alessandro, Garfield, Shanahan, A Knight, Obulundi, Phan

[Cardenao]

((OOC: AI Pic))

Haritz Larrainzar smashed a ball against the ball, watching it arc high up in the air as it rebounded towards him. It fell down nice and smoothly so he could trap it, flick the ball back into the air, and smash it at the wall again. He wasn’t alone, there was always someone else kicking a ball against this wall. But Haritz had been doing this for hours and he intended to be out here for hours yet. Haritz was pissed.

Despite Cardenao still being very much in the race for World Cup qualification, Haritz wasn’t playing anywhere near as good as he could, anywhere near as good he needed to to help power Cardenao up the table. Three points behind Mertagne and Darmen with eight games left to play meant just about anything could happen and he needed to be the man to make it happen. It’s not like had played poorly either, two goals and five assists were good enough for one-third of Cardenao’s total goals, but Hartiz needed to bring his level of play up even more, he needed to play like he did domestically for Port Rhovanyon. 22 games for them this season, 12 goals, 11 assists, he was balling out. He was the best Cardenaoan player alive at the moment, and he needed to do more. So that’s why he was out here, kicking a football against the wall like he did as a kid, focusing his mind on the upcoming fixtures. The first was against The Republic of Covelandia, who weren’t doing terribly awful after the first 12 games. The 163rd ranked team in the world had 13 points and occupied 8th place. With that in mind, the Blue and Golds of Cardenao should be winning comfortably if they keep their heads on their shoulders.

Bang!

Haritz fired the ball against the wall again. It was a match Cardenao should be winning. That was no guarantee though, and Cardenao didn’t exactly perform the best against lower ranked teams. No, Cardenao played much better against the Top 15 ranked teams in the world than they did against teams ranked below 87th, take their recent historic 2-2 draw with The Holy Empire as an example. That had to stop now. Cardenao needed to beat everyone, everywhere, no matter where in the ranks they were. And Haritz had to make that happen.

Bang!

And the match after that? Saint Eleanor. The 32nd best team in the world were a cunning and challenging opponent who had bested Cardenao in the reverse fixture. Haritz Larrainzar didn’t know the specifics on how exactly Cardenao was going to win, but he knew that they would. Maybe it would take a hatrick of both goals and assists from him, but the Gods would witness a Cardenao victory. He had fought for so long but had so long to go and he was in his prime, 28 years old. This was his time. By the time the next World Cup rolled around, he would be 31, how much more would he have to give then?

Bang.

---

Bang.

The sound of rifles firing cracked through the air ripped Mihaly from his slumber. He sprung up, sweating everywhere as the dream started to fade. It had come to him a few times, memories of the funeral for his dear friend Ssekamanya of Banija. Mihaly didn’t let his conscious mind think about the horrible tragedy that had occurred, so his unconscious mind picked up the slack. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

After the funeral, President Otamendi had headed to The United Provinces of Xanneria to talk business. Cardenao was a young nation with a great deal of modernization to be done if the poverty inflicted nation were to become a proper first world country. More roads, more mines and refineries, shipyards, grand buildings to celebrate Cardenoana culture, the international airport in New Cardonia he was drawing blueprints for, all of this and so much more needed to be done. To achieve all of that required a lot of energy, and that’s what brought Mihaly to Xanneria, a nation with a flag he enjoyed a great deal.

Xanneria had coal, a metric fuckton of it he had been assured, and they were looking to get rid of it for cheap. Mihaly had his reservations about coal. It was…well it was coal. Dirty and shitty and bad for his people. But it was available in plentiful supply in Xanneria and was cheap, so cheap that Mihaly had been able to trade seafood for this coal. Yes it was dirty but he was hoping to procure some scrubbing technology from the green energy powerhouse of Ceni, this would help purify the coal to a great degree and lessen the health impact on his citizens, while maximizing the energy production benefits of coal. This would greatly aid his modernization plan and hopefully the usage of this coal would allow Mihaly to bring a carbon-neutral Cardenao into existence sooner than he had planned. He sighed to himself and got up out of bed.

There were still a few hours till sunrise brought light to another chapter of Cardenaoan history. He was opening the doors even more, putting Cardenao out there even more on one of the biggest stages in the sporting multiverse. Everything Mihaly had done as President of Cardenao had led to this moment, and he had visited with representatives in Zwangzug after his visit to Xanneria. He had discussed many things with those representatives and, after a very productive dialogue, came to a sense of understanding and excitement for the future. Zwangzug, the reigning World Cup champions, was a nation steeped in history and lore. They had been around for quite some time, far longer than the newcomers of Cardenao. Mihaly was proud of the partnership he had forged with them, he was extremely excited about the course of action the two nations were now charting together. Of course, a lot of work remained to be done but the signs were very promising and he’d spent a lot of time and effort making allies on the international stage, allies that he now hoped would come through. Mihaly sighed and refocused his mind. He was now standing in front of his bathroom mirror, looking at his reflection and practicing the lines he would be delivering in a couple of hours.

“My fellow Cardenaoans, great representatives Zwangzug, good people of our multiverse, Thank you all for attending this event. It is with great pride that I, along with our friends in Zwangzug, present our joint bid…”

Mihaly stopped himself. It was time to go back to bed and this sort of talk only made him excited for the future.

There was much work to be done.

[Stevencousin]

NATIONAL ECHO

---

Duke Merkourios of Wargford's visit to Stevencousin: Khantari will launch targeted military action

The Khans military announced that its forces are now on 'high alert' and will 'launch a series of targeted military actions' in response to the visit of the Thiothard Minister of Foreign Affair, Hons. Duke Merkourios of Wargford, to Stevencousin. In fact, this country's media reported that Khantari also summoned the Stevencousin Ambassador in Fort Raleigh, Maikel de Forestham III, yesterday, to express reprimands and objections to Duke Merkourios of Wargford's visit which was described as extremely inappropriate. Khantari's Foreign Minister, Dr. Curtis Castonguay, voiced a 'strong objection' to the visit, in his conversation with Ambassador, Maikel de Forestham III.

"The action is very inappropriate and the consequences are very serious. Khantari will not remain silent," Dr. Castonguay said according to a report by the KhanNews news agency. Duke Merkourios of Wargford's visit, the highest-profile Thiothard politician to visit Stevencousin in 10 years, exacerbated tensions between the world's two largest economies, with Fort Raleigh describing it as a major provocation. Dr. Castonguay stressed that the Stevencousin will 'pay the price for its own mistakes' and urged Cassaholm to 'immediately deal with its mistakes and take practical measures to avoid the negative effects of Duke Merkourios of Wargford's visit to Stevencousin. Duke Merkourios of Wargford landed in Stevencousin yesterday, defying constant warnings from a visibly angry Fort Raleigh. Khantari considers Thiothard, which has its own democratic administration, as part of its territory. "Thiothard belongs to Khantari, and Thiothard will eventually return to the motherland. The Khans people are not afraid of 'ghosts', pressure, and evil," Dr. Castonguay told Burns. The Khans military also announced plans to hold a series of military exercises in the waters near the Thiothard, including 'long-range live ammunition firing' in the Thiothard Strait.

Meanwhile, Thiothard's Defense Ministry reportedly claimed that more than 11 Khans military aircraft flew into the nation's air defense identification zone yesterday - an area wider than its territorial airspace that overlaps with part of Khantari's air defense zone. Meanwhile, in Cassaholm, Duke Merkourios of Wargford, who is on a tour of East Zecrarth, insisted that he and the delegation arrived 'peacefully in the region.' "We came in friendship to Stevencousin. We came peacefully to this region," he said during a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Stevencousin, Mr. Karst-Jan Lammerink. Duke Merkourios of Wargford, in a meeting with the President of Stevencousin, Dr. Oscar Razorwicks in Cassaholm expressed his gratitude to the Stevencousin leader for taking concrete actions to show strong support for Stansterham at this critical time. "Despite facing an increase in military threats that have been deliberately increased, Stevencousin will not back down. We will continue to be ready with a defensive line for the sake of democracy," he said.

---

Other News
- WCQ93: Gerard Kallstrom leads as nation top scorer
- WCQ93: Stevencousin vs. Qasden will be held at the new Redfort Camp, Brigketh
- WCQ93: Our boys beat Talamia 2-0 bringing new hope to NT
- Research houses: Automotive sector to see strong earnings growth in 2023

[Brookstation]

---

UNFORGETTABLE MATCHDAYS

---

THE DAY ALLAN SKUT SINGLE HANDEDLY SNATCHED THE TITLE FROM ARTIANA

The late 90s would prove to be a blessed change for Artiana Galaxy as Barrister’s men in Purple would craft a new era in Brook football, mastering a total of 3 League Titles, well ahead of their rivals at FBM Arena. The Galaxy club would however see an anomaly in the 1998/99 season when Brook football would perhaps witness their biggest shock seeing the unfancied Red Tube Volint, the club powered by the millions of the corporate giants walk away with the Trophy in front of Artiana.

The never ending efforts of Agner Lasse couldn’t make any difference to the title race while on the other side his fellow forward Dario Atkinson made innumerable efforts to grab the title. Volint, on the other hand found immense potential within their little squad with the likes of Ashraf Tammimi and Olsson Berg who formed a formidable duo at Red Tube Arena, a partnership that would terrorize many clubs during that era.
However with the title race coming down to one last nail biting game of the season it would neither be Lasse, Atkinson or Tammimi who would make the difference. In fact, neither of the clubs could even hold on to a win that day. Even if Volint managed a draw against the much stronger Other side of Paradise, it would be a goalkeeper, who arrived as a completely unknown figure, who would eradicate Artiana’s dreams of lifting the trophy.

Allan Skut was a goalkeeper born in the far northern part of Brookstation in 1963. Well in his 30s, his arrival in Essidise Titans as a replacement for club legend Henry Irvine was quite an anomaly. Nobody had foreseen this transfer but little did they know that it was going to be this old boy at the goal who would prevent Artiana from regaining glory.

In those days, when training facilities were not nearly as efficient as it is today, new arrivals had a tough time adjusting to the club’s soil. Skut had not played First Division Football till then and his arrival at Essidise would be quite a big mystery. On his very debut, the ball slipped from his gloves, making Essidise concede a valuable goal. But the six foot goalkeeper would not surrender. Skut would soon become an integral part of the club and help Essidise tremendously to earn promotion to the League at the end of the 1996/97 season.

Even if Volint had the advantage till the very last day, it was only a matter of time before the title could slip out of their reach. Volint had a major obstacle in the way of their first title, Other side of Paradise. A little trip to the Joseph Joestar Stadium would bear much more significance than facing a side which was struggling to find themselves on the upper half. Thus, all Artiana had to do that day was secure a win against the pretty mediocre Essidise side. Skut knew exactly what was coming up and he was prepared for it all. There didn’t seem to be much excitement on the field apart from the numerous boos and jargons directed towards the former Essidise star Robin Henri. The noise became louder as it resonated throughout the stadium as Henri entered the field. But Henri was used to it. It had now almost become a custom ever since he signed for the Violets.

Artiana had to maintain their reputation at any cost that day. From the very beginning, Artiana had developed a winning mindset with a huge burden on their backs. The early exchanges of the game were pretty unusual. Artiana passed and kept on passing without being able to discover a definite path between the Essidise defenders, Frey and Alan. The Titans on the other hand, sprang on their first opportunity, Oribe Reyes slammed a volley against the bar of their opponents and the game saw its first signs of life.

Essidise had gained confidence and knowing the perils of a loss, Reyes sent a cross into the box where Gerry Brown met it with a header to put the Titans at the lead. The Violets had to find a way back. Lasse’s shot at Skut’s goalpost would be the last event before the clubs headed into the break. On the other hand, Tammimi had already given Volint the lead and now it was a near death situation for Artiana.

Skut went into action at the back of the field as soon as the second half commenced, pushing away a Nicholl Elmas header. The club’s defense also aided Skut in every way possible, but the goalkeeper could only witness the next incident. A Rick Muller free kick coincided with the head of Slim who made no mistake and instantly headed the ball in. Skut went quickly to the rescue but could not prevent the goal.

It was Galaxy all over now. The former champions saw Slim run past the goal a thousand times to find his second net while Kyle Brolins would hit the bar with his free kick. Elmas kept switching his positions on the field, just to find a comfortable position from where he can score. Sergey Kovalets strained every muscle on his foot to send a shot across Essidise’s goal but just to his sheer bad luck, Skut would rise to the occasion once again.

Barrister brought Victor Antonio onto the field with the hopes of a miracle, while nervously checking the time. Antonio instantly showed his class on the field by setting up Lasse in the box but again Skut was there to rush forward and derail the Purple Train from its way. Time was running short and Skut on the other hand kept using his giant stature to block shots from every angle. With only a few minutes left, the entire Essidise defense had pushed back to help their fellow goalkeeper find some relief at the end. Meanwhile, Michael Finch had blasted an 80th minute goal to equalize against Volint at Joseph Joestar Stadium. Time had finally run out for Artiana and so did their chances of a title.

A team who had nothing to win nor nothing to lose rose to stardom that day all thanks to Allan Skut who helped the defense of the poor club regain their confidence and face Artiana’s invincible attack with full courage just to avoid a loss at any cost. The season was a disappointment for Artiana but they made up for the losses with the beginning of the new millennium. Skut served as the team’s saviour for the next five years before his contract came to an end. Skut’s selfless efforts on that gloomy night and in fact every day after made him one of the names that had been engraved on the books of Essidise.

---

MORE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :
Ashraf Tammimi and the plethora of goals at Volint
The glorious market crash and the subsequent downfall of Red Tube
Brookstation reaches a decisive phase as they face their counterparts Lozho

[Chromatika]

All posts beneath this one shall be graded for the next cutoff.

[Mertagne]

TWO PINE PRESS
presents...

THE MERTAGNIAN CLASSICS COLLECTION

#7

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The Krytenian Brooch
by Marcoul Liadec

Liadec’s crime-filled novel about the disappearance and difficult recovery of a priceless brooch worn by a Krytenian Queen paints the burgeoning city of New Fligsive as it stood 60 years ago in a greasy light. With the sounds and smells of construction ringing in the ears of the populace, New Fligsive at this time had but a few of the built districts it contains now, but many of the art-deco skyscrapers dominated the skyline back then, and the large mixed-use apartment blocks around the city contained everyone from the working class to the city’s understated elite.

Crime has always been and continues to be a huge part of this city, which has its origins as a tent settlement for displaced Mertagnians. A black market was set up here in New Fligsive which has persisted ever since, and the city’s organised crime groups - *gaizikis* - continue to provide trouble for the city’s police force.

This is also one of the first texts explicitly written from the point of view of a Nooner - a Mertagnian term for a snoopy detective or federal agent, which stems from the real Noonan & Co. Security Agency, which was active around New Fligsive in lieu of an official city police force at the time. This practice would continue into the Insulation, with Nooners only officially relinquishing control of the city to the New Fligsive City Police after the Insulation had passed. Noonan & Co still exists today and has grown to be one of Mertagne’s largest private security firms.

In the original text, Noonan & Co. was mentioned by name, however a successful lawsuit from Noonan & Co. has meant that the text cannot be published referencing the security firm directly. However, the term ‘nooners’ (small n) has entered the common vernacular, and therefore in this edition of the text all references have been replaced with the common term.

The Krytenian Brooch was first released over the series of several months, with each chapter being posted in monthly pulp magazine Twisted Tales!, which ran for approximately 25 years until the early Insulation. It is rumoured that Liadec changed the ending of the tale, and thus the exact details of the mystery, to spite a fan after they had sent a letter to him claiming that they had figured it out. This rumour is unfounded, however, as on subsequent readings of the text as a whole show many clues placed in early chapters.

Plot Summary:

Set at the time of writing in a New Fligsive that is attracting new refugees into its canvas-clad Tent District by the day, a fresh face to the nooners by the name of Cal Hanlon is summoned to the penthouse apartment of a wealthy Krytenian socialite by the name of Madame Lulu. He has been hired by Lulu to discover the whereabouts of a famous brooch known as the “Fist of Mercia”, a deep sapphire brooch known to be worn by a successive series of Krytenian Queens in the Renaissance period.

Hanlon sets about investigating the case further, and is quickly drawn to the seedy underbelly of the city’s criminal activity, befriending a ex-fence known as Collie, and the two of them follow a trail of intricate clues that reveal that the brooch has changed hands many times, each time being stolen by a different thief, and in many cases leaving the previous owner dead. A variety of New Fligsive locations are shown off here - a murder takes place in Browne park, a thief is nearly apprehended in the Dolmenwood Building, and famous nightclub The Red Circle (included here as a bathhouse, its true origin) are featured prominently in the novel.
Along the way, Hanlon encounters a rich and complex cast of characters, including a musician that is not as he seems, Madame Lulu’s seductive daughter, and the enemy of the piece, of a vicious gangster of a fictional *gaiziki* that will stop at nothing to try and filch the Fist of Mercia to his contacts in Banija. The detective realises that he needs to stay one step ahead of his growing list of enemies, and sets an elaborate trap during the opening of the New Fligsive Metropolitan Museum, where it is rumoured the latest thief is to hand the brooch to a prospective buyer.

In the thrilling climax of the story, Hanlon manages to catch the criminal as they are trying to escape, only to reveal that it is in fact the daughter of the Krytenian socialite. Wanting to venture out from the constricting culture of being a Krytenian Socialite, the thief was able to determine where the brooch was before Hanlon, and was aiming to fence it and run off to Jhanna with the money. Hanlon swiftly arrests the thief and recovers the brooch, but is fatally shot on the way back to the nooner headquarters by the gaiziki, after Collie rats him out.

About the Author:

Marcoul Liadec was among the first children born in Neorudo, being the sixth baby to be delivered at St. Jerojane’s Hospital in the old capital. He grew up during a time of expansion in the Mertagnian nation, and worked as a police officer in the nation’s first police force. Liadec was given the opportunity by the government to relocate to New Fligsive, and did so, accepting a stipend from the government for several years while working as a peacekeeper in the Tent City district. He soon retired from this job at the beginning of the insulation, and took to writing marketing copy to make a living. As a hobby, however, he wrote several short stories, many of which were published in magazines. Over his career, it is believed that he published over 120 stories in a variety of publications, and would often use pseudonyms to have more than one story on the go in the same issue. Liadec has since retired from writing after a successful career, and continues to live in a townhouse in New Fligsive.

---

Check out the entire Mertagnian Classics Colleciton from Two Pine Press:
Past The Point of Frozen by Victoria Emmerson
The Reach of the Endless by Andras Stocker
Verse Under The Lime Tree by Luke Latimer
The Cravannien Chronicles by Prince Arval of Wesaxe
The Old Ones & Other Short Stories by Alisdair Stannard
From Seed to Stead: The Principles of Increasing Agricultural Yield in Small-Holdings by Abigaile Farrer
The Krytenian Brooch by Marcoul Liadec
Professional Comedy: A Compilation of Popular Plays by The Baudelaire Public Players
In The Shadow of Lion’s Mountain by Joksata

[Stevencousin]

MD	GAME                                	STADIUM           	CITY         	SPONSORSHIP
MD1	Stevencousin 1-3 Graintfjall         	Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	VioletFalcon
MD2	Qasden 0-0 Stevencousin             	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD3	Stevencousin 2-0 Natanians and Nosts	Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	Anthro Capital
MD4	Kirungabi 3-2 Stevencousin          	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD5	Stevencousin 2-3 Gyatso-Kai        	Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	KeyCommerce
MD6	Canadian Dominion 2-3 Stevencousin	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD7	Stevencousin 2-4 Adab                 	Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	Fairborne Computer
MD8	Dod Rava 2-2 Stevencousin           	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD9	Stevencousin 5-5 Yuezhou                 Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	Arthurlie Foods
MD10	Ceni 1-2 Stevencousin                  	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD11	Stevencousin 2-0 Talamia             	Federal Unity Stadium	Cassaholm	Glenwolf Trading
MD12	Graintfjall 2-1 Stevencousin         	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD13	Stevencousin 0-0 Qasden             	Redfort Camp    	Brigketh	Sabretooth Investment
MD14	Natanians and Nosts 0-1 Stevencousin     NA                 	NA            	NA
MD15	Stevencousin v. Kirungabi               Redfort Camp    	Brigketh	BlackOxygen
MD16	Gyatso-Kai v. Stevencousin        	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD17	Stevencousin v. Canadian Dominion	Waxwood Circle        	Holmdock	Spitfire
MD18	Adab v. Stevencousin                 	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD19	Stevencousin v. Dod Rava           	Waxwood Circle        	Holmdock	Sentinel EC
MD20	Yuezhou v. Stevencousin            	NA                    	NA            	NA
MD21	Stevencousin v. Ceni                  	Readymann Ground	Fixmouth	Fingerworth Lubricant
MD22	Talamia v. Stevencousin             	NA                    	NA              NA

Stadium Data
Stadium:: Redfort Camp
Nearest City:: Brigketh
Capacity:: 26,900
Brief Data:: Redfort Camp was a home base for Brigketh Bishop FC and, Brigketh Salamander rugby club, a multi-purpose stadium in Cheilestorp Creek, Brigketh, Stevencousin. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 26,900 people. It was built in 2009. In 2013, a mega concert was held there in which Stevenian most popular rock band, The Cassiopeia was the performer. The stadium known for energy and water consumption was targeted to be efficient. Most of the water used by toilets and water taps will be collected during rain-falls, the roof has a 550kW solar power plant, while floodlights are using new generation LED system.

'  Group 5                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Græntfjall                            14   13   0   1    37   12  +25    39
 2 Yuezhou                               14    8   5   1    43   25  +18    29
 3 Adab                                  14    7   5   2    37   24  +13    26
 4 Ceni                                  14    7   3   4    30   24   +6    24
 5 Gyatso-Kai                            14    6   4   4    27   24   +3    22
 6 Qasden                                14    5   5   4    16   18   −2    20
 7 Stevencousin                          14    5   4   5    25   25    0    19
 8 Kirungabi                             14    5   3   6    19   18   +1    18
 9 Natanians and Nosts                   14    5   0   9    14   28  −14    15
10 Canadian Dominion                     14    4   1   9    25   33   −8    13
11 Dod Rava                              14    1   4   9    13   24  −11     7
12 Talamia                               14    0   2  12    14   45  −31     2

MD 13::: Stevencousin 0–0 Qasden
Stadium:: Redfort Camp
Attendence:: 25,006
Stevencousin Scorer:: NIL
Talamia:: NIL

MD 14::: Natanians and Nosts 0–1 Stevencousin
Stadium:: Stadion Nacional
Capacity:: 50,000
Græntfjall:: NIL
Stevencousin Scorer::Thanuka Jayamanna ֎ min. 12 [When a free-kick was sent down the field and the flag stayed down Thanuka Jayamanna beat the keeper at the second attempt after the goalkeeper had parried his initial effort.]

NEXT MATCH
MD	GAME                                	STADIUM           	CITY         	SPONSORSHIP
MD15	Stevencousin v. Kirungabi               Redfort Camp    	Brigketh	BlackOxygen
MD16	Gyatso-Kai v. Stevencousin        	NA                    	NA            	NA

Fernandes
Aas - Bernstein - Correia - Dahl
Zubar (C) 
Snajdr -  Jayamanna (VC) -  Saifi
Voloshyn - Kallstrom

[Cabo Azure]

“I want to conclude by saying that I remain a humble servant of the people of Cabo Azure and especially Sao Cristobal, whether as prime minister, assemblywoman, or a private citizen. I wish Prime Minister Bravo nothing but the best, and may he go with God as he leads our country these next five years.”

Sonia Vargas was grateful that her capitulation speech was kept short, because she could barely get through it as it was without being overcome with emotion. They’d known from the start that she was a dark horse candidate for prime minister, being a young woman from one of the outer islands representing what was in Cabo Azure a fringe party, but evidently she was a serious enough threat to spook the Aliança Nacional. Over the past twelve months, the AN had shocked everyone by making common cause with its arch-rivals on the right, the Coalizão Nacional, forming a supermajority alliance that choked out Sonia’s party, the Partido Syndicalisto, and the smaller parties that had formerly been crucial to the AN’s hold on the Assembly.

Even that hadn’t been enough; with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, the AN-CN alliance had still felt the need to drag Sonia’s reputation every chance it got. Over the past twelve months, every aspect of her life had been systematically brought to light and examined, over and over, in every tabloid, talk show, and podcast in the Azurean islands. Her age, gender, family, the island where she was born, her marital status, her occupation, her education, her love of cold lattes from the small stand at the base of her apartment complex in Sao Simone; nothing had been withheld, to the point that election night had come as a relief knowing it would be over.

Leaving the stage, Sonia exited out the back of the bar that had hosted her speech and climbed into the back seat a small Euran sedan idling there. Rut, her ever-faithful assistant, was behind the wheel, her doll-like face a mask of red lipstick and impeccable winged eyeliner. She reversed out of the alley and started across Sao Simone, wending her way back toward Sonia’s apartment. The thought of her apartment was comforting. It was the first place she had called her own after living her entire life with her parents, and she would need the solitude it provided to lick her wounds and emerge with a plan.

“Your lease is up at the end of the month,” Rut said matter-of-factly, keeping her eyes on the road. Sonia looked at her in the rearview mirror.

“I’m sorry?”

“The party isn’t going to keep paying your lease, now that you’re no longer a prime ministerial candidate,” Rut clarified, her voice never changing timbre. Sonia said nothing.

When she got back to her parents' house in Sao Cristobal, Sonia’s life continued almost as if she’d never left. She would return to Sao Simone in the new year for the new Assembly session, but until then she kept the books at her father’s store, went fishing with her brothers, and read Nepharan romance novels on the tablet she’d bought for her legislative work. Time worked its magic, and she was starting to feel whole again when she received an email from Rico Bravo’s office.

“Sra Vargas,
Prime Minister Bravo has a proposition he would like to discuss with you. Please let us know if any of the following times works for a video call, or if you’d like to come in person.”

Sonia declined to go in person, but she answered the email and booked the library’s video conferencing room for an hour at midday the following week. When she signed in, she was immediately connected to the prime minister's office, where Prime Minist3r Federico Bravo sat with a man she didn't recognize. Rico looked the same as he always did; shaved head, scruffy beard, wearing a plaid shirt tucked into crisp dungarees, looking like the stevedore he’d been before the Silva political machine made him into a figurehead. Try as she might, Sonia could never bring herself to hate Rico; he reminded her of nothing so much as her older brothers.

"Sonia," said Rico's gruff voice. "How are you? Can you hear us?"

"Yes, I can," confirmed Sonia, "Can I ask who the man is with you?"

"I apologize for this introduction," said the man in broken Azurean. "My name is Prince David. I'm here to represent the king."

"Your Highness," said Sonia, surprised, then in Terranean: "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," agreed the prince, also in Terranean. "I'll get straight to the point: the king has directed us to fill the position of football commissioner post haste."

"And you thought of me?"

Rico picked up the thread. "The position is entirely administrative, protecting the government's investment in football. You would report to the Ministry of Sport and ensure the FAF remains on track." and provide policy oversight of the FAF.”

“Requiring me to step down from my post in the Assembly,” said Sonia. “Surely you don’t think I’ll fall for such a base trick, Rico.”

The two men had prepared for the challenge, and they laid out their case succinctly. The position of commissioner would indeed require her to resign, but it came with a salary and an office in Sao Simone, neither of which her assembly seat could provide. She would be an administrator, overseeing the organization of the FAF and clearing bureaucratic hurdles on behalf of both the national team and LHP clubs. It quickly became clear this wasn’t the kind of offer one refused, and before the end of the call, Sonia had agreed and asked them to send the paperwork to her father’s store.

[Jeruselem]

Princess Mila (naked) at Dazza Dallas Stadium with a guard nearby with a short barrelled M4A1 carbine rifle ...

Hello this is Princess Mila once again here for Naked News Jeruselem at Dazza Dallas Stadium.
Err, just ignore that girl over there with the automatic rifle.
She's just doing her job.
Anyway it's another round of qualification in the World Cup, and we're back home here for another game.
It's round 14.

This after an interesting round 13, yeah we love the number 13 ...
Quakmybush held Sylestone to a 0-0 draw where Sylestone's inability to score goals bit them again.
Gran Saguaro got belted by a visiting Tjorl 4-1, who really needed that win.
Eura brush aside visiting The Cordian Isles 2-0.
Osarius tried hard at home but still lost to Bongo Johnson 4-3.
AND Jeruselem went to New Gelderland, lost to them again this time 3-2. That was one game we didn't want to lose but anyway. Yes, we've lost them twice now!

So now round 14, and we're getting to the stage when teams get eliminated.
Rouyoute was eliminated officially after losing to Osarius 3-1 at home. I mean there were last ...
Bongo Johnson hosted New Gelderland who won their 11th game 1-0 after beating us last game.
Sylestone seems to have forgotten about scoring goals as they drew with Gran Saguaro 0-0 at home for their 2nd scoreless draw in a row.
That leaves three games with all the top 3 seeds playing.

Jeruselem, that's us if you didn't notice by now, hosted Quakmybush here who have been improving!
I didn't say Quakmybush wasn't trying but they were beaten 1-0 so they just made things a lot harder for them qualify with the shrinking number of games.
One of their better efforts but they just don't score enough goals.

Tjorl had to host Eura and it's something I guess they didn't really want to do at this stage.
Eura won 2-1 making it even harder for Tjorl to keep up with the top 5 now.
Kandorith went to The Cordian Isles and did enough with a slim 1-0 win.
Which meant all top 3 seeds won their games today as well as the group leader New Gelderland.

Rouyoute are officially eliminated but Quakmybush have their heads next on the chopping block being 2nd last on 6 points.
While there are teams mathematically in the fight like Gran Saguaro, Osarius, The Cordian Isles and Bongo Johnson with 20, 15, 12 and 10 points.
You do look at the top 6, and they are toast.
Oh yes those teams have negative goal differences ... not a good sign.

Tjorl are 6th with 25 points but 4 points behind 5th spot. That's become a difficult gap to overcome now.
Then we have 3rd to 5th! Eura, Jeruselem and Sylestone all on 29 points and with 9-2-3 record. Sylestone's problem is their lousy +7 goal difference.
Eura have the best goal difference of +18.
Top seed Kandorith have claimed 2nd spot with 30 points with 9-3-2 record but it's still New Gelderland with their 11-0-3 record on 33 points leading the way.

Our loss to New Gelderland and Sylestone have proven not very beneficial to us but helped other teams.
Kandorith and Eura are still winning games and they can qualify from here.
You have 4 points between the top 5. So it's far from over, and it comes down the last games.

We have some people from a certain male dominated TV network talking down the efforts of the new manager Faye Swift.
You know, the one where most of the hosts aren't allowed near minors.
We're stuck in a group where the top seeds are not dominating and we have two overachieving underdogs.
As the 3rd highest seed, we're actually doing what we're expected really.

Our friends in Group, Quebec ... or Independent Athletes from Quebec if you're really fussy.
They are 2nd with 30 points with 9-3-2 record second to leader Ochre Islands on 32 points.
Don't get too excited, Ko-oren are also on 30 points wit 9-3-2 record. And two other teams on 25 points so they aren't out of the question either.

Now, there's been a lot of people digging around for juicy details about the new manager.
And they've found pretty much nothing on her as she seems the most boring manager in the World Cup 93.
She's a kind of person who blends into the background, without trying.
In fact, if you're not a very good driver and probably shouldn't be cooking is the worst things people say about you, that's not bad.
I mean, I have a super talented Mum but ... she's not the world's best cook.
Faye is a hardworking who just does her best and doesn't expect superstar treatment.
Actually she tries to avoid too much public attention unlike ... attention whores like us

That's it from me!
Next up, we go to Bongo Johnson for round 15 and then we're back home hosting Gran Saguaro for round 16.
So we avoid the top 6 teams next two rounds.
Hopefully we can keep up with top 2 and see if anyone falls off the pace, hopefully not us.
See you all later!

[Audioslavia]

LICENSE TO ENTERTAIN
This Bot Collects Information on Requests for Custom Car Number Plates from Audioslavia's Vehicle Licensing Organisation
But you knew that already, because this was on social media days before we decided to repackage it as a listicle for you to dumbly scroll through for a second time!

This is something that was all over social media a week and a half ago, and so it's high time we wrote a clickbait article that your weird aunt can link you to on Facebook! That's right, this thing from a week and a half ago that got four minutes of interested scrolling from you maximum has returned long after you stopped caring, but now it comes with a free "explanation" of why it's funny from the least funny person you've ever had Christmas Dinner with! Welcome back to Bullsfeed: We're Somehow Still Here And We're Not Going Away.

So I always need two paragraphs before I can just start copying and pasting the thing that was popular on social media a week and a half ago, so here's paragraph two! You're not even reading it! You've gone straight to the pictures even though you've seen them all before simply because what else are you going to do at 11am on a Tuesday? What, work? Why not zombie-scroll? After all, journalism these days has just become a half-eaten packet of biscuits that you stopped enjoying eating twenty minutes ago: We don't have to be good, we just have to be easier than a trip back to the cupboard to put us away. Anyway. Here's the format: Number Plate, Customer's Explanation, VLO's Notes, Final resolution (accepted/denied). Have fun avoiding work for the next two minutes!

Customer: I've always been a positive person, maybe a little sensitive, and I just think it would be nice to have a positive message to give the world that, I don't know, maybe doubles up as a plea to... just be careful with me? I always get a little flustered behind the wheel and it might upset me if someone shouted at me. Oh, and I made some sugar cookies earlier, would you like one? They're made with love!"
VLO Notes: "B.E." stands for "Bestiality Evermore, an illegal organisation that believes cavorting with animals should be legalised. "Nice" is what people say when they see the number 69, which is the number that makes Jesus cry.

DENIED

Customer: I'm an 1830 Cathair fan
VLO Notes: A mining disaster in 1830 caused the deaths of fourteen people in Cathair, this is an imperative that fellow road users should die

DENIED

Customer: Er.. I... I have a flock of... swords? Yeah, I have a flock of swords, I'm a sword hobbyist.
VLO Notes: FK Sjordhavn are a football team, this is fine.

ACCEPTED

Customer: I just want everyone to have a nice day! I'm a humanist, I believe everyone has the right to happiness!
VLO Notes: "Iced" is slang for "Murdered", so that's unacceptable. Then there's "Nay" around it which is an old fashioned way of saying 'no'. Basically she's trying to say that if she has to say 'no' to you, she'll also murder you. This is very troubling.

DENIED

Customer: "Kilnuns" is a region of my country. What country is that? Er... Place...land...ia...shire. Placelandiashire. Look I'm in a hurry could you just ignore the inverted crucifix and the gun and get on with it?
VLO Notes: Didn't look up where the place is, customer in rush, had kind eyes

ACCEPTED

Customer: Look, Oliver O'Donnell was becoming very troubling as a union leader, rather eating into the upper million or so of my profits, so it only stands to reason that I had him, shall we say, 'removed'? Now the Workers Union is in disarray, I feel it is imperative to bring them to heel. I did murder Oliver O'Donnell and I want all those cretins to know about it. Any more snivelling requests for "FaIr WaGeS" will be dealt with the same way.
VLO Notes: He's a billionaire he probably knows what he's doing, let's assume all of his intentions are good all of the time, so long as it annoys progressives

ACCEPTED

Customer: Hi! I like cats. I think they rock!
VLO Notes: She thinks cats should be pelted with rocks

DENIED

Customer: The glass swan! It worked! When that only slightly racist AI rebuilt the glass swan, we won two games without conceding a goal! Don't you see? Audioslavia have never conceded a goal while we've had that swan in tact, wherehas we conceded hundreds while it was a heap of glass! Four wins, no goals conceded, all thanks to the Swan! Hail the swan! The Glass Swan is the truth! It is the one true saviour of Audioslavia!
VLO Notes: Gulls = Seagulls, WA = World Assembly, N = Nuke. He thinks seagulls should nuke the WA.

DENIED

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If you enjoy Bullsfeed, why? Every time I tell someone I'm a "journalist" a single tear trickles down my cheek and I know, come the end of the day, I'll be crying at my reflection

[Aleirave]

A Throne in Dispute
Aleirave 1-0 Ingont
Cabo Azure 2-0 Aleirave

As the years went by, one thing became increasingly clear to Pahutokalu's supporters in Alikonora: if they were going to start a full-on civil war against the Aleiravan government, nobody would win.

Why not? Well, once just had to look at the logistics of it. Those on the Kia'u chain didn't have enough ships to take over Aleirave at all; they'd be repelled before they could even come to shore. That being said, the Aleiravan government didn't have enough ships to take over the Kia'us either, as Alikonora was decently well-defended and their ships weren't even going to come close to the town. This was not a conflict that could be fought by conventional means, rather, it would have to be a battle of covert ops.

What sort of plan could the Seferonists even have though? Understandably, Lufokato wasn't going to trust anyone or anything coming from ships from the north, and that's assuming they'd be allowed to land at all! So, how could the Seferonists get at him?

In this quest, their best friend was Petakiko Kai'eru Vaikapa. Kai'eru was elected to the office of Petakiko for a five-year term in 1676, and despite the fact that he was elected to serve under Lufokato and did so dutifully, he considered himself a Seferonist at heart, and wanted to do what he could to restore Pahutokalu to the throne. He knew better than what Lufokato was telling the island's populace, he knew Pahutokalu was not dead, and when his term was up in 1681, instead of seeking re-election, he told Lufokato that he wanted to serve as the governor of the Kia'u Islands.

Governor of the Kia'u Islands was a position whose purpose had evolved a lot in the past few hundred years. In the beginning, it was considered a great gift, after all, an ordinary citizen could be given his own island chain by the Petake, what else could be better? When Kupoharo gave Reko'uho Fekelu the title of governor, that was a reward for years of service to the nation and a massive discovery. Over the centuries, however, it sort of morphed into a position that seemed like a gift but was actualy given to those the Petake did not like, the sort of thing that would shut someone up and send them away to a far-away island so you didn't have to deal with them anymore. (And then of course there was that time from 1582 to 1644 when the governor would actually be Kia'unese, but that collapsed in on itself soon enough and things were right back to how they were.) For someone to be asking for the role was frankly quite baffling, but what was Lufokato to say other than yes?

Hence, Kai'eru boarded a ship bound to Alikonora, and the Seferonists over there were about to meet their new best friend; a man who was both on their side and still trusted by Lufokato, a rare combination indeed. Not only that, but if a ship had Kai'eru on it, they could actually land in Lahaira instead of having their ship burned in the water.

Planning continued and, in the year 1683, Pahutokalo came of age, and the people of the Kia'u Islands declared him fit to be installed as the next Petake; now, their plan could be set into motion. The sailing ship Fekelu of Te'ufole, bearing Kai'eru, would set sail bound for Lahaira, and little did the Petake know that Pahutokalo was also on this ship.

There would be a grand state dinner with Lufokato's immediate family, the current Petakiko, and Kai'eru, along with a couple of aides, and Kai'eru decided to take it upon himself to check on how their dinner was doing before it would be served. He chatted with the chef about the dish for quite a while, identifying exactly which dish the king would be eating and sprinkling a little something something on his fish. Exactly what is unknown to us these days, but it worked like a charm, and Petake Lufokato would fall asleep at the dinner table.

He would be taken to medical care, but his usual doctor was not there, only his assistant... who was not in fact an assistant, but rather a Seferonist who arrived on the island with Kai'eru. He pronounced the king dead, despite the fact that he was still breathing, albeit quite faintly. A One with the Waves ceremony* was performed while the Petake was actually still alive, his still-living body burned and scattered into the sea. Lufokato's eldest son Pavarenu, who was 17 at the time, took the title of Petake when his father was pronounced "dead" and wore royal regalia during his father's fune-- er, more like assassination ritual, but that wouldn't last more than a week, as Kai'eru told the current Petakiko that Pavarenu was not in fact Lufokato's son, but rather the result of an affair his mother had. This was complete and utter bullshit, but the Petakiko believed him anyway -- possibly just because he hated Lufokato's guts and didn't want to see his son in power -- and forced Pavarenu to step down.

And so, the path was finally clear for Pahutokalu to rightfully take his place as Petake that he had been forced to vacate eight years before. Aleirave was whole again, but at what cost? A king, as hated as he was, was murdered! It took many decades for those on Aleirave to find out what truly happened, but history would forgive Kai'eru for his actions. He did what had to be done to remove a corrupt usurper from power, and today, he's remembered for bringing forth the royal era's final sense of stability.

*OOC note: previously mentioned in this RP, a One with the Waves refers to an Aleiravan funeral which had been practiced for hundreds of years to that point.

---

For the Seagulls, a loss to Cabo Azure was... not ideal. Not terrible, but not ideal.

The good news was that they were still in second in Group 15, but things were looking pretty precarious. Let's take a look at the group table.

'  Group 15                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Zwangzug                              14   13   1   0    29    6  +23    40
 2 Aleirave                              14    9   3   2    32   14  +18    30
 3 Eraman                                14    8   4   2    36   17  +19    28
 4 Cabo Azure                            14    8   4   2    30   14  +16    28
 5 Cassadaigua                           14    8   4   2    33   18  +15    28
 6 Eastfield Lodge                       14    8   2   4    29   23   +6    26
 7 Greater Kamilistan                    14    5   0   9    12   23  −11    15
 8 Ingont                                14    4   2   8    16   26  −10    14
 9 Tecoia                                14    4   1   9    15   23   −8    13
10 Sannyamathland                        14    3   0  11    16   29  −13     9
11 Cormoe                                14    1   2  11     6   37  −31     5
12 The Cannaland Islands                 14    1   1  12    11   35  −24     4

Here's the situation we have in the group. This is... a mess. As we know, orange means can't get first, red means eliminated from contention... but let's not focus on those teams. What we want are the top six teams, as that's where the juiciness is. Let's take a deep dive into these teams, shall we?

Aleirave were five points clear of third... and fourth... and fifth... before losing to CBZ. Now? That gap is just two. Aleirave's next window has a home match against Cormoe, and... away to Eastfield Lodge. This Eastfield Lodge is one we don't often see, one that is quite the scary beast to face indeed; and this sure is a must-win scenario. A draw would just put the Seagulls square with whoever winds up sliding into third out of that massive tie, and a loss risks dropping Aleirave out of a playoff spot entirely. Mind you, it's unlikely, as there's a Cabo Azure-Eraman match the same day as EFL-ALR and Zwangzug-Cassadaigua comes the matchday before, but you never really know in a group like this.

Group 15 is an absolutely insane group right now, with a playoff race that's way too close for anyone to call. Yes, the Seagulls are in the best position for the time being, but there's no telling how long this position will last. Those playoff spots really are anyone's to take home, and Aleirave will have to prove their worthiness to get it done. For now, let's enjoy this ride, shall we?

Aleirave - 1 (Veshchik 38')
Ingont - 0

Cabo Azure - 2 (Corte-Real 13'; Gouveia 61')
Aleirave - 0

[Atheara]

Deep Tunnel

If one paid attention very closely, they could hear the sound of water dripping from the ceiling of this tunnel. If one paid attention to the extreme, they could listen to the sound of water flowing down. If one would look with utmost attention, a shadow could be seen walking through these deep tunnels. The place was dark and it had a massively terrible stench despite it being clean of trash or filth, as whatever lights that were located down here continued to shine bright. After a lot more walking, this shadow took a sharp turn, who was this person you may ask? Well, it was the Vessel of Wind herself, Cecilia Scharlund. One could ask what in the world she was doing down in these murky tunnels. But this wasn't any ordinary tunnel, Cecilia knows this dark and deep place all too well, with the wind from inside flowing out of the entrance to this dreadful place. This place is the Annhover Sewage System, a branch and part of Atheara's nation-wide sewage system which led to the sewage recycling facility all the way in Neidegrad.

But then another question would immediately raise itself, what in the world was Atheara's hero doing down in these depths? Well, there was an extremely specific reason why. Cecilia Scharlund had a plan to meet up with a researcher, someone who has answered a few of her enquiries before. Firette Gledswyn had the chance to get along with the fabled Vessel of Wind ever since the call that Cecilia made due to her curiousity about Elyzian Energy. While some of her questions were answered, the Scharlund did have a few more that she has created due to her desire of wanting to know more. Yet this wasn't the only reason, it was actually Gledswyn that requested for a meeting, yet to host a meet up between the two down in these depths... Cecilia had her reasons, believing Firette's words that this was confidential and both would be hunted down if word of this got out. Who would do so was a question for a later date, as Cecilia continued walking through the sewers towards a location that she was personally told by a friend of hers from the war.

After a few more straights and a few more deep and twisty turns, along with walking through extremely dark and dusted paths that haven't been used in a long time, Cecilia eventually reached the location she wanted to be at. In front of her was a door, locked with a special seal with the family crest from that of a certain set of siblings. Unveiling a specially crafted piece of paper, she slided the paper above what seems to be an old yet well kept door scanner, and the red light that adorned the seal of the door immediately turned green. However, the one who had invited her here in the first place was yet to arrive. And because of so, Scharlund decided to wait at the door before entering the room. After quite some time, Firette Gledswyn arrived and greeted Cecilia. And after some small talk, the Scharlund opened the door. Inside the room that was held behind the door was a special meeting room that was used by the House of Fierrevanturo during the First Athearan Civil War. Cecilia inwardly thanked Christian for allowing the usage of such a sacred area.

Once they were inside, Cecilia immediately closed the door. They wouldn't want anyone to be listening in to their conversation, and a good thing was that there were no cameras inside the room. Whatever Scharlund and Gledswyn had to say would be secret. The two sat down on the two chairs facing eachother upon a table. They started with more small talk and friendly chatter, before Cecilia decided that she wants to know the point of this meeting.

"Alright Firette. It's nice and all that you wanted to have a meeting with me, I'm a bit happy to see you again. But in this circumstance, is because of what you requested for our meeting. Why is this such a secret? Who could potentially hunt us down? I want to know more about this because I am genuinely worried not about my safety, but yours. Please tell me the truth and only the truth, because I want, no, need to know what is happening."

"Alright Cecilia, I will tell. First of all, this is a secret because my research group kind of found out about this illegally. And second, the ones who could hunt us may potentially be... Both the AMC and ISLORA. It's surprising I know, but there is a lot of truth behind it. I will tell you now, but please do not be mad."

"...Continue on Firette. Please do tell."

And then, Firette proceeded to tell everything she knew. From a secret project known as the "EZEVRO" Project, the reasons as to why they could be hunted down, the reason as to how in the world Hanna Ocherbeth had become a vessel and the plan for other vessels to be turned into existance. Cecilia couldn't believe anything in what Firette had said, but she has always been the type to speak the truth. Scharlund was just in total disbelief at this point.

The first thing that Firette told to Cecilia was the EZEVRO Project. EZEVRO was a shortened name, and the full name meant Elyzian Energy Vessel Re-awakening Operation. However, based on the information that Firette's research camp had surprisingly gathered, there was an old name to this project and it was known as the Vessel of Godsbane Operation, or the VGO Project. Essentially, this was a project that was approved by The Imperial Council long before Eriana Delis' rule. The attempt to re-awaken Nordcalia-Gestova's legendary "Five Heroes of the Bane", which were essentially more powerful versions of vessels (What Cecilia and Hanna are). The plan was for the AMC to select several special people to inherit the elemental powers from "Elemental Gems" that had been stored for purposes unknown. But then, the gems were destroyed by several intruders and the project was ceased to a halt. That was until Elyzian Energy was discovered. ISLORA actually controlled the base that had the original plans of the VGO Project, and Atheara had made copies of the plan. This resulted in both sides deciding to do continue the project. As for how the advancements were made to continue the project despite the fact that Elyzian Energy was a relatively new discovery, no one actually knows.

The base was taken control over before ISLORA declared the Second Civil War as it was abandoned long ago. The government only made copies because the AMC requested so as it was confidential information. As it turns out, Hanna's family were already affiliated with ISLORA which was the key factor for her dissapearance from Cecilia's life. As for the Scharlund, one of her ancestors had promised that one of her kind would be selected to become one of the Vessels. That person ended up being Cecilia, and thus the events that continued to build up during the war resulted in her transformation to become the Vessel of Wind. Meanwhile as for Hanna, she was tested through many different ways by ISLORA in order to force the transformation into becoming the Vessel of Lightning, and this was a last resort by the organization to try and win an already lost battle. The AMC could potentially hunt down Firette because of her finding out about this extremely classified information, and they could also hunt down Cecilia because of the fact that this all involves her. As for ISLORA (Or whatever remains of it), while they could hunt Cecilia down, they would most likely target Hanna.

Cecilia had her elbows on the table as she slammed her head into her hands. All of this was absolutely shocking to her. Was everything that she did for her nation... A lie then? For that question, Cecilia Scharlund didn't know. How would she try to find that answer? A few tears rolled down her eyes, it was a long time ever since a Scharlund had opened tears. A few sobs could be heard from Cecilia and Firette was worried, but then Cecilia wiped her face and shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

"I'm sorry Cecilia... I didn't think the truth would hit as hard as it did. I don't want to believe what we found out either, but that's the cold hard truth. I'm not sure what to say either to tell you, some details are still rather suspicious and arbitrary, but it all still clicks. I'm sorry for all of this."

"Don't be... Firette... This isn't your fault. None of this is. I'll... Be going now, I want to get clarity on all of this. I had questions about Elyzian Energy, but I'll save them for when we can speak at a... Better time. I know one person that can give some sort of clearance on all of this."

And with that, Cecilia Scharlund got up from her chair. Her eyes changed in color and she summoned three wind spikes, before heading to the door. She slowly opened the door and proceeded to vanish in a small hurricane of stormy wind. The Athearan researcher could hear the anger out of the former captain's voice, but she could also hear a lot of pain and disdain. Cecilia Scharlund wanted to deny what was said, but her verdict will be made once she knows everything. Everything she deserved to know about what she is now, and what she means to the AMC.