Sports January/February 3000

In this issue:

Kingdom News

Local News

Constable's Blotter

Business/Financial

Offerings for Sale
Jobs for Hire
Trading Company Standings
Commodities

Features

Society Announcements
Obituaries
Writings of the Bards
Puzzles
Cityscapes
Horoscopes

Sports

Pit Fighting Standings
Commentary

SPORTS IN NERIDIA'S GATE

Sports Commentary by Earl Fields

The end of the season is upon us again. What an exciting season we had. From the surprise victory of Arnok the lizard scavenger in the pit fighting finals over his rival Tobarth Flynn former champion five years running, to the incredible last Battleround match in which Red Vengeance overwhelmed the highly popular and equally handicapped (at least last season) Ironhold Eight. This was definitely a season to remember and one that won’t easily be topped.

This season also marks the retirement of some pit fighting greats. Don’t expect to see Arlin Everett in the arena again, nor Karl "the Iceman" Krim whose loss to the sport will be felt for years to come. But do expect to see some popular rookies back next year and maybe even moving up in category. Though Arnok’s manager has announced he will stay in the weapons alone division, Herkel Strong is moving up to the unlimited division after receiving some large support from a group of mercantile consortium sponsors. The death of Raphael "the Crusher" Shimon last June still rocks the pit fighting world, the mad fan who killed him is still on the loose, never having been caught by the City Watch.

In Battleround of course we are all mourning the loss of the Fury who went off to the north to fight the Strange Ones and lost many of their number. They have yet to announce whether or not they plan a rebuilding year. Of course the greatest loss to the sport is in the death of Thomas Ramafort, the former Adventurers’ Guildmaster who was one of the best coaches the game ever saw. They promise to do him proud in the All-Neridia finals early next year.

With all the surprises and losses of last season everyone is wondering what the new season will bring. These wonders are definitely due in part to the recent expansion of the gate system and the beginning of new relations out of the country. Each time this has happened in the past, a new group of fans comes in, and of course, new foreign players. Many wonder if the influx expected in the new year will bring with it new heroes of the arena. The question brings up thoughts that many of the nations with whom relations have started are frontier lands which always have more than their share of adventurers and heroes. Will some of them be interested in a life of sport? Will some of their teams find Battleround to their liking? Will our athletes and adventurers find new challenges and new opponents in the arena?

My contacts in the inside have told me there have been some delicate inquiries into the sport from some from Evendarr since the gate there was reopened. Still you have to wonder more what the people from Avendale, a country truly on the frontier, may do. Some say fighting everyday for survival is a way of life there, that’s got to translate into an aptitude for the pit fighting arena and the Battleround field.

An Interview with Friday Carob, Captain of Red Vengeance By Earl Fields

Fields: Thank you for meeting with us today Friday.

Carob: Your welcome Earl always glad to talk to the fans.

Fields: What do you think of your chances in the upcoming All-Neridia Finals?

Carob: I think we are going to win Earl, the other teams are good but we are the best.

Fields: What about the Treemen out of Hartwell, I understand they are all experienced Rangers and highly skilled and work incredibly well as a team?

Carob: They don’t stand a chance against us! We have better skills and our team is held together by stronger bonds than they’ll ever know.

Fields: I understand you’ve dedicated your victory and your upcoming games to your former coach, Thomas Ramafort, who died earlier this year?

Carob: Yes he was a good man who worked us into shape and led us to victory. Our victory in the Winterthorne Division and our future victory at the All-Neridia are dedicated to his memory.

Fields: How did the loss affect you as a team?

Carob: Well we were all shaken but when the league officials offered to delay our next game we turned them down. We played and played harder than ever for the coach. He was never one to let a loss of any kind slow down the momentum. He always said, "when you’re playing the game and you take a loss you move on and follow it up with a win. Just like when you’re out facing the enemy or a monster looking to eat you whole, if a companion falls you pick him up, if you can’t pick him up you fight on and make damn sure he doesn’t drop any other teammates.

Fields: So have you picked a new coach for your team?

Carob: Yes, we chose Karl "The Iceman" Krim after his retirement from Pit Fighting. Many people may not remember but for a short time Krim played on the Battleround team called Target before three of them were killed and the team disbanded. They played well and knew their stuff; he’s already proving himself to be an excellent coach.

Fields: Well, I wish you luck in the finals Friday and are sure you will do the Winterthorne Division and Neridia’s Gate proud.

Carob: Thanks Earl and I hope to see you in the sidelines at Valerheim Stadium.

Pit Fighting Standings

Final Neridia’s Gate Pit Fighting Top Twenty Standings

To The Touch	Wins	Losses	Weapons Alone	Wins	Losses	Unlimited	Wins	Losses
Nika Wynne	50	10	Arnok of Jodari	58	2	Darian Tred	57	3
Oliver Durazzo	48	12	Tobarth Flynn	57	3	Logan Mann	51	9
Kent Rhodes	47	13	Alistair LeManis	55	5	K’Tan Dirk	50	10
Lisle Richter	43	17	Herkel Strong	54	6	Karl Krim	48	12
Fern Cannozza	40	20	Logan Mann	53	7	Xavier Lyle	45	15
Erin Tair	39	21	Arlin Everett	51	9	Claude Monsaire	40	20
Bernard Daigo	39	21	Kevin Marsil	50	10	Manuel LaDyne	35	25
Pierre Belyn	38	22	Claude Cooper	50	10	Kristoph Taggert	32	28
Theo Childeric	36	24	Kian Derrick	49	11	Nika Wynne	32	28
Lucas Zaryn	34	26	Pierre Belyn	48	12	Tamara Atysia	30	30
Katrin Ceylon	33	27	Tamara Atysia	46	14	Kevin Marsil	28	32
Baldwin Cariki	33	27	Kristoph Taggert	42	18	Kord Wahl	26	34
Malcolm Galuker	32	28	Manuel LaDyne	40	20	Maura Kaduz	22	38
Jovan Karnak	31	29	Antoinne Galiard	37	23	Lisle Richter	21	39
Leonine Serivent	30	30	Kent Rhodes	36	24	Lucas Zaryn	18	42
Maura Kaduz	28	32	Patton Jarvik	36	24	Marcus Truman	17	43
Carl Reichel	27	33	Ettienne D’Mar	35	25	Oliver Durazzo	16	44
Darian Tred	25	35	Raphael Shimon*	32	18	Bethanne Chimes	13	47
Tamara Atysia	25	35	Kord Wahl	31	29	Danny Davis	12	48
Daken Atysia	25	35	Josef Falcon	30	30	Olga Sinclair	10	50

* Raphael Shimon died mid-season due to injuries on the playing field

Battleround Standings

Final Neridia’s Gate Battleround The Top Twenty Rated Teams

Team	Wins	Losses	Handicap
Red Vengeance	38	2	0
Ironhold Eight	37	3	0
The Harbingers	33	7	0
Prodigy	33	7	1
Juggernaut	30	10	0
Nemesis	29	11	0
Jubilee	29	11	1
Onyx Viper	28	12	2
Crimson Blade	27	13	1
The Nighthawks	26	14	1
Delirium	26	14	0
The Savage Crew	25	15	1
Emerald Dragons	24	16	1
Wayfarers	23	17	2
Lancet	20	20	2
Shadow Wolves	18	22	5
Burning Stone	16	24	1
The Fury*	15	15	0
Thunderstorm	14	26	1
The Renegades	14	26	1

* Please Note the Fury ended the season early due to the deaths of several of its members in combat with Strange Ones in the northern Grand Duchies.

The Gate

The Gate