IAC 26 - EDSMONTIK/CRPOSTRAN - EVERYTHING THREAD

[United Empires of the Seven Seas]

An overview of the United Empires of the Seven Seas!

The United Empires of the Seven Seas has 6 1st level sub-divisions. The Empires are divided into 2 empires, a kingdom, an union of 4 kingdoms, a protectorate and 3 overseas territories.

Imperium Zachodnioslowianskie

English name: West Slavic Empire
Capital city: Ostrow Krolewski
Languages: Polish and German
Head of State: Empress Ewa

Imperium Zachodnioslowianskie is the easternmost empire of the Seven Seas. West Slavs led by Lech settled in the 8th century around the ancient city of Gniezno and established one of the most powerful empire in the continent. The West Slavs are known for oppressing the german minority, sandwiched between the Holy Frankish Empire and the West Slav Empire.

Protectorate of Anglia

Capital city: Disputed
Languages: English and Norse
Head of State: King Erling IX The Terminator

Anglia is a protectorate under Viking rule. It is located on an island east of the Viking Kingdom and the Holy Frankish Empire. Anglia was first inhabited by various celtic tribes before being invaded by various germanic tribes such as Angles, Saxons and Jutes in the 6th century. Mercia was a powerful kingdom from 7th to 9th centuries before it fell under Viking rule.

Saint-Empire Franc

English name: Holy Frankish Empire
Capital City: Paimboeuf
Languages: French and German
Head of State: Emperor Kylian the Dictator

The Holy Frankish Empire is the largest and most powerful empire on the continent, thanks to Charlemagne who ruled in the 9th century. In year 962 at the death of Berengar I, Lothair of France was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire instead of Otto The Great. It marks the rise of the Holy Frankish Empire and the Carolingian dynasty while the Holy German Empire never existed! Lothair of France's son Louis V miraculously survived a fall from a horse and had many descendants.

United Celtic Kingdoms

Capital cities: Many different capital citiies
Languages: Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, Breton
Heads of state: Various kings and clan leaders

An union of 4 celtic kingdoms: Alba, Cymru, Éire and Breizh ruled by various kings and clan leaders. They are located west, north and south of Anglia. Anglo-Saxons and Vikings failed to conquer these kingdoms, duchies and baronies.

Vikingariket

English name: Viking Kingdom
Capital city: Undecided
Languages: Norse, Swedish and Danish
Head of state: King Erling IX The Terminator

The northernmost empire of the Seven Seas. Mostly arid and desertic in the north, it's a vast but sparcely populated kingdom.The population is made of various nordic and germanic tribes such as Norse, Swedes, Goths, Danes and Jutes.

Territoires d'outre-mer

English name: Overseas Territories
Capital city: L'Anse aux Meadows
Languages: French, English and Norse
Heads of state: Emperor Kylian the Dictator and King Erling IX The Terminator

The Overseas Territories are , in turn, divided in 3 territories: Vinland, Markland and Skraelingsland. Skraelingsland is located inland west of Vinland and Markland.

[Auprussia]

Good Morning, Huberdeau.

...Failure, Agony...it all feels the same now. Buzzing, rustling...the pain acts as a living being sometimes.

Huberdeau woke up, training is in two hours but he must get there beforehand. He told everyone that it was so that he can refine his game to perform at his best but...this is a lie. The day that Auprussia was eliminated during the last World Cup was seared into his memory. Every night, the failure replays in his mind over and over, constantly. He wants to redeem himself for the way that campaign ended. So, Huberdeau gets dressed, eats breakfast quickly, and leaves to train. At the same time Trothaire deu Fornae-Saiy and Perin De Ferrander are also on their way, one is overtly ambitious, and the other the definition of intensity. They'll be there shortly, and will want to go over everything for the group stage.

Huberdeau arrives and starts to unpack, with Trothaire and Perin arriving shortly after. Trothaire brings out binders...whole folders, whole what it seemed to be textbooks on their opponents. Even Perin was taken aback by this: "Trothaire! Where in all of the worlds and verses did you find all of this?" Trothaire looked with a sly smile, "It just takes some dedication and some...sources." Huberdeau looked at him with a mix of horror and intrigue. "You know I thought Eleo was exaggerating when he said you actively are just crazy about studying but uh...he wasn't I guess." Trothiare chuckled. "You think I'm bad? Tiberien has a whole library with Football history, he's the insane one." Perin looked at Huberdeau with a look that just said "Is this guy serious?"

All 3 end up studying for a bit but afterwards, everyone started to roll in and the training session began. Perin, like normal had characteristically hard tackles which got a couple of the strikers hot (Particularly Odellia De Tammaraud who tackled him back harder, they had words afterwards.). Huberdeau responded to Perin's tackle by pushing him and Perin pushed back, of course. The training session became more and more competitive as the day waned. Trothaire showed off dribble skills and challenged anyone to try and beat him. Much to his chagrin Jean-Loc D'Irtellind took on the challenge and won. Trothaire muttered "...more dribbling practice for me then...".

Afterwards Huberdeau left the training grounds...still replaying the World Cup over and over. He could have done better, he could have been better, they could have been better, they cou- "HEY!" Fortunan Rodric runs to catch up. "Hey man, I know you come in pretty early...can I join you? I really, really want to do well this time" Huberdeau looks at Fortunan a smile creeps out and says "Sure! but you know you gotta be there really early right?" "Of course!, of course! I'll be there!". Fortunan runs back and Huberdeau is left alone with his thoughts.

Maybe he's putting too much on himself, maybe last time should just be taken as a bad day at the office.

But Huberdeau's mind does not work like that. Morten Gallis the captain raised a concern to Eleo Vicard. "You know it's killing him that he didn't get to play in the World Cup again." Vicard looks over and smirks. "I'm aware, we need that kind of mentality. Desperation, Willingness to do whatever it takes. We should be so much better than what we are Morten. That's my feelings on it." Morten glances away and leaves the training field, He's too old for this. After this tournament it should be over in his mind.

[Delaclava]

DELACLAVA NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
TWENTY-SIXTH INDEPENDENTS CUP

Gold medalists, Games of the V Olympiad.
Third Place, 18th Independents Cup.
Seven-time WC qualifiers (51-56, 91). QF at WC51. QF at CoH84. QF at IAC22 and AOCAF31.
Hosts of WC55, CoH 44, 46, 84, and 87, BoF 72, AOCAF 31.

Current world ranking: 127th
Peak world ranking: 11th (post WC-53 qualifying).
All-time WCC record: 208-98-173

Trigram: DEL | Demonym: Delaclav | Nickname: Phoenixes | Formation: 4-4-2

Style Modifier: +2.5

RP permissions: Yes, but be respectful and TG/DM if you're not sure or have ideas.

Manager: Peter Bridges, 46

GOALKEEPERS
#1 GK Nicolas Mercier, 37 - Jaglan Royals (SRS)
#14 GK Greg Hallmann, 28 - Steckholl United
#22 GK Thomas Tatum, 24 - First City

DEFENDERS
#2 LCB Walle Vargas, 24 - Cleopatrana SC
#3 RCB Matthew Park, 26 - Oxford
#4 RB Peter Meintjies - Catherina FC
#5 LB Taag Johansson, 30 - First City
#12 LB Yassin Brunson, 24 - Valhalla Vikings
#15 LCB Danny Perez, 23 - Cleopatrana SC
#18 RCB Leo Lenin, 22 - Valhalla Vikings
#21 RB Caleb Young, 25 - First City

MIDFIELDERS
#6 LM Johnny Pavia, 28 - Cleopatrana SC
#7 RM Tyler Amundsen, 32 - Steckholl United
#8 CM Simyan Artakian (C), 31 - Metro Tirana
#10 CAM Oscar Davis, 26 - Catherina FC
#13 LM Steve Rabin, 29 - Catherina FC
#16 CM Ali George, 26 - Cleopatrana SC
#17 RM Scott Weeks, 26 - Manchester
#23 CAM Michael Tillman, 25 - First City

FORWARDS
#9 ST Charlie Korda, 27 - AC Espene
#11 ST Theo Amundsen, 32 - Steckholl United
#19 ST Joey Grace, 23 - Catherina FC
#20 ST Nelson Hanna, 24 - Cleopatrana SC

Free kicks: Artakian for short to mid range and scoring chances, Johansson for long-range
Corner kicks: Artakian
Penalty taker: Korda, Th. Amundsen, Ty. Amundsen, Artakian (take the first on the list who is still in the game)

[Edsmontik]

The image in the video is modified by AI.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I have a new thing to talk about. With Vlakish Bervaign out due to his knee injury, who is replacing him? Everyone keeps saying Jeremi Wessner or Keselar Austeno, and to that, I say, stop being an FK Touve fanboy. There are plenty of better Edsmon strikers out there. Austeno stinks of poo for his club and also stunk of poo for Wedich when he played for them, and he was the best man on that team. For anyone saying that Kenstrovorsko was better than Austeno as he was the captain, I ask you to watch Woodhill highlights right now. You wouldn't do that.

Before we think about whatever this mess is though, we have to consider what the hell happened to Bervaign. How does an amazing striker in peak condition suddenly lose his knee? Well, if you were watching the game against Emkitmebar, which I know you didn't, you would know. So let's look at the clip from the 26th minute.

*On screen is FK Emkitmebar defender Pav der-Korsarr, who comes sliding in from behind to send Bervaign to the ground about ten seconds after the striker passed the ball to Steus Kizani on his left.*

So this is only the first tackle of the game, and it's very late and very stupid. Bervaign is still okay here, but he does go down a little easily to win that. Either way he would have won that because who the hell tackles this late? So der-Korsarr gets a yellow card, which I personally think is outrageous, and so do maybe a few million other Edsmon fans. By the way, Bervaign took less time to get up from that horrendous tackle than Shouzvenkreden after getting slightly shouldered during a corner kick. Do with that information what you want.

Saab der-Mayer also decides that it's worth arguing with the ref and earns himself a yellow card too. After watching this game and some of the clips I can tell you that the referee here was genuinely doing all of this with a smirk on his face. What is this guy planning? Anyways, the other center back in Emkitmebar's absolute haramball formation would end up just doing the same thing ten minutes later.

*On screen, a clip is shown of center back Unterer kicking Bervaign's shin instead of hitting the ball during a clearance.*

Okay, this one, I can kind of understand. The two are really close, and Bervaign drags the ball back, kind of throwing the defender off, so he readjusts and just slams hit foot right into Bervaign. However, still obviously unjustified. My boy Bervaign came crashing down almost instantly from that hit. I could feel that hit through the screen. And this guy ends up getting a straight red card, so the first half isn't even done and we already have two yellows and a red. By the way, the score is still nil-nil, so whatever Emkitmebar is doing here, it might just be working.

Obviously, this isn't over yet. Right before halftime, defensive midfielder Erik Frakkelens decides that it'd be really nice to just pull up and flip Bervaign right over. Someone tell this guy that waving his fingers around in the air isn't going to get the referee to change his decision. That was an easy straight red card.

*Clip on screen shows Frakkelens running towards Bervaign, Bervaign fires a strong pass, causing his foot to lift off the ground. From there, Frakkelens does not slow down and rams right into the striker, flipping him up and over.*

At this point, I'm just surprised. How did he not break his ankle or get it dislocated? He's had more hits there than on his knee. So now, Emkitmebar are down to nine men, and you think it can't possibly get worse. Well, it does, because Bervaign gets absolutely tackled in the box once again, American Football style. Can someone just send Suttebar to a wrestling competition? This guy just flattened Bervaign at the worst possibl place for his team and only gets a yellow card for it.

*On screen a clip is played showing Suttebar pushing Bervaign down and slidetackling him.*

At this point, I still have no idea how Bervaign is still standing. der-Korsarr comes up, argues, and he gets his second yellow to make it a red. So, at this point, we have now seen three red cards. The game is still 0-0 by the way. So now Bervaign steps up to take the penalty, and right as he starts his run up, he just falls face first into the ground because his knee has finally given out after being tackled so many times. At this point, I think it's over. Bervaign has taken the only shots of the game and has also been the only one slidetackled to heaven this game.

Even without Bervaign, Austranmoney FK can obviously win, and if you disagree with me, you're completely right. Because Aespana would send the penalty to the moon and miss an easy free kick from just outside the box just minutes later. How does one do this, is my question. So Emkitmebar gets away with their fourth draw and fourth point all season at the end of the season, and it's just more disappointment for Austranviige fans.

The worst thing for Bervaign though is the fact that he will for sure miss the IAC and possibly miss the World Cup, and he's basically in his prime right now. Hopefully Bervaign gets back on his feet next year and we see him performing at the same level, maybe on a different team in a different country so that Emkitmebar can't destroy his knees again.

---

Lineup for MD1 [3-2-1-3-1]
S. Lankiv - M. Saz-Cernisqivar, L. Shouzvenkreden, B. Benner - O. Zeukalmen, D. Ystermakt - D. Verto - M. Rehcikt, Q. Haarviq, M. Stuero [C] - V. Reiovus

[Libesia]

Nickname: The Cheetahs
Trigram: LIB
1st kit: Deep green, with gold trim
2nd kit: White, with gold trim
Goalie kit: Orange, with black shorts and socks
Style modifier: -2.67

Head coach: Busar Hamidi
Former NT right back Hamidi becomes the first person to have both played for and managed Libesia.

Unless I have RPed otherwise you have my permission to name any particular combination of players as taking part.

1. Thusago Mothanka – GK (28) Boumomble

2. Berko Fundisa Akaminko – RB (30) Mmabuswa Penguins

3. Jaramogi Ogot – CB (35) Amadou Boissonade

4. Julien Tshikuta – LB (28) Ravesenza

5. Hervé Nzadi – CB (33) Chossone

6. Zeyn Mansouri – RB (28) Ontcaster City

7. Prince Kassab – ST (27) Real Lockenia

8. Ogak Adika – DM (29) Colothune

9. Mikhail Tsekani – ST (27) Kemanoluk Çakispor

10. Bhekumuzi Bhekinkosi – LW (27) Al Fayadin

11. Cudjoe Nsor – AM (26) Olurasispor

12. Suhaim Harrak – CB (33) Stralfingen 83

13. Diamonde Baba – AM (23) Ontcaster City

14. Barthélémy Jong Yowa – DM (21) Aresmouth Strollers

15. Amaanullah El Rayes – LB (27) Ontcaster United

16. Mathias Kitambala – GK (23) Club Libesian

17. Samir Ben Salman – CM (24) Belmasse

18. Ashraf Messaoudi – RW (22) Ragugnola 1963

19. Benoît Kono – RW (27) Ontcaster City

20. David Bongo – LW (31) Survern FC

21. Yub Ahmadi – CB (27) JS Tissemnaiel

22. Ndaba Xaba – RW (32) Club Heusaarde

23. Alain-Jakob Kamwanya – ST (31) SV Ehrental

24. Ndeye Sankere – GK (26) Épisir

25. Tairu Mboob – CM (31) Périvin

The team will play a moderately defensive style with a back four, a midfield three, two wingers, and a lone striker.

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent roleplays first, they may:
Choose my starting lineup: Y
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Hand out red cards to my players: Y
Hand out orange cards to my players: N
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out green cards to my players: N
Hand out blue cards to my players: N
Hand out indigo cards to my players: N
Hand out violet cards to my players: N
Godmod other events: N

If in doubt, please send a TG, I am happy to collaborate on any roleplays. That said, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, so if you have a fun or cool or whatever idea, just go for it and I'll make it work, or not, whatever, who cares.

[Eriadni]

The Eriadni National Football Team

Eriadni is a moderately large, temperate nation within The Communist Bloc, and is making its debut in the Independent Associations Cup! Following participation in no less than four international and multiversal football competitions last cycle, the team is proud and ready to compete and challenge with more of the multiverse's best. Ever since the communist victory in the July Revolution, and the installation of New Socialist Democracy, sports have been a lively part of national culture, with football particularly being adopted across the country at every level.

Last cycle, the team saw itself established with decent, if middling showing in multiple competitions. The challenge now for the EFA is to continue and promote the growth of the national team in this cycle, and ideally make a solid run for qualification in the eventual World Cup 102.

In the Baptism of Fire #88, the Eriadnians finished second in their group, before being eliminated in the Ro16 by eventual champions Pomachetti. The team concurrently enjoyed an excellent run in the inaugural TCB Kovatsk Cup, leading their group through the Group Stage and defeating Geatlandia in the Round of 16. Sadly the team fell to Archalit in the quarterfinals on penalties. The chance of playing Archalit again in the IAC has many fans excited and keen to potentially avenge the defeat. Eriadni's campaign for World Cup 101 qualification fell agonisingly short, and despite only losing four matches, the team's four wins and ten draws (the most of any team in the qualifiers) were just not enough to secure a playoffs berth. However, in the following Cup of Harmony 93, the team enjoyed a perfect run through the group stage, an upset win over Carpathia and Ruthenia in the Round of 16 before being expectedly defeated by The Ko-orenite Constellation in the quarterfinals.

Donning the white and green are players drawn from the leading clubs in the Eriadnian First League (EL1). The EL1 has proved itself to be a highly competitive and entertaining league, with frequent displays of quick, attacking and precise football, emphasising collective effort, positioning and team play. The EL1 forms the top of the national footballing pyramid, with an intense competition for promotion and relegation across five levels. Of these, the EL1 and EL2 receive the most attention, however EL3 and below also have very committed fanbases and fierce rivalries. Few Eriadnians play abroad, although rumours of future entry into IFCF competitions remain a hot topic of conversation for Eriadnian football fans.

Trigram: ERI
World Ranking: #102
KPB+: 6.69
Recent Competitions:
2020 IAFF World Cup - eliminated Ro16 (WLLL)
Baptism of Fire 88- eliminated Ro16 (WLWL)
World Cup 101 Qualification - eliminated Group Stage (4-10-4)
Kovatsk Cup 2026 (TCB) - eliminated quarterfinals (WXWWLWWL)
Cup of Harmony 93 - eliminated quarterfinals (WWWWL)

Kits
Home: Green and White
Away: Green and black
Third: Red and Green
Keeper: Red

Roster
Playstyle +3
Preferred Formation: 4-3-3
The Eriadnian National Team plays fairly aggressively, in a 4-3-3 formation. Favouring a single pivot, the team has also been known to drop deep with a double pivot, particularly when facing highly aggressive and skilled opponents. There is generally an emphasis on holding the ball and maintaining possession. Collective effort is usually encouraged over individual physicality, but the coaching team has shown flexibility in devising tactical schemes that play to the team's strengths. Fast, low passing is commonplace and building out from the back is the preferred approach. In front of goal, the team aims to get bodies in the box and score from close range to take advantage of chaos and deflections. Opposing goalkeepers can expect few shots from range but keep an eye out for surprises.

Head Coach: Li Meidong

Head Coach Li is a giant in Eriadnian football, enjoying an impressive playing career as a central midfielder domestically. At one stage nicknamed "the ice queen," Li was notable for her excellent composure and choice of pass, with opponents largely considering her "unpressable". Her coaching career has seen her coach teams across the pyramid and she has been known for her relentless tactical innovation focusing on her teams' strengths. Her appointment to lead the national team last cycle was warmly received and her efforts in securing Eriadni a respectable debut in multiversal football has seen her granted the reins for at least another cycle. A proud CPE member with a history of party work, she is a widely respected and admired figure in Eriadni.

Starters are bolded.

Defenders

Long Xiaolian (1) (GK)
Long remains the team's first choice keeper. As a goalkeeper, Long frequently comes off his line and isn't afraid to come out control the box relying on his reflexes, stature and speed. He is one of the squad's leading figures and has actively promoted the mentorship and support of younger players

Zhao Lei (12) (GK)
Zhao is a newcomer to the national squad and replaces the retiring Zou Wencheng. Her goalkeeping skills were well received in last cycle's EL1 competition, keeping 9 clean sheets. She is very excited to be making her national debut, and is tipped to be one of the team's "rising stars."

Zhu Xiaofan (2) D(LR)
Fast, tall and two-footed, Zhu Xiaofan is a coaches' dream. Zhu plays best as a wing back, with a sharp eye for crosses, but her strong game IQ also makes her a formidable obstacle when tucked in to a back three. She most often starts on the left, and enjoys taking the game to her opponents.

Mao Xia (13) D(L)
Mao enjoyed a solid record last cycle, and is known for being a dependable and smart, if unexciting fullback. If necessary, he can play higher up the pitch, but will more often tuck into a back three when the team is going forward.

Ding Lanfen (14) D(C), DM(C)
Ding is one of the few Eriadnian national players currently abroad. Playing in Archalit, Ding has impressed selectors with consistent performances and flexibility in the backline.

Ye Ting (4) D(C)(c)
Team captain Ye Ting is a fan favourite, and also leads the backline of EL1 team Gonghua '56. Tall, good in the air, and cool under pressure, Ye's leadership keeps teams together, and inspires every player to give their all. Ye is playing at the peak of his career, and will be striving for a great result from the national team.

Lei Shan (5) D(C)
Partnering with Ye at the back, Lei Shan is one of the most fearsome players in the country. While Ye plays more of a holding role, Lei is known for her excellent tackling and work rate. Opposing forwards should expect to see Lei closing them down, almost relentlessly.

Li Liqin (19) D(R)
The team's starting right-back, Li Liqin plays club football alongside Lei Shan. With an excellent long-throw and a great right foot, Li is at home clearing the ball up the line, taking throw-ins to win ground, and sending in crosses. Li's low crosses have caught many a goalkeeper unawares.

Ren Qingzhao (3) D/WB(R)
A longtime wing-back, Ren's athleticism and vision have well and truly earnt him a place on the national squad. While not a common starter, Ren is a frequent impact sub when the gameplan needs more pace and aggression on the right.

Midfielders

Chang Yun (6) M(C)
Inheriting the no 6 shirt from recent retiree Feng Chengguang, Chang Yun is a young central midfielder who has proved his worth in the last cycle, scoring an excellent goal and delivering multiple excellent through-balls. The team's pivot, Chang is often found sitting deep in defence and will try to open up space by dragging away opponents in offence. His vision and quick passing have come to sit at the heart of the Eagle's midfield engine.

Cui Chen (8) M(LC), AM(LC)
The team's starting left midfielder, Cui Chen can also play a more central role, as a traditional no 10. Creative and considered, Cui is responsible for setting up attacks on the left and providing a passing option out of the backline.

Xiang Fan (20) M(LR)
Left-footed Xiang Fan is a relative newcomer to the national side, and boasts a rather successful playing career in Archalit. She often sits in the half-spaces going forward, and provides an inside option for the left wing and any overlapping fullbacks.

Wen Pengfei (7) M(R)
A more traditional box-to-box midfielder, Wen Pengfei usually plays on the right hand side of the midfield triangle and is known for aggression, speed and winning back the ball. Wen's speed makes her a formidable opponent, despite being on the shorter side. She has a well-earned reputation as one of the team's hardest-working players.

Wan Qing (16) M(RLC), DM(C)
A jack of all trades, Wan Qing is comfortable anywhere in the midfield triangle, and can play as a holding DM when the team adopts a more defensive shape.

Zhou Fanqing (23) M(RLC)
Another versatile midfielder, Zhou is playing his first cycle with the national team, and is hoping to be given the opportunity to impress at the IAC.

Forwards

Ma Bolin (22) W(LR)
Ma Bolin can play up top on either side, and is one of the team's super-subs. While his fitness and athleticism is excellent, his mentality and desire to close games out makes him a key part of the Eagles' second-half toolbox.

Zeng Da (11) W(L)
A national icon, Zeng Da has surged to fame in Eriadni following excellent performances in WC101 qualifiers and the CoH93. Young, smart, fast and unbelievably good on the ball, Zeng has been an excellent example of Eriadnian football and has been very active in efforts to support grassroots and youth leagues.

Shen Lanfen (10) W(R), AM(R)
With the best whipped crosses in the country, Shen Lanfen is a fantastic winger and almost always makes the top five for goal contributions. Dangerous from the wide areas, Shen is also not averse to crashing the box when play is on the left to create overloads at the far post.

Xiang Ai (18) W(R), M(R)
A winger and midfielder, Xiang Ai is fast. Very fast. While injury has held him back, Xiang's ability to close down opponents and win second-time balls on the touchline have made him a valuable inclusion to the Eriadnian national team.

Bai Yanyu (9) ST(C)
Known for his clinical finishing, Bai Yanyu leads the line for Eriadni and is comfortable shooting both at range and inside the box. His excellent reflexes and physicality give him great control with his back to goal, allowing him to create additional chances for his teammates.

Gong An (17) ST(C)
Despite being the second pick for striker, Gong An's strong shooting and keen eye have made her a major threat outside of the box. Her shooting is so powerful that even blocked shots have led to her teammates picking up goals off the rebound.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Allow Bizarro scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Allow Bizarro injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Allow any other Bizarro events: Yes
Style modifier (repeated for clarity): +3

[Brusselstein]

July 26th Match Day 1: Brusselstein 2 - 1 Auprussia

Scorers

23’ 1 - 0 BRUSSELSTEIN GOAL: Mario Bauch Assist Andre Danke

45+2’ 1 - 1 AUPRUSSI GOAL: VEN PIRNES

76’ 2 - 1 BRUSSELSTEIN GOAL: Reudiger Krümmling (Penalty)

87’ Yellow Brusselstein to Andre Danke

FINAL BRUSSELSTEIN 2 - 1 Auprussia that is 3 points for Brusselstein. 2 goals for 1 goal against Goal Difference: 1

[Only Six Words]

BREAKING NEWS!

Hexaverbalists decry cultural appropriation

[Rovenza]

Rovenzan National Football Team

Nickname: The Emeralds
Association: Rovenzan Football Association (RFA)
Confederation: N/A
Head coach: David Alfrederick
Captain: Zachary Arnolds
Most caps: 8 different players
Top scorer: Alexander Soțh (5 goals)
Home Stadium: Rovenzan National Stadium (Northern River Stadium)
Three-letter Code: ROV
First international: Smoltrendestof 0-1 Rovenza
Biggest win: Rovenza 5-1 Canadian Republik
Biggest defeat: Sernet 4-1 Rovenza



Results and fixtures

Smoltrendestof 0-1 Rovenza
Sernet 4-1 Rovenza
Rovenza 2-2 Sernet
Canadian Republik 1-1 Rovenza
Rovenza 5-1 Canadian Republik
Canadian Republik 2-1 Rovenza
Rovenza 2-2 Canadian Republik

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: David Alfrederick
Assistant Coach: Anthony Charles
Goalkeeping Coach: Miguel Anthegela
Fitness Coach: Pedro Alexeñol
Chief Analyst: George Richwave
Sporting Director: Thomas Larthen

Current Players
Starting XI:

GK Sebastian Yorkeł

LB Matthew Langarth
CB Victor Athe
CB Edward Igerson
RB Richard Erthwight

CM Charles Markon
CM Zachary Arnolds (Captain)
CM Ivan Torris

LW Finn Grotheros
ST Alexander Soțh
RW Carlos Quinya

Formation: 4-3-3
Style of play: relentless high pressing, intelligent movement, quick passing, overlapping full-backs

Substitutes First XI:

GK James Davidson

LB Adolf Pharel
CB Austin Kansa
CB Xander Lo
RB Harold Trethcall

CM Dorian Amia
CDM Edward Leth
CM Tom White

LW Patryk Pezza
ST Zayne Ugetha
RW Alex Wilan

Currently Unavailable:
CB William Chernell



RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent roleplays first, they may:
Choose my starting lineup: No
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but be somewhat realistic
RP injuries to my players: Yes, as long as they are minor injuries
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

Note: I am currently on holiday so my rp may not be as good and less detailed.

[Republic of Jaliserra]

It's A Brand New Day

"Well... here goes nothing."

Agustin Lao had checked the information about United Adaikes, Jaliserra's first opponent for the 26th IAC. It was going to be either a success (which Lao was hoping for) or a blow. To be realistic, no one on the Jaliserran team were hoping for a blow in their right minds.

Meanwhile, at a training field, Mike Vilela was practicing his defending with Dimitri Cereza and Coach Alessandro.

"You've improved, Michael," Coach Alessandro says in his usual, calm tone.

"Hm, thanks," Mike replies, "but it's Mike."

"Mike. Alright."

There's a short period of silence between them and Dimitri, then the latter laughs and then the other two join in.

"Russo. And you two. You have a match up against United Adaikes." Lao said as he rushed to tell them.

The laughter stops as if someone had cut a cord.

Mike bit his lip. "They're only #41 in the IAC rankings. They can't be that b-"

"You don't get it," Lao replies, "it's your first match. You have to make a lasting impression."

Russo joins in. "Not just that, a good first impression."

"Thanks, Russo."

"Mike," Dimitri says as he turns to him, "are you ready for this?"

"Yeah, of course," Mike replies, "how about you?"

"Heh. I was born for this."

"I like the spirit, boys." Lao smiles.

[Sel Appa]

Official version

IC contigency version for fourth wall semi-breaking haters

Welcome to the Indies, we got fun and games We got all the teams you want, honey, we know the names We are the nations that can play wherever you may need If you got no region, honey, we got your disease In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b best RPs Oh I, I wanna watch you read Welcome to the Indies, we take it match by match If you want it, youre gonna RP, but its the price you pay Margarets a very fickle girl, shes very hard to please You can taste the Final, but you wont get there for free In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Read my, my, my, my RPs Oh, I, I wanna hear you scream Welcome to the Indies, it gets worse here every round You learn to play like an animal to the Final where were bound If you got a hunger for what you see, youll take it eventually You can have anything you want, but you better not take it from me In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b best RPs Mwah, Im gonna watch you read And when you're ranked, you never Ever want to come down Suck down, suck down, suck down Yeah, ow You know where you are? Youre in the Indies baby Youre gonna die In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b best RPs In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Read my, hmm read my RPs Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b best RPs Down in the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your It's gonna bring out your best Huh!

Welcome to the Indies, we got fun and games We got all the teams you want, honey, we know the names We are the nations that can play wherever you may need If you got no region, honey, we got your disease In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring you to your sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-knees, knees Oh, I, I wanna watch you bleed Welcome to the Indies, we take it match by match If you want it, you're gonna bleed, but it's the price you pay And you're a very special team, whos very hard to please You can taste the Final, but you wont get there for free In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Feel my, my, my, my 3-4-3 Oh, I, I wanna hear you scream Welcome to the Indies, it gets worse here every round You learn to live like an animal to the Final where were bound If you got a hunger for what you see, youll take it eventually You can have anything you want, but you better not take it from me In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring you to your sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-knees, knees Mwah, Im gonna watch you bleed And when you're ranked, you never Ever want to come down Suck down, suck down, suck down Yeah, ow You know where you are? Youre in the Indies baby Youre gonna die In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring you to your sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-knees, knees In the Indies, welcome to the Indies Feel my, oh my, my, my 3-4-3 Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring you to your sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-knees, knees Down in the Indies, welcome to the Indies Watch it bring out your It's gonna bring out your best Huh!

---

Oh captain, my captain! We have received an assortment of messages asking why we didnt list a captain in our roster report, and why no one seems to know who the next captain is. Really, we dont know any more than anyone else. With Johnny Dong off the squad, its a question on everyones minds. We reached out to the front office, but did not receive a reply, and it looks like we wont know until the starting XI gets published. In light of that, we decided to take a look at the top prospects: Sam Sabesić — Goalkeeper captains arent terribly uncommon, Takama Bay has one, but they also arent common. Sab is a born leader, who is definitely the focus of defense. He works well with his fullbacks and regularly plays the ball forward. That said, goalkeeper captains arent always the best choice when the skipper is needed further upfield. Karlo Metassis — Karlo has the charisma for the job, but everyones favorite goofball player is a bit on the younger side. Nevertheless, he is popular and a strong contender for the armband. Tobias Hart — The dean of the team as we all know, Hart has been with the national team since their return to international football ahead of World Cup 98. However, his low key and shy public nature are a mark against him. The captain is often the face and leader of the team and Hart does not fit. He also isnt a starter anymore. Arthur Cahse — The dead center of the team, Cahse would be a solid pick. Plays often anchor around his ability to transform between attack and defense in the midfield. He certainly has the onfield capabilities for the role and is liked by the team. Antonio Rodriguez — Like uncle, like nephew. While he isnt Estevez, he has the family talent. Scoring many a goal, and assisting wth many more, he is certainly a team leader. The other thing to note: with the team growing more attack focused, a striker as captain makes the most sense. These are the most likely picks, but dont be surprised if a dark horse emerges.

The Matchsheet While the Turtles have struggled at the World Cup qualifiers, they finally made it to their first Cup of Harmony since returning to international play and reached the quarterfinals. Hopes are now cautiously high for the 26th Independent Associations Championship. As everyone knows, Sel Appa unexpectedly made it to the Semifinals last go. So what are the chances this time? Lets take a look at Group H: First up, the Boys in Blue return to Crpostair Arena to play South Americanastan, a nation back in the international footballing world after debuting in the 94th World Cup cycle and never returning, until now. Not much is known about the team, but they competed in the Baptism of Fire and made it to the Quarterfinals. For the qualifiers, they pulled a 4-8-8 record and achieved 9th place out of 11. Really not bad for a debutant. At that time, they played very defensively, which makes sense for a new team. From what we can tell, while still defensive, they have evened things out a bit more. Expect a win here. Following that, the team will be at Olympikstadion for the rest of the Group Stage. The middle match will be against Calgasia, a team ranked 25th to Sel Appas 8th, they are pegged at about half way down in terms of rank points. Of the three, this will be the most difficult. The Eagles play a brutally defensive style. Last Indies, they were 1-1-1 in the group stage with 7 to 6 goals before falling 3-0 to Dhemixia in the Round of 32. Back then, they played more offensively. This will be a clash of strategy between the two teams. While a win is expected for Sel Appa, dont be surprised if the result is otherwise. And finally, the dreaded Low income housing environment. Absolutely nothing is known about this new team other than their name, which struck terror into the hearts of all Independent Associations. Indeed, coach Daviande said at a press conference "I understand Calgasia and South Americanastan, but Low income housing environment scares me. I mean, who would want to play a football team called Low income housing environment, that is just asking for it." Unfortunately, Sel Appa are stuck playing them. We cant really speculate on the result here, but we hope for a win. All that said, the Turtles are strongly teed to go thru to the Round of 32. From there, it will depend on the seeding of the teams for the knockouts. A strong record will help of course, but in the knockouts, anything can happen. A run to the Quarters would be a reasonable bet, but Sel Appa seems determined to make it to the Final. . .

[Solgavden]

Royal Solgavish Football Federation
(Rega Solgavsk Fotbollforbund - RSFF)

After weeks of waiting, it was confirmed that Paul Ravn, former manager of Walsbruck FK and the Defensive & Goalkeepers Coach for the National Team, will take over as its manager. Most within the RSFF welcomed Ravn with open arms, as his approachable nature and "no bullshit" style of coaching was thought to "toughen up" a group of players that have underperformed on the international stage. Ravn took to the ground running, first by hiring former Vennesberg United wingback Klaus Schultheiss as his replacement Defensive & Goalkeepers Coach. Next, he sought to revamp the way that the National Team kept its player sheets, looking to digitize most of the records Strömberg kept in an endless row of binders and notebooks. He worked closely with Offensive Coach Charlotte Erlandsan to implement a glorified spreadsheet that would keep the information, stats, and fitness status all every Solgavish player registered with the RSFF. This system, known as "Starlight", would then use AI to generate the optimal squads for each and every playstyle Ravn may want to experiment with, making practice a breeze as well. After a long day of training, Ravn would use Starlight to submit his preferred roster to the IAC Organizing Committee, and thought nothing of it.

That was, until a couple weeks before the tournament, when the collective shit hit the fan as they realized that Starlight's AI "hallucinated", sending a list of the nation's top goalkeepers, instead of its top players. The RSFF soon appealed to the IAC-OC to change their roster due to the error, but with the deadline long since past, they were told to either field a team, or forfeit entirely. Most managers would cut their losses at this point, but Paul Ravn isn't most like most managers, and in the most stereotypically stubborn Solgavish way possible, decided to stick with his group of goalies. Understandably, most of the actual players were pissed, but a select few, such as Kennet Roenfeldt, Soren Danielsan, and Sig Halvorsan have agreed to work day and night to get these goalkeepers up to speed on their new positions. Within the Solgavish footballing world, IAC 26 has already been written off as a complete failure, yet Ravn, and the players he's bringing with him, are ready to...hopefully not embarrass themselves too much.

Nation Name: The Kingdom of Solgavden
Demonym: Solgav(s) / Solgavish
Trigramme: SGD
Style Mod: -2
Nickname: "De Rega Röda" (The Royal Reds)

Kits:

Kits supplied by Solgavish company "Lurrev"

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent roleplays first, they may:
Choose my starting lineup: Yes
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, tg/dm me first
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

---

Starting Lineup - 4-2-1-3 Formation

Team Management
Manager: Paul Ravn - 57
Assistant Manager & Director of Youth Development: Anders Lyngstad - 46
Offensive Coach: Charlotte Erlandsan - 51
Defensive & Goalkeeper Coach: Klaus Schultheiss - 40
Set Pieces Coach: Nasir Bexell - 49

Forwards:

• #29 Birk Forsberg - Olympisk Kolvereid - 23 y.o. - LW
• #30 Suren Astara - Flames of the West - 22 y.o. - CF
• #5 Mat Lorenzen - Rega Lysborg - 21 y.o. - RW
• #8 Hugo Krebs - Windorf Town - 39 y.o. - FWD
• #57 Orla Arvidssan - Limmiera FC - 23 y.o. - FWD
• #12 Philip Bruckner - Elvern Kavaleri - 26 y.o. - FWD

Forsberg, Astara, and Lorenzen are all the most exciting Solgavish goalkeepers under the age of 25. They worked closely together during the last DiBradini Cup, so the hopes are that they will continue to connect in their roles of strikers. Astara is pretty fast, and Forsberg and Lorenzen and both semi-good shots. One name that might pop out is Hugo Krebs, followed immediately with the exclamation "He's still fucking playing?!". Yes he is, and he's probably the only person excited by this situation, as it's his goal to score a goal before retirement.

Midfielders:

• #31 Tobias Riker - Walsbruck FK - 28 y.o. - CAM
• #11 Viktor Holt - De Vursen FK - 28 y.o. - CM
• #77 Lenny Skjeggestad - Napoleon St. Bernadine - 36 y.o. - CM
• #32 Viktor Veselkin - Kosmo Lunaris - 34 y.o. - MD
• #14 Anders Schoengarth - Egerheim Kyst - 20 y.o. - MD
• #25 Felix Grossel - Olympisk Kolvereid - 31 y.o - MD
• #17 Jakob Anker - Vennesberg United - 19 y.o. - MD

Riker is arguably the most physically gifted player in this squad, so he will be given the responsibility to serve as the team's main playmaker. He is joined by Holt and Skjeggestad, who have a love-hate relationship with each other, as Holt's stoic nature can clash with Skjeggestad's charismatic eccentricity.

Defenders:

• #33 Jan Kistler - CF Orlisia - 27 y.o. - LB
• #20 Sam Thorkildsan - Emerald Coast AC - 28 y.o. - CB
• #4 Johan Martin [C] - Othlesse-Surlin United - 35 y.o. - CB
• #16 Edvin Perssan-Truls - St. Mattias SK - 25 y.o. - RB
• #43 Kurt Holzknecht - Torkola Village - 32 y.o. - DF
• #53 David Schurchardt - Florentium - 33 y.o. - DF
• #18 Jonathan Mertz - CF Orlisia - 24 y.o. - DF
• #6 Sten Westermarck - Soderberg FK - 18 y.o. - DF

Johan Martin will be the man tasked with keeping this ragtag group of circus clowns under control. Every man on defense is known for their physicality on the pitch, which is useful, seeing that the current plan is to bully opposing teams' strikers before they can get the chance to score, even if they incur a lot of cards along the way.

Goalkeepers:

• #1 Frederik Voll - Vennesberg United - 32 y.o. - GK
• #19 Cyril Meldegaard - Othlesse-Surin United - 18 y.o. - GK
• #22 Teresa Aznar - Elvern Kavaleri - 18 y.o. - GK

*Phew*, an area of the pitch that might actually seem sane. Frederik Voll is the shutdown keeper that Solgavden will need to be on his A-game if they want to even have a chance at winning. Behind Voll are two keepers who are relatively unknown, but will likely appreciate the chance to learn from the current Rüdiger Award winner.

Player Roles (in order):
Captain: Martin
Vice-Captains: Holt, Riker
Corner: Riker, Holt, Forsberg
Free Kick: Astara, Forsberg, Lorenzen
Penalty: Forsberg, Astara, Holt, Lorenzen, Riker
Most likely to get a yellow card: Perssan-Truls, Thorkildsan, Skjeggestad

[Recuecn]

Reçueçn Roster & National Information

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National Team Information

The Équipe Nationale de Reçueçn de Football return to the IAC as reigning champions, but since they won gold, things have been much more disappointing. In the World Cup last year, Les Licornes were handed a humbling exit as the squad dealt with injury and yet another bout of federation meddling. The previous manager, Hyron LeBouffe, decided it wasn't worth putting up with the FNRF any longer, and finally made his resignation stick. After the abysmal group stage exit, the fans are more or less happy to see him go.

In his place will be Thomas Büchel, who once played for the ÉNRF. Much later, he coached a single match as interim manager, before the FNRF tried a few other candidates and finally landed on LeBouffe. With LeBouffe out, Büchel is back with a two year contract that will see him through to at least the end of the next World Cup, assuming nothing unexpected happens.

LeBouffe is not the only big name retiring. Team Captain Laurent Lapix after a disappointing season in the SteuerLig, decided to hang up his cleats after the World Cup and has not been playing with the ÉNRF this past year. Lapix' leadership was credited for the team's victory in the IAC25, and it remains to be seen if any of his teammates can fill his shoes.

Fortunately, one star is returning: Rébecca Firaut, celebrity striker, missed most of last IAC due to an ACL tear, and then missed the World Cup after reinjuring it. But Rébecca, the daughter of the most famous player in the ÉNRF's history, has resumed playing for her club and in Reçueçn friendly matches. IAC 26 will see her play in a tournament again for the first time in two years. But is one star enough?

~~~

If L'Équipe Nationale de Reçueçn de Football is known for anything, it would be its defensive style. Historically this was due to the large influence of Reçueçn FC on the team; the most popular domestic club in Reçueçn plays as defensive a game as you can imagine. After a players' strike a few cycles ago, the team is now co-ed and has its first female players. At this point it has become the new normal: the weird part is just playing without the recent crop of retirees and team leaders.

National Team Crest

The team plays in a 4-3-3 formation, but typically the wings drop back, almost making it a 4-5-1. In general, the team's strategy and tactics are solid. However, Thomas Büchel, the new manager, has yet to really leave his mark on the squad, and has been slow to roll out tactical ideas of his own.

The Reçueçian National Team's mascot is the unicorn; thus another name for the team is "les licornes". The fantastical creature has been a symbol of Reçueçn for almost two millennia and is also the national animal, appearing as the supporters in the national coat of arms.

Stadium
Reçueçn has only one stadium in which its national team plays, located in the capital city (also named Reçueçn). Never having been given an official title, the national stadium is usually simply referred to as just that: le Stade National. (Reçuecian law requires journalists in the nation to use endonyms even when reporting in English or other non-local languages.) Capacity: 30,000.

Coaching Staff

Thomas Büchel
49 Years old

Büchel used to play right-midfielder for Reçueçn FC and was one of the substitutes on the ÉNRF back during Reçueçn's first attempt at World Cup qualification. He was given an incredibly brief stint as Interim Manager for Les Licornes thirteen years later, but Hyron LeBouffe eventually got the job; now LeBouffe is out and Büchel is back. Like most Reçuecian coaches, Büchel is great at delaying games, slowing down the tempo of a match, and working with a low block. Neutral fans are unlikely to find his team's matches highly entertaining: under him Reçueçn maintains its focus on possession and passing. Reçuecian fans are still formulating an opinion after his mixed record in friendly matches since the World Cup.

All-time record: 240-99-131

---

The team will be playing in their new kit produced by Saternalian firm Novos for the occasion of the 100th World Cup.

Starting XI

1  Moesha Ziswiler            goalkeeper             F | age 25
Fast and physical. Happy to rush forward to block off a shot.
 
2  Brigitte Breault           left back              F | age 28
Solid and self-certain. As one of the first to break the Reçuecian gender barrier, she is always working harder than the men.

3 Adrien Allard                center back            M | age 23
Willing to try new things and think outside the box, often with zany results.
 
4  Noémie Travers             center back             F | age 24
Noémie is very mature and is always looking for ways to make her teammates look good. Doesn't steal the limelight but is great support.
 
5  Eric Konig                  right back              M | age 29
Tall, skinny, and prone to injury due to how often he collides in mid-air after going up to defend a corner kick.
 
6  Emila Streuli              left midfielder          F | age 26
Quick and hard to pin down. Cooperates well with the center midfielders.
 
7  Maximilian Aebi             defensive midfielder     M | age 25
Fast and has great tackles, but sometimes slow to push up when an attack is necessary.
 
8  Théophile Thériault       right midfielder         M | age 27
He was once the future of Reçuecian soccer—now he is its present. Team captain. Rébecca may be stealing his celeb status but his stardom hasn't waned yet.
 
9  Héloïse Asselineau        left wing                F | age 25
Asselineau has come a long way learning to play forward. Her chemistry with Rébecca is what takes her to the next level.

10 Rébecca Firaut             center forward          F | age 21
Has inherited her father's star power. After leading nation-wide protests, Rébecca earned herself a leader's respect while still a young teenager.

11 Ravenna Cocci               right wing              F | age 26
Short but with a remarkable speed and cadence. Positionality so good it's like she's reading her midfielders' mind.

Reserves

23 Colombo Manna               goalkeeper            M | age 27
Easy-going, friendly, very popular with his team, probably won't see play-time.

13  Blaise Gauthier           sweeper              M | age 26
Delicate and surgical. Prefers a well-executed tackle to a heavy block.
 
14  Nathalie Desjardins      left back            F | age 27
Has endurance for days. Runs marathons in her spare time.
 
15  Corinne Adam               center back          F | age 22
Another tall Reçuecian defender. Will win every header—but likely to draw a yellow along the way.
 
16  Harman Kopp                right back           M | age 21
Still young, but knows how to put himself in the way in exactly the right way. Great stopper. Kinda slow.
 
17  Sascha Schreiber          left midfielder      F | age 23
Good vision and passes. Very accurate on passing, often caught wrong-footed when dribbling.
 
18  Clélia Jaccoud             center midfielder    F | age 29
A good multi-tasker. Is always paying attention to everything to never be caught out of position.
 
19  Loïse Jaccard              right midfielder     F | age 24
Loud personality. Demands her own freedom of expression, in both life and soccer.
 
20  Dirk Trommler              left wing            M | age 30
A high defense's worst nightmare. Has a knack for finding a way through with the ball, whether forward balls or to shoot himself.

21 Lauretta Giordano           center forward       M | age 26
Great dribbler, good on her feet. Forgets to look around her sometimes and hangs onto the ball too long.
 
22  Urs Kron                    right wing            M | age 25
Seems to only start making decisions after receiving a pass. Usually means he's just a bit to slow to get his plan off.

23 Rémy Mertaz                  goalkeeper           M | age 27
Penalty specialist. High energy, always yelling something at his teammates while they're on the pitch.

Reçuecian History and Culture

The nation of Reçueçn was created in the first half of the XIV^th century, when Carl Blancpic, Duke of the Duchy of Reçueçn, launched a breakneck military campaign invading and annexing many of his neighbors to the east. Before this time, Reçueçn had been only a city, built on the heights overlooking the junction of the Rhône and Saône rivers. These heights had been settled by Carl Blancpic's distant ancestor, Ifheda Rcuecn, near the end of the II^nd century a.d., and had born his name ever since. The area at that time belonged to the Roman Empire, who had established their regional administrative center, Lugdunum, on the other side of the river.

In 197 a.d., a decisive battle was fought near Lugdunum in one of the civil wars for the throne of the empire. The victor, Septimius Severus, razed the city of Lugdunum and destroyed it, stripping from it all imperial privileges in punishment for supporting his rival. This was the end for Lugdunum, but it was the beginning for Reçueçn. Refugees flocked across the river to join the settlement, and the city of Reçueçn grew to become a smallish regional center. Rcuecn's descendants (who changed the spelling to Reçueçn) maintained control over what became the Duchy of Reçueçn for 700 years, until it was inherited by their cousins the Blancpics who reigned for another 300 years.

At the beginning of the XIV^th century, power passed into the hands of Carl Blancpic, who was a megalomaniac and partially insane . Thus he declared his duchy to be a kingdom and singled out weak neighbors who he invaded with audacity. Over an incredibly short period of time beginning in the spring of 1337, he had carved out for himself a sizable dominion.

Carl, who styled himself "Carl III of Reçueçn", was violent, unstable, and petty. He was also wildly unpopular with the populations of the various states he had conquered. Although the central power structure helped the economy of the new Kingdom of Reçueçn to some extent, it did not bring with it all the stability that might have been expected. This was mostly due to the decrees of Carl III, who, among other things, began a campaign to persecute and kill all "heretics" within his new realm. Most historians agree that this was in fact a thinly veiled purge of his political rivals. This and other policies he enacted on his whims finally drove the people into open revolt in the spring of 1352.

Carl managed to hold on to power for a couple years by hiring mercenaries, but in 1354 lost two key battles and was captured by the rebels. By this time, the rebellion was led by feudal lords throughout the country who had sided with the people against their tyrant king. Carl III was executed, and the kingdom dissolved into a mess of tiny, independent feudal holdings.

No sooner had the various states that had been in the Kingdom of Reçueçn won their independence, than infighting broke out among them. The feudal lords squabbled over power and influence, trying vainly to imitate Carl's meteoric rise to power. This new violence, combined with the economic downturn associated with the rebellion and the breakup of the nation, clearly displayed how poorly things were turning out. More sensible minds came to the decision that the solution was to once more unify Reçueçn.

On November 19, 1356, therefore, The Allied States of Reçueçn came into being. The leaders of all the petty states, duchies, bishoprics, free cities, etc., came together and signed what are known as "The Treaties of the Alliance," a document just powerful enough to make Reçueçn a single nation, rather than a group of independent entities. The treaties also established a rough form of democracy, with each state represented (although typically by its aristocracy). Thus Reçueçn lays claim to being one of the oldest democracies in the world.

The treaties defined much of Reçuecian history to come. Provisions were made to establish freedom of religion, in order to avoid another scenario similar to Carl III's persecution of his opponents. The treaties also gave Reçueçn an isolationist bent. The nation had been burned before, and wouldn't soon try to meddle in external affairs, especially when its composite nature made creating a foreign policy so difficult.

Reçueçn, then, has managed to avoid many of the crises of European history. It's darkest moment came when Napoleon invaded, proclaiming himself emperor (although he allowed Reçueçn's government to continue to function under his reign). The allied states have drawn closer together, although cultural differences remain among them; they don't even all speak the same language.

Reçueçian culture has also been shaped by its location, nestled in the center of the Alps. The difficulty of travel among mountain valleys ensured the cultural diversity of the nation and preserved local customs. Although rural communities did center around agriculture—especially dairy production—many Reçuecian were forced by the lack of arable land to find other work. This led to a culture of innovation that continues today: Reçueçn is now known for its luxury products and technological exports. This has additionally led to a focus on science and education. The relatively diverse nature of Reçueçn's culture means that some areas are culturally more time-oriented while others are more task-oriented, but this fusion has given the country a uniqueness, especially in art. Reçueçn, perhaps thanks to its inland, mountainous location, or the fact that it was never a colonial power, has seen little immigration or emigration. Recently, however, the diversity of language spoken in the country has made it attractive to refugees from other areas where those languages are spoken.

---

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Essential Information

RP Permissions

---

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Please (subs too)
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, nothing career-ending
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

Style Modifier: -π | Trigram: RCN

Quick Facts

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Capital: Reçueçn
Official Languages: French, German, Italian
Non-official Languages: Arpitan
Demonym: Reçuecian
Population: 5,252,000 (regional censuses 1999-2011)
Area: 43,116 sq km
GDP: $340 B (2019 Estimate)
Currency: Guilder

All photos taken by me in locations that would be in IC Reçueçn.
ÉNRF logo created by AI. ÉNRF kit by Saterun.
All other images and graphics by me.

Starting XI

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1 - GK - Moesha Ziswiler
2 - LB - Brigitte Breault
3 - CB - Adrien Allard
4 - CB - Noémie Travers
5 - RB - Eric Konig
6 - LM - Emila Streuli
7 - DM - Maximilian Aebi
8 - RM - Théophile Theriault [C]
9 - LW - Héloïse Asselineau
10 - CF - Rébecca Firaut
11 - RW - Ravenna Cocci

[Rovenza]

Defender Problem: William Chernell Out

During a training match, William Chernell sprained his ankle, leaving him unavailable for the opening match of the IAC.

David Alfrederick addressed his players. “Look, I know William’s a big loss, but we are still a great team.”
“A great team of 10 players,” Ivan Torris muttered.
“No, not ten players, Ivan. I would like to welcome our latest call-up Edward Igerson!” announced Alfrederick.

Following the training session, Zachary Arnolds approached Igerson. “Hello, how are you doing?”
Edward looked downcast. “Not great.”
“But you played brilliantly in that session. You’ll be in the first XI in the IAC.”
“But I’m not Chernell, am I?” Igerson asked bitterly. “I won’t be the same.”
Zachary stood up. “None of that pessimism. We are delighted to have you, and you’re a great defender, with great potential. Come on.”

After an hour of training with him, Igerson was finally cheered up and laughing. He might not be William Chernell, but he was a great defender. And he would prove it.

[Recuecn]

Büchel Kicks off Tenure with Mixed Results; Firaut Back for IAC
By Georges Quint, Sportswriter

Reçueçn, Reçueçn—With the largest IAC in history on the horizon, HUElavian officials organized a series of friendly matches this past year in anticipation of the tournament. The inaugural "Independent Association Series" was met with excitement by fans after many of the best Independent teams indicated they would participate. Reçueçn was selected as one of the series' hosts, but was drawn into a group with IAC heavyweights Aphrilia and HUElavia, meaning three of the IAC's top four ranked teams—those teams also being three of the last four champions—were in the same group.

Reçuecians were keen to see how the team would fare after several notable changes at the end of the World Cup. Most obvious and important is the resignation of ÉNRF manager Hyron LeBouffe. LeBouffe, who, apart from the year of the player strike, had coached the équipe nationale for the last 5 years, stepped away from his role after Les Licornes' highly disappointing performance in the World Cup. A single goal in three matches and a loss to Dhemixia sent Reçueçn home without making it out of the group stage, a dismal result far below the nation's expectations in a 48-team tournament. Struggling to win matches, however, was not the only cause for LeBouffe's departure; the former Actwell player was also widely reported to have a fraught relationship with the Fédération Nationale de Reçueçn de Football. FNRF executives had previously tried to force LeBouffe out and had almost succeeded, before the hype of winning the IAC 25 championship practically forced the federation to decline the manager's resignation. But tensions resurfaced during World Cup qualifying, and ultimately LeBouffe and the FNRF have decided to part ways.

Replacing him is former ÉNRF player Thomas Büchel. Büchel has managed the équipe nationale before in an interim capacity, and was also part of the squad that won Reçueçn's first IAC gold, in the tournament's eighth edition. He is known for his mild-mannered approach and unflappable demeanor. Fans watched Les Licornes' performance in the Independent Association Series closely, trying to evaluate his tactics and skill. Like many Reçuecians, he employs a low block, and his side was able to hold Calgasia scoreless in ninety minutes in Reçueçn's IAS opening match. However, the ÉNRF struggled to find any attempts on goal, and seemed to struggle against a Calgasia side that simply seemed to have more life. Even the advantage of playing in Les Licornes' home stadium was not enough to rejuvenate the players. A tiring Reçueçn side allowed a goal in the first half of extra time, and was unable to recover.

Fans were quick to denounce Büchel as another uninspired hack, but following the next match at the Stade Carl III, where a strong Reçueçn defeated Aphrilia, multiverse #6, they began to change their tune. With only friendly matches under his belt, Büchel has yet to face a challenge in a moment that matters, but the team has been practicing together a lot, and hopefully a couple easier matches in the group stage will give the new manager a chance to gel with his squad.

Büchel's team is also led by a new captain. Reçueçn's generational talent, Laurent Lapix, followed LeBouffe's lead (or, some sources say, made his move first and inspired his coach) to retire at the end of the World cup. Lapix' tactical creativity and vision will be sorely missed, as has already been seen in Reçueçn's sloppy midfield play against Calgasia.

Fortunately, it's not all bad news. After missing most of last IAC and also the World Cup, Rébecca Firaut has finally been cleared to play again. So far she has only played with the ÉNRF in the two IAS games, but she looked good there, a bright spot in the game against Calgasia and defending well against Aphrilia. Firaut also scored the assist on Reçueçn's only goal of the series.

Thanks to her father's celebrity status as Reçueçn's all-time most famous player, in addition to her own fame from leading a sports activism campaign, Rébecca has a huge number of dedicated fans. They will be hoping that her goal-scoring prowess is enough to advance Reçueçn through the tournament, and praying that she doesn't do anything to reinjure her leg at this point. With the pressure on in Firaut's first tournament play in the last two years, the stakes will be high; can she and Büchel lead the team to unambiguous success, or will the string of flip-flopping and mediocrity continue?

[The Republic of the United Marble Tribes]

The Republic of the United Marble Tribes's first RP for IAC 26!
Are we ready? Let's go!

After a tiring Baptism of Fire run, a good debut in the World cup and Cup of Harmony, the Marble Monkeys are back to chasing more glory after an incredible Round of 16 finish last IAC.

Although their former neighbour, Nieuweland, had ceased-to-exist, they are not the only nation of The League to represent the region, as another new fellow rookie had signed up together with the Yellows, The Commonwealth of Tumnia.

The team and millions of fans had arrived days earlier, as it is normal Marblelanian etiquette to arrive early for gatherings and venues. The fanbase have been warned not to bring any weapons but at a same time, carry along a positive attitude and some incredible passion.

As usual, Marblelanian fans always arrive in large numbers, this evening, we see a huge gathering of about 8 million fans outside Vaanstross-Keisar, a historical pearl of Edsmontik's football history, yet it boasts in its modern facilities. This is where Marbleland would have its first match of IAC 26 against Archalit. The sea of Yellow fans marched to the stadium grounds, carrying banners and flags, waving scarves, shouting on megaphones, jumping and chanting as thick, yellow smoke pours out of their pyros, giving the usual Marblelanian welcome vibe. At the look at the beautiful fan-made costumes, their angry, passionate faces, you can tell football was definitely in the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the national team are training hard for their upcoming match.
"We want to do our best and nor disappoint our country at international stage." said Captain Raja Matusaleh.
Coach Mulholland also said that the players have been having good relationships with each other. "I can see good chemistry in this squad" he added, "teamwork is a good sign for a strong squad. I know a good squad not by its talented players, but how well all of them work together. I encourage them to bond with each other, and know each other better so that

It is also rumoured that this could be the captian's last international tournament before retirement.

Fans back at home are also in high spirits.
"We believe that we can go further this time," said a Marblelanian fan. "We have a stronger squad, with new talents and experienced players, I think can achieve greater things.

The upcoming match would be The Republic of the United Marble Tribes v.s. Archalit. Do tune in live at Radio Football Marbleland (RFM) to listen to the live games. GOOD LUCK MARBLE MONKEYS!

[Hamborn]

Polaxia's entry in IAC !

Welcome to Pyskastadt, the place where Polaxia (formerly Hamborn) will enter IAC 26. They'll be playing Bostopia !

Yes, we're going to see this match very precisly as it's Polaxia first match in IAC 26 and IAC in general.

So we have which jersey ?

We'll be playing with home one, as it's more visible, we remember that Bostopian jersey are red and our to.

Well how wins for you ? I think that Polaxia have a low chance to win. Bostopia is 20th but we can make a difference on the 4-3-3 of the coach.

We'll see it later and have a good match !

[Tanirinthia]

Tanirinthia Independent Associations Championship XXVI Roster

Style Mod: +4

Trigramme: TAN

★ ★

The Jackalopes

Manager: Samuel Greer
Stadium: Emerald Park, St Cirith (Capacity 80,000)
Formation: 3-4-3

Elmer Marshall - Age: 40 - Domestic team: FC Santraginus ( SRS)
Vanessa Burke - Age: 36 - Domestic team: Frenei Tor ( CMT)
Jacqueline Cress - Age: 33 - Domestic team: WSR AFC ( KOR)



Alfred Yates - Age: 23 - Domestic team:Waiakea Warriors ( DAN)
Alma Menzie - Age: 35 - Domestic team: Damogran FC ( SRS)
Raven Medina (captain) - Age: 36 - Domestic team: Parakleion Firebirds FC ( TKT)
Violet Kensington - Age: 32- Domestic team: Felswyr ( CMT)
Regina Newman - Age: 26 - Domestic team: Lhor ( CMT)
Nancy Fleming - Age: 31 - Domestic team: New Newetoun Saltquarry ( PDT)



Ferris Dixon - Age: 35 - Domestic team: Trosoc ( SSF)
Viola Wheeler - Age: 29 - Domestic team: Anomalies ( CMT)
Thea Greenwood - Age: 22 - Domestic team: Frenei Tor ( CMT)
Scott Goodwin - Age: 24 - Domestic team: Anasb FK ( SAT)
Bud Barnett - Age: 34 - Domestic team: Tsear FC ( SAT)
Roderick Woolery - Age: 33 - Domestic team: BK Klampenborg ( QUE)
Julia Carroll - Age: 23 - Domestic team: Clayquot City ( KSK)
William Carter - Age: 18 - Domestic team: Shelbourne Athletic ( QUE)



Violet Bacchus - Age: 34 - Domestic team: Noechatel Athletike ( AUP)
Bridget Payne - Age: 33 - Domestic team: Twineur Bugs ( ZWZ)
Avery Collins - Age: 22 -Domestic team: Waiakea Warriors ( DAN)
Ella Nichols - Age: 25 - Domestic team: Hondo FC ( VAL)
Willard Fowler - Age: 34 - Domestic team: Rolalas FC ( VAL)
Cormac Knight - Age: 18 - Domestic team: Ardalya ( SNE)
Lonnie Wolfe - Age: 29 - Domestic team: Dartford Oilers ( DAN)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes (please do)
Allow Bizarro scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Allow Bizarro injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Allow any other Bizarro events: No

[Crpostran]

[*]Meme on the second page was generated by placing RL images onto an existing meme template. Other pictures in the newspaper were from different sites and are not AI gen'd. The poster at the end, it's logos and background map are all created by me.

[Edsmontik]

The Elder Land's Roster and Aamathyr's RPs have been included in this cutoff.

---

---

✶Matchday One✶

Group A
Edsmontik 3–3 Arklanda
The Golden Harp 0–0 Lionsroar

  Group A                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Arklanda                               1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Edsmontik                              1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
3 Lionsroar                              1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  The Golden Harp                        1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1

Group B
Crpostran 5–2 The Macabees
Britonisea 1–2 United Empires of the Seven Seas

  Group B                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Crpostran                              1   1  0  0    5   2  +3    3
2 United Empires of the Seven Seas       1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Britonisea                             1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 The Macabees                           1   0  0  1    2   5  −3    0

Group C
Bostopia 0–0 Polaxia
The Republic of United Marble Tribes 3–1 Archalit

  Group C                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Republic of United Marble Tribes   1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 Bostopia                               1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Polaxia                                1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
4 Archalit                               1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Group D
Natkr 3–1 Imoto
Sernet 6–2 Delphinon

  Group D                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sernet                                 1   1  0  0    6   2  +4    3
2 Natkr                                  1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3 Imoto                                  1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0
4 Delphinon                              1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

Group E
Indusse 5–1 Greater Vakolicci Haven
Saperetia 1–0 Sajnur

  Group E                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Indusse                                1   1  0  0    5   1  +4    3
2 Saperetia                              1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Sajnur                                 1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Greater Vakolicci Haven                1   0  0  1    1   5  −4    0

Group F
Saterun 1–0 Croblade
Seeberg 4–3 Vonum

  Group F                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Seeberg                                1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Saterun                                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Vonum                                  1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Croblade                               1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group G
Reçueçn  4–0 Tolampia
Andso Mangis 2–1 Komunist turkiyem

  Group G                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Reçueçn                                1   1  0  0    4   0  +4    3
2 Andso Mangis                           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Komunist turkiyem                      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Tolampia                               1   0  0  1    0   4  −4    0

Group H
Sel Appa 3–1 South Americanastan
Calgasia 4–0 Low income housing environment

  Group H                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Calgasia                               1   1  0  0    4   0  +4    3
2 Sel Appa                               1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3 South Americanastan                    1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0
4 Low income housing environment         1   0  0  1    0   4  −4    0

Group I
Tanirinthia 2–1 Lankeshmati
Auprussia 4–3 Brusselstein

  Group I                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Auprussia                              1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Tanirinthia                            1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Brusselstein                           1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Lankeshmati                            1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group J
HUElavia 2–1 Farallones Islands
Solgavden 1–1 Only Six Words

  Group J                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                               1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Only Six Words                         1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Solgavden                              1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Farallones Islands                     1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group K
Choppyhausen 1–1 Tumnia
Aamathyr 0–0 Safiloa

  Group K                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Choppyhausen                           1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Tumnia                                 1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
3 Aamathyr                               1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Safiloa                                1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1

Group L
The Elder Lands 3–2 New Bradman
United Adaikes 1–3 Jaliserra

  Group L                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Jaliserra                              1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 The Elder Lands                        1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 New Bradman                            1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 United Adaikes                         1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Group M
Drawkland 6–2 Kaulkia
Eriadni 2–2 Raspotochje

  Group M                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                              1   1  0  0    6   2  +4    3
2 Eriadni                                1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Raspotochje                            1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4 Kaulkia                                1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

Group N
Snestar 5–1 Nortallius
Abanhfleft 0–1 Hafamarimët

  Group N                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Snestar                                1   1  0  0    5   1  +4    3
2 Hafamarimët                            1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Abanhfleft                             1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Nortallius                             1   0  0  1    1   5  −4    0

Group O
Aphrilia 1–0 Rovenza
Tristan De Cunha 0–1 Libesia

  Group O                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aphrilia                               1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Libesia                                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Rovenza                                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Tristan De Cunha                       1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group P
Valentine Z 1–3 Sedtgyu
Delaclava 6–2 Papo-Iriya

  Group P                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delaclava                              1   1  0  0    6   2  +4    3
2 Sedtgyu                                1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3 Valentine Z                            1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0
4 Papo-Iriya                             1   0  0  1    2   6  −4    0

[The Elder Lands]

Hello from the Elder Lands!

The Elder Lands are not a place you will find on any map of Sonnel, nor will you find them listed among destinations at hubs of transportation. Instead, should you wish to reach these lands, turn away from the highways and airports of the mundane world. Wander into the desolate places of the world, deserts, seas, forests. Perhaps you may find nothing but the aching solitude of nature. Or perhaps, you will wander further than you though, and find yourself in a land of broad fields and dark woods. A land of mountains that walk, and trees that speak. Where the fair folk in all their kinds hold sway, and where many a mortal has found their wildest dreams or their worst nightmares. It is a land some never return from, or if they do, they are forever changed and cannot fully express what they have seen to those they once loved, if indeed they can remember their time in the Elder Lands at all. Time in the Elder Lands passes strangely, and at whatever rate it takes a fancy to. Accordingly, one might spend a day in the Elder Lands and return to find years had passed at home, or live a lifetime among the Fey and return mere hours after departing.

The Elder Lands are a strange world, not part of, but neither wholly separate from the mortal realms of Sonnel. Their shape and bounds are inconsistent, as the land is constantly influenced by those who inhabit it. The Elder Lands are the home of the Fey, and those who know it best realize that the land and its people are in fact one and the same, different embodiments of the same set of collective wills. As for the Fey themselves, they are likewise a strange people, lovers of rule and ritual. They are effectively immortal, untouched by age or disease. They can be killed, though it is certainly not easy, and many do eventually tire of life and allow themselves to return to the magical energy which sustains the Elder Lands. There are many legends concerning their nature. It is often said, for instance, that Fey cannot lie, though they will readily mislead, and that any pact entered into between Fey and Mortal is unbreakable. It is also said that any who gains the knowledge of a particular fey’s true name may command them in anything, and for this reason such names are closely guarded. There are five main groups of Fey in the Elder Lands: Eladrin, Gnomes, Pixies, Trolls, and Archfey, the five most powerful of which are known as The Eldest. Gnomes are generally between 2 and 4 feet high, and tend to be curious and adventurous. Pixies are generally under a foot tall with wings of some description, and tend to be capricious and ritualistic. Trolls vary widely in form, but often resemble the natural features of their home, and tend to be quiet and protective. Eladrin are generally humanoid or elf-like, and very considerably in temperament, though many do tend to be a bit arrogant. Archfey very wildly in appearance, though most are at least vaguely humanoid, and have no real trends in personality, except perhaps a tendency to assume respect for their considerable magical and physical prowess.

After winning just a single match in their IAC debut three cycles ago, the team of fey did quite a bit better last time out, making the second round before losing to eventual champions, Delte. Despite some difficulties adhering to the strict policies against revealing the existence of magic and alternate planes of existence to the citizens of the host country, Tanirinthia, the team did learn some valuable lessons about the mortal realms, and for the first time had something that might be considered tactics. After playing their second international tournament, they've finally realized that it helps to have a dedicated manager, rather than an unruly mob of players all doing what seems best to them. Despite their improvement in recent tournaments and rise in rank all the way up to pot 2, there is a pall of grief and uncertainty over the team this time around. Two years ago, their participation in IAC 24 culminated in the ritual sacrifice of the Eldest known as the Crowned Bull, his competition and death somehow serving to stave off a blight of silence that was spreading over the Elder Lands. The blight has retreated and the Lands are safe for now, but his absence is keenly felt among all who followed him, and across the lands as a whole. Further, no one is quite sure what the consequences of the death of an Eldest might be.

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent roleplays first, they may:
Choose my starting lineup: Y
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: Y
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out red cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y

I can kind of understand if it's disruptive to your team's realism and continuity to RP a team of immortal fey creatures as their opponent, but it's certainly not the strangest thing we've ever had in NSS. Besides, the Elderlanders have quite sportingly pledged not to use any supernatural powers, enact any binding contracts, or use any curses, enchantments, or other spellcraft against their opponents, so I encourage you to play along. Be a lot cooler if you did.
Style Modifier: +3

Managers:
Beefwit - Manager - 210 - Gnome - Beefwit has a particular fondness for loud noises which has him sometimes aiming for the frame of the goal rather than the net. This also extends to his voice, which is a baritone bellow that belies his 2'6" frame. Thus, the team have no trouble hearing his bellowed instructions, though getting them to actually listen and implement them is a challenge, particularly in the case of some of the older, more willful team members.

Snowbrowth - Assistant Manager - 441 - Gnome - Snowbrowth is the actual brains of this managerial operation. Every instruction Beefwit shouts out that actually makes sense originates with her. She's working on speaking up for herself more these days, but it's a slow process, and so she usually whispers her suggestions to Beefwit rather than yell them out herself. Ideas frequently get a bit garbled through this process, which is a shame because she really does have a pretty good sense for the game, although she's yet to convince the team that her favored formation, the W-M, isn't meant to be pronounced as a word.


First Team:

Bellwether - Goalkeeper - 64 - Gnome - Barely more than a child by Fey standards, but tallish as gnomes reckon at 3'10". You may think it a problem that he is thus slightly less than half the height of a regulation football goal, but he is known among the Fey as a prodigious leaper, able to hop from the ground to the top of a tall pine tree and back in the blink of an eye. Also one of the few players with the discipline and attention span to actually stay in the net rather than chase the play up and down the field.

Numbles - Fullback - 278 - Gnome - Numbles likes to kick the ball hard. His friends are working on getting him to focus more on caring about the direction, but it's a work in progress. Still, he did one score directly from a goal kick in training, so that's something.

Tarvos - Fullback - ??? - Archfey - Tarvos is one of the archfey who followed the wandering court of the Eldest known as the Crowned Bull. He is a wrestler and racer of many victories, and was persuaded years ago by Numbles and Beefwit to give football a try. He is, however, quite proud and stubborn, resistant to orders or suggestions, and stiff-necked when it comes to conforming to mortal mores. Of late, he has been much more subdued and moody, grief stricken after the death of his patron and lover.

Yoicks - Fullback - 450 - Gnome - Yoicks insists that she's going to become the sixth Eldest someday. No one on the team is quite sure how the Eldest got to be the Eldest in the first place, so they generally try to be encouraging of her. In the meantime, Yoicks thinks winning a football championship might be a decent accolade on her path, so she's one of the most motivated and hardworking on the team.

Nuada - Halfback - ??? - Archfey - Bodua's sister. Long-limbed and wiry, covered in tattoos attesting to her battles through the ages. Nuada and Bodua are a pair of warriors, wandering the Elder Lands together since time immemorial.

Bodua - Halfback - ??? - Archfey - Nuada's sister. Her sister's opposite in many ways. They say thick thighs save lives but Bodua's have probably ended a fair number. No, not like that, you perverts.

Comgal - Center Forward - 310 - Eladrin - Comgal is as dedicated to form and fitness of body as several of the first teamers, but less interested in competition and combat as in apperance. He is an inveterate show-off and extremely vain. Quite hostile to those who might rival his own beauty, contrary to expectation, he shows little interest in the sorts of pleasurable indulgences that mortals might expect from one of his appearance and bearing.

Jareth - Inside Forward - 650 - Eladrin - Jareth is an explorer and wanderer throughout the Elder Lands. He delights in meeting new people, and has an uncanny knack for happening across mortal visitors. The chance to venture beyond the Elder Lands and see the mortal world is an exciting one for him.

Hallar - Inside Forward - 1153 - Eladrin - Hallar’s love is given to archery, darts, and all contests of accuracy. Naturally, when they heard of football, the challenge of unfailingly hitting the net appealed to them. Accordingly, they can be relied upon to shoot for placement rather than power nearly every time.

Wodger - Winger - 262 - Gnome - Wodger's favorite thing to do is to dance, and they are good friends with a number of eladrin and pixies who share that interest. They insist that football is just a type of dance, and are continually frustrated with their teammates for being ungraceful, off-rhythm, and just generally not dance-y enough. Very literally an artistic dribbler.

Swoopstake - Winger - 273 - Gnome - Swoopstake is the fastest gnome. Not the fastest gnome on the team, the fastest gnome, period. Some have said that Swoopstake is so fast that she can run across the surface of a pond, but no one's seen her do it outside of winter. Still, she made it across that ice pretty darn quickly and only fell once.


Bench:

Senn - Goalkeeper - 489 - Eladrin - A friend of Wodger’s, also a lover of dance. A bit more confident about their role as goalkeeper this time around, and certainly has the natural grace and reflexes to play the position well.

Kickshaw - Defender - 351 - Gnome - Kickshaw eventually showed up in time for the second round of the last tournament, and has been convinced to do his running (which he never stops) in circles so that he doesn't get lost this time.

Adun - Defender - 1433 - Eladrin - Stolid and dependable by nature, Adun is quite old even by the standards of Eladrin, and indeed older than a fair number of Archfey, if rumors are true. Cold and calculating by nature, and not known for being particularly friendly or forgiving either.

Swindle - Attacker - 20 - Pixie - The first pixie to join the team, Swindle is an unusually focused and determined member of her folk. She certainly has to be when she's less than half the size of a football. Uses her batlike wings to great effect for her speed and agility, and is probably the only player at the tournament who can nutmeg a defender by passing between their legs along with the ball. Not much power to speak of for obvious reasons.

Timbrel - Attacker - 9 - Gnome - Timbrell was born the day before IAC 23, and she thinks football is pretty neat. The team has not applied for an exception to allow such a young player to compete, because it honestly did not occur to them that they might need to. Fey are born fully grown after all.

[Aamathyr]

Previous parts can be found in my factbook, and will be linked later.

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Part 11 - I Believe My Time Ain't Long
"What's such a strong reaction for?" Sjashoom knew Thuraand was worried, but he had said it loudly enough that a couple other people heard.
"Okay, so, you don't seem to know who they are. They're an investigator in Nanwacj, and the people they're investigating don't always come back in one piece. Even Avshruun has heard of them. This has changed things from 'I need to get out of here' to 'I need to get out of here now.'" Thuraand began hurrying towards the inn.
"Slow down."
"We don't have time to."
"Slow down! I know in Nanwacj, you fuckwit, people wouldn't notice that, but someone running for no apparent reason will make people stop and stare!"
"Okay, okay, okay." Thuraand, hyperventilating, slowed his pace to a quick walk.
"Where are you going, anyway? Wouldn't you need to get on a boat tonight?"
"No, Pliitigj probably has someone watching the docks for if we try to leave then. I think I'd have to leave with the fishermen. I'm headed to the inn to get my stuff."
"Such as?"
"My papers, all that stuff."
"Where would you be headed?"
"Asiikafa, probably."
"Asiikafa? You do know they speak a completely different language?"
"I... forgot about that." Thuraand froze.
"Look, there's something I think we need to get if you're going to get out tomorrow morning, a Siikuvena-Thyrzanjo dictionary. The library has one."
"But the library's closed!"
A mischievous look came across Sjashoom's face. "Doesn't have to be."

[Brusselstein]

Its fine we stilll have 2 more games right...

[The Macabees]

"Well, that was rough," said Briand. Stassy gave a long look out of the corner of her eye.

Below, the Golden Throne's players seemed dejected. Though the IAC was just a stepping stone to a hopeful return to the World Cup, a 5–2 defeat at the hands of Crpostran was a brutal debut. Never mind that Crpostran was 16th in the international rankings, and by all means a formidable team. But there had been some hope that the defeat, and everyone assumed the Blue and Golds would lose, would be by finer, more competitive margins. Alas, the team was routed instead.

She picked up the empty cans and cardboard boxes with the half-eaten stadium food, throwing it all into a small plastic trash bag she had brought with her. Stassy was a very clean person and she hated leaving a mess, even at the stadium. Around them, others just left the trash on the floor behind them for the stadium staff to clean up after the grounds had cleared. That was not Stassy's style, and Briand liked that about her.

As they made their way down the stairs, through the tunnel, and on to the walkway leading to the stadium gates, a rather large, brutish-looking man wearing the colors of Crpostran gave him a hard stare and shouted, "Oi! Different playing a real team, innit?"

Briand ignored him. The man probably didn't even know where the Golden Throne was on the map (it was, to be fair, a very large world).

Though the team didn't have much of a cache outside of the region, the Golden Throne was the current Díencup champion and had previously been a semifinalist. Though the hard reality was that the quality of football in Greater Díenstad was just a different (much lower) calibre than elsewhere, fans like Briand had forgotten about that perspective after so many years away from extra-regional football. It was different playing a "real" team. But everyone had to start (or, in this case, re-start) somewhere!

Briand's train of thought broke as he heard someone yelling, "Stassy! Stassy!"

They both stopped and turned. From within the crowd emerged a young, admittedly handsome man. Briand instantly recognized him. It was Ralf, Stassy's ex. He had been doing quite well for himself since their breakup, it seemed. His shirt rippled as it passed over a muscular body, and Ralf's face was thin, showing a powerful jawbone. Stassy's eyes seemed to flare for a moment, and Briand felt a tinge of jealousy through his body. He refused the urge to look down at his own pitiful body.

"Ralf!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You think I'd miss the Blue and Golds in their first major extra-regional tournament since whatever World Cup it was that we last showed up at?" he questioned. Ralf glanced at Briand. "Hey Briand!"

Briand hated how friendly Stassy's ex was. "Hey," he replied. "Rough loss!"

Ralf waved the scoreline away. "It was our first game in the tournament against the best team in the group. I think we can still win a game or two."

"And hopefully make it through!" exclaimed Stassy, who a few minutes ago hadn't cared at all for the game. That feeling of jealousy just would not leave Briand's body.

He had to admit that Ralf had a beautiful smile, which only made him feel worse. But thankfully the ex finally said, "I have to go! It was good to see you, Stassy. Hopefully I'll see you again soon!"

"Yeah, we need to meet up before the last game!" she answered.

Meet up?, asked Briand, in his head. Meet up!? I'd prefer to never see him again!

She seemed to have some extra pep in her step as they made their way to the metro (or subway, or trolley, or light rail, whatever this city in Edsmontik had for public transportation). He ignored it, and they went on to talk about other members, as he clasped her hand in his. But no matter how much he tried, he could not shake off that feeling of envy that he felt over the Ralf encounter. Even stopping for a few beers at a pub a few blocks from their hotel did little to mollify him. Eventually, slowly, though, the memory of the day slipped away as the sun came down in favor of the night, and the two of them made love, went to sleep, and woke up early the next morning to make a train that would take them to the host city for the Golden Throne's second game of the IAC.

[HUElavia]

MD 1:
HUElavia 2–1 Farallones Islands
(Assunção 4', Valdovinos 72' | REDACTED 90+5')
Stadio Della Florentina, Ravenna, Crpostran

A Steady Start!

HUElavia defeats Farallones Islands in a decent display of a rotated squad to start the IAC with a win!

At last, the start of the IAC was upon the multiverse once again, with HUElavia entering their 21st IAC edition, looking to claim that coveted 4th title. Starting out on Day 6 of the tournament, HUElavia was taking on debutants Farallones Islands, in what was deemed as the easiest match of the group for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos. Due to this, Coach Narita chose to rotate the starting line up to give mainly the backups a chance to start and show their worth to the country and multiverse. In a sold out crowd at Stadio Della Florentina (70,000) in Ravenna, it was mainly filled with thousands of HUElavians who made the flights to Ravenna to cheer on the team, playing in their iconic yellow uniform.

HUElavia was pressing from the get-go, putting pressure on the Islanders with their attacks. In the 4th minute, a cross was sent into the box by Menéndez, where it was headed down by Goy, where it left Assunção all alone to blast it past a sprawling REDACTED into the goal, making it 1-0. The HUElavian crowd jumped up with joy and passion, applauding the play while Assunção did The Cross and hugged her teammates for the opening goal. HUElavia continued to pressure and pressure more and more, but would not get their shots lined up right, taking it too soft or just narrowly missing the shot on target. There were occasional saves from REDACTED, as well as some shots taken by the Islanders, but nothing too difficult for Morterero to make saves with. At the half, it was a simple 1-0, in what felt should've been more from HUElavia in the half.

The second half continued to go just about the same, with Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos controlling the possession and taking shots that would go wide or be too soft to allow a routine save from REDACTED. Eventually in the 72nd minute, a pass from Menéndez would get to Goy, who would give a pass back to Valdovinos, who would give a blistering, curving shot that left REDACTED standing still as the ball curved and hit the post to go into the goal, making it 2-0. The HUElavian crowd rose and jumped up in joy as the surprising shot and goal, while Valdovinos was mobbed by his teammates for the goal. Farallones Islands began to pressure more and more, but HUElavia continued with a strong defensive showing until the 90+5th minute, as a corner was taken by REDACTED, where REDACTED won a header over Noya (in for Vidal) to head the ball past the fingertips of Morterero into the goal, making it 2-1. It was little too late at that point, as the referee blew their whistle and the match ended at 2-1.

In the other Group J match, Solgavden and Only Six Words drew 1-1, meaning HUElavia leads the Group with their 3 Points, followed by Only Six Words and Solgavden with 1 Point each (tie-break is currently on yellow cards), and Farallones Islands in 4th with 0 Points. Coach Narita was quoted saying "It was a solid performance from the team, wish we could've buried more of those chances we had, but we fortunately won the game. It was unfortunate we conceded the goal in the last play of the match, but we have a lot to study in film and plenty to practice on our finishing and covering set pieces. The midfield was great, couldn't ask for a better performance from Adara and Andrea. And we were enjoying the thousands of supporters who cheered us on, really gave our backups motivation to put on a good show. We got a big game against Solgavden in over a week and a half, so plenty of time to train and to enjoy the experience visiting around Ravenna and taking in the sights and culture of the city, which is very similar to the Tallian culture in northern HUElavia." It has been a peculiar change of pace compared to previous managers of the National Team, but Coach Narita letting the players to enjoy in groups the city seems to improve the morale and camaraderie among the squad, eating good food, enjoying cultural events and getting along with the locals. HUElavia will play against Solgavden for Matchday 2 at aurell Stadium (80,000) in Port Mohan, which the sunny weather and the costal atmosphere is very reminiscent of the HUElavian coasts, making the team feel right at home like in Curumba or San Rafael or Sao Salvador. A win will just about send Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos to the Round-of-32, regardless of what happens in the other match. Here's to the next game and hopefully for the advance!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!