Giovanniland

1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship Concludes! The official logo of the 1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship. Sonserina, Giovanniland — The 1423 Giovannilandian Chess Championship came to an end this Tuesday, 26th December 1423, with multiple-time former champion Raffella Quadrigaro returning to the position of champion after almost a decade. The competition started in the first day of the month and featured forty participants from different regions of Giovanniland, playing in a group stage where the top two from each group advanced to the knockout stage and then decided the winner. The event was visited by notable political figures, including Prime Minister Elisa Anario-Silva and His Majesty King Giovanni VI, as well as His Serene Highness Prince Marcarius of Saint Mark. It happened in Sonserina, a city of 103,715 inhabitants, considered the national capital of chess. Every year, regional competitions determine the participants of each championship. Places are allocated to each region in proportion to their population, and these competitions are often a place for rising stars in national chess to be known for a wider audience, while established players usually are the first to confirm their qualification. The following image shows the names of all participants for this edition and their titles, with GM standing for Grandmaster, IM standing for International Master, and CM standing for Candidate Master. All of them were ranked and divided into five pots by ELO rating and then randomly sorted into one of the eight groups, which will be described afterwards. Group A Group B Group C Group D GM Guillermo Uryde-Amorino*, 2780 GM Giuliana Flaviano-Emina, 2651 IM Gioseppa Opiternio, 2503 IM Augusto Rossiano-Gellio, 2457 Vanessa Tiberiano Edrense, 2251 GM Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso, 2752 GM Kyro Lartidio-Velanio, 2659 IM Aurelio Vindemia Orfeo, 2522 CM Daniella Gigero, 2361 Massimiano Faustino, 2164 GM Karlo Neurino-Sousa, 2702 GM Gallio Kervario Hortense, 2583 IM Gepelle Gormo-Pasano, 2531 IM Gratia Frigiva-Lukio, 2460 Zerina Suevio-Medottone, 2224 GM Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone, 2674 GM Gianna Superbo-Legia, 2570 IM Amanda Gilvano Valli, 2473 IM Margerito Alboquerko, 2469 Angelo Dolabella Porto, 2189 Group E Group F Group G Group H GM Sergio Amorante-Aquilano, 2734 GM Vittor Nyima-Lyamo, 2680 IM Tommaso Koliva, 2519 CM Eustakia Erdene, 2380 Madalena Amento-Oltoveno, 2275 GM Severo Spindola Giordano, 2642 GM Oralino Kyenze Gormo, 2630 IM Markella Viator-Tamudio, 2444 CM Isidoro Artena Santi, 2424 Amando Nevio-Karpo, 2310 GM Gustavo Takeda, 2711 GM Antonio Ambrosio Borba, 2559 GM Zutrina Palbario, 2543 CM Otto Velite-Peskennio, 2415 CM Serena Agrikola, 2345 GM Raffella Quadrigaro, 2834 GM Lavanda Rosetta-Lyra, 2621 IM Augustino Neuriani Kalburno, 2490 CM Giulio Punso-Lodago, 2369 CM Vittor Urbano-Allamore, 2332 Group A was led by defending champion Guillermo Uryde-Amorino, winner of the 1421 and 1422 chess championships. It also had three other participants that were last present in 1421, namely Giuliana, Gioseppa and Vanessa, as well as Augusto whose most recent entry into the national championship was five years ago. In a surprising twist, Guillermo did not finish in first place because both him and Giuliana had the same amount of points, but in the head-to-head record he had lost to her. The two ended with three points each, from three wins and one loss, while Gioseppa was close but did not make it—she won against the eventual group leader but drew against lower rated opponents. Group B's highest rated player was Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso, notable for being the champion in 1411 and runner-up in 1422, and he indeed finished first far ahead of the others, with three wins and one draw for three and a half points. Aside from returning participants Kyro, Aurelio, and Daniella there was also Massimiano who entered the national tournament for the first time. The surprise of this group was Daniella, who returned after three years and qualified in second place to the dismay of Kyro. Both achieved two points, but as Daniella had more wins, she qualified for the knockout stage for her first time. Group C saw the participation of perennial participants Karlo and Gepelle, who rarely fail to qualify; returning players Gallio and Gratia; and another new arrival to the tournament, Zerina. Karlo—notable for winning three consecutive championships from 1408 to 1410—led the group with the same results as Giovanni did in Group B, however competition was more fierce, as the second place Gepelle was only half a point behind. The international master has a history of creating some upsets, for example in 1421 when she defeated then-defending champion Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone and caused her to miss the knockout stage; in fact she might be promoted to Grandmaster in the near future. This time, she defeated the slightly higher rated Gallio who then lost the second place to her. In the Group D, the 1420 champion Lavinia improved her chess record by topping the group after failing to qualify to the knockout stage twice in a row in the last two editions. She got 3.5 points and only failed to win against Amanda Gilvano Valli, who also ended with the same amount of points, thus their draw meant that Lavinia finished in first for her higher rating. Amanda continues to enjoy success after her surprising run to fourth place in 1421 despite not having any chess title at that time, followed by a fast rise in the national rankings. New participant Angelo did not get any points, however the bigger disappointment of the group was the grandmaster Gianna, only earning a single point and finishing in fourth, behind international master Margerito. Group A P W D L Group B P W D L GM Giuliana Flaviano-Emina 3 3 0 1 GM Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso 3.5 3 1 0 GM Guillermo Uryde-Amorino 3 3 0 1 CM Daniella Gigero 2 2 0 2 IM Gioseppa Opiternio 2 1 2 1 GM Kyro Lartidio-Velanio 2 1 2 1 IM Augusto Rossiano-Gellio 1 0 2 2 IM Aurelio Vindemia Orfeo 1.5 1 1 2 Vanessa Tiberiano Edrense 1 0 2 2 Massimiano Faustino 1 1 0 3 Group C P W D L Group D P W D L GM Karlo Neurino-Sousa 3.5 3 1 0 GM Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone 3.5 3 1 0 IM Gepelle Gormo-Pasano 3 2 2 0 IM Amanda Gilvano Valli 3.5 3 1 0 GM Gallio Kervario Hortense 2.5 2 1 1 IM Margerito Alboquerko 2 2 0 2 Zerina Suevio-Medottone 1 1 0 3 GM Gianna Superbo-Legia 1 1 0 3 IM Gratia Frigiva-Lukia 0 0 0 4 Angelo Dolabella Porto 0 0 0 4 Group E P W D L Group F P W D L GM Vittor Nyima-Lyamo 4 4 0 0 GM Oralino Kyenze Gormo 3 2 2 0 GM Sergio Amorante-Aquilano 2.5 2 1 1 CM Isidoro Artena Santi 2.5 2 1 1 IM Tommaso Koliva 2 2 0 2 GM Severo Spindola Giordano 2 1 2 1 CM Eustakia Erdene 1 0 2 2 Amando Nevio-Karpo 1.5 1 1 2 Madalena Amento-Oltoveno 0.5 0 1 3 IM Markella Viator-Tamudio 1 1 0 3 Group G P W D L Group H P W D L GM Gustavo Takeda 3.5 3 1 0 GM Lavanda Rosetta-Lyra 4 4 0 0 GM Zutrina Palbario 3 2 2 0 GM Raffella Quadrigaro 2.5 2 1 1 GM Antonio Ambrosio Borba 1.5 1 1 2 CM Giulio Punso-Lodago 2.5 2 1 1 CM Serena Agrikola 1.5 0 3 1 IM Augustino Neuriani Kalburno 1 0 0 3 CM Otto Velite-Peskennio 0.5 0 1 3 CM Vittor Urbano-Allamore 0 0 0 4 Meanwhile, Group E was one of the only two groups where a participant won all the matches. It was Vittor Nyima-Lyamo, who recently earned the Grandmaster title and notably got the bronze medal in the previous edition. He even overcame Sergio Amorante-Aquilano, a regular participant of this tournament and champion in two separate occasions, 1411 and 1418. Eventual third place in the group Tommaso did not get the chance to see the knockout stage again after his quarterfinal appearance two years ago, while the two other participants Eustakia and Madalena enjoyed returning to the tournament after three and four years respectively, despite not getting a good performance. Group F was a group where all participants had been in at least one of the two last editions. The two Grandmasters of the group, Severo and Oralino, had little difference in their ratings, and in fact drew the match between the two, however the former did qualify while the latter did not. It was the candidate master Isidoro who achieved second place instead, in his fifth appearance here, after an also interesting run as far as the quarterfinals last year. The overall group was competitive, all players without exception being exactly half a point in distance between each other, from the first place Severo to the last place Markella. As for Group G, it was the only group to have three Grandmasters, since a total of seventeen players with this title qualified to the competition. The 1419 champion and strong contender for his second title Gustavo Takeda led the group as expected, however he did not win all the matches as he managed to do in the previous two years. Instead, he won three of his matches and drew the other one, against fellow grandmaster Zutrina Palbario. She was able to join the tournament again after a two years-long absence and performed strongly, taking the second place in the group. The other three players in the group—Antonio, Otto and Serena—all have played in the national tournament before, however they could not achieve a good result this time. Finally, Group H was the other group where a player got the most points possible, four, after winning all matches. Unexpectedly it was not the top rated player of the group, multiple-time former champion Raffella Quadrigaro, but rather Lavanda Rosetta-Lyra. Lavanda finished in fourth place in the last tournament, her best finish so far ever since her first participation seven years ago. Meanwhile, Raffella qualified for the knockout stage in second place, fighting until the end with Giulio Punso-Lodago for the position, but it was an improvement over the previous year where she stayed out of that stage entirely. This was also a group where all participants have played in one of the two last editions, including the other two players Augustino and Vittor. The results of the knockout stage. After the group stage, twelve Grandmasters qualified for the knockout stage, as well as three International Masters and one Candidate Master. In the upper part of the bracket, Raffella Quadrigaro made up for her not very good group stage performance with a streak of confident wins, denying players such as Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso and Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone a chance of getting another championship. The latter went as far as the semifinals, defeating multiple-time champion Karlo Neurino-Sousa throughout her way, and thus proceeded to play the third place match. Meanwhile, other players did not get past the round of 16, for example Sergio and Isidoro, two of the quarterfinalists in the previous championship, and Zutrina who reached this stage for the first time. The lower part of the bracket had matches just as interesting as the upper part. Vittor Nyima-Lyamo was the finalist from here, firstly defeating the two best international masters of the tournament, Amanda and Gepelle—the latter was the only one to go past the round 16, after she won against Oralino. Then, a very awaited and exciting match came into being, with Vittor facing Gustavo Takeda in a repeat of last year's quarterfinals! Gustavo came to this match with high morale after knocking out the defending champion Guillermo Uryde-Amorino out of the tournament, but it unfortunately wasn't enough in the tiebreaker matches, and he fell a second time to Vittor. Last but not least, the final and third place match happened in December 25th and 26th which is the same time as the Lavender Festival started, a very important week-long celebration in Giovanniland, thus adding to the great expectations for these last two matches. The bronze match was fittingly between 1419 champion Gustavo and 1420 champion Lavinia, in a very close dispute that the former won after tiebreaks. As for the great final, multiple-time champion Raffella faced the rising star Vittor, and convincingly won the game to add one more title to his collection, although Vittor also played very well. Raffella has played professional chess for over three decades now, winning the national championships of 1400, 1405, 1407, 1413, 1414 and now 1423. Celebrations then ensued, as the medals were awarded to the top three and the final rankings were announced. Rank Player Group Points W D L 1 GM Raffella Quadrigaro H 6 5 2 1 2 GM Vittor Nyima-Lyamo E 6.5 6 1 1 3 GM Gustavo Takeda G 6 4 4 0 4 GM Lavinia Pasquale-Arbone D 5.5 4 3 1 Quarterfinals 5 GM Giovanni Amdo-Gyasso B 5 4 2 0 6 GM Karlo Neurino-Sousa C 4.5 3 3 0 7 GM Guillermo Uryde-Amorino A 4 3 2 1 8 IM Gepelle Gormo-Pasano C 4 3 2 1 Round of 16 9 GM Lavanda Rosetta-Lyra H 4.5 4 1 0 10 IM Amanda Gilvano Valli D 3.5 3 1 1 11 GM Giuliana Flaviano-Emina A 3 3 0 2 12 GM Oralino Kyenze Gormo F 3 2 2 1 13 GM Zutrina Palbario G 3 2 2 1 14 CM Isidoro Artena Santi F 3 2 2 1 15 GM Sergio Amorante-Aquilano E 2.5 2 1 2 16 CM Daniella Gigero B 2 2 0 3 Group Stage 17 GM Gallio Kervario Hortense C 2.5 2 1 1 18 GM Giulio Punso-Lodago H 2.5 2 1 1 19 IM Tommaso Koliva E 2 2 0 2 20 IM Margerito Alboquerko D 2 2 0 2 21 GM Kyro Lartidio-Velanio B 2 1 2 1 22 GM Severo Spindola Giordano F 2 1 2 1 23 IM Gioseppa Opiternio A 2 1 2 1 24 GM Antonio Ambrosio Borba G 1.5 1 1 2 25 GM Aurelio Vindemia Orfeo B 1.5 1 1 2 26 Amando Nevio-Karpo F 1.5 1 1 2 27 CM Serena Agrikola G 1.5 0 3 1 28 GM Gianna Superbo-Legia D 1 1 0 3 29 IM Augustino Neuriani Kalburno H 1 1 0 3 30 IM Markella Viator-Tamudio F 1 1 0 3 31 Zerina Suevio-Medottone C 1 1 0 3 32 Massimiano Faustino B 1 1 0 3 33 IM Augusto Rossiano-Gellio A 1 0 2 2 34 CM Eustakia Erdene E 1 0 2 2 35 Vanessa Tiberiano Edrense A 1 0 2 2 36 CM Otto Velite-Peskennio G 0.5 0 1 3 37 Madalena Amento-Oltoveno E 0.5 0 1 3 38 IM Gratia Frigiva-Lukio C 0 0 0 4 39 CM Vittor Urbano-Allamore H 0 0 0 4 40 Angelo Dolabella Porto D 0 0 0 4

Welcome @Mexa, @Guiseran Republic and @Aftreja! @Goettlichkeit has been banned from the region and thus is rejected.

@Stelavia @Laksamana @Antarctic Empire @Sixty-Ninth Kingdom of Ilycea all accepted, welcome! The other applications are being processed.

@Langburn accepted!

@Montrandec @Skaggerak just accepted! @Foverios, @Axelspaxel, @James Forsyte and @Turbiatop have also been accepted earlier this month.

No worries! Good luck in real life!

@Arboros, you need to post the oath for your application to be considered. All other applications are being reviewed and I'll have results soon hopefully.

@huzaifid Application rejected due to no longer being in TWP.

@Fandara @Conania both accepted!

Welcome! Looking forward to your arrival into the region's roleplay!

@Pirozed denied due to not being in TWP.

My exact line of thinking as well

This one continues a series of polls we've had since 2020. Previous polls: #1 #2 #3 Tell us about are your expectations, hopes and wishes for 2024, and whether you think next year will be better or worse than this one!

@Nouveau @Milly both accepted (@Vessay was also accepted a few days ago).

Looks like it's now a close race!

Nation name: The Kingdom of Giovanniland Nation trigram: GIO Players: 1. Vespasio Laronio-Verde 2. Margerita Alborata 3. Erminio Portovino

@Machie Rejected.

@Q3Z0S @Legendian @ruben @Indigrad all accepted!

The second question for the holiday season! Choose an option and post the reason below if you want.

@Jukaleader your application is on hold as the oath has not been posted. @Civa Belhapingaexiem rejected.

Welcome back!

Hello everyone! I am Numerio Dellio-Oliverde, host of the special Football Report that is taking place during the 3rd World Cup of Football. Today we'll talk about the round of 16 game against Nieubasria, which sadly resulted in elimination for the Giovannilandian team, as well as expectations for the next world cup. Round of 16: Giovanniland 1-3 Nieubasria (Halftime: 1-1) Goals: Vittoria Oriastella (28') The players of Team Giovanniland started the game with confidence against Nieubasria, knowing the challenge ahead of playing against the defending champions. The team played more defensively than before, with the striker Klementina de Abreo-Florino giving the way to another defender, the experienced Gioseppe Offerio-Apustio. Through most of the first half this strategy worked, although it was also nailbiting to watch for any Giovannilandian: the ball spent more time in our defensive half than the attacking one, with the team getting its scoring attempts mostly from counterattacks. In one of these attempts, Vittoria Oriastella successfully found her way to a good angle to shoot the ball, receiving the ball from former captain Lorentio Santo-Ferrari, and scored, to the surprise of the Basric team. Giovanniland would then hold the advantage for most of the remaining time in the first half, however Nieubasria's striker Camdyn Cartwrighte dealt a blow to Giovannilandian morale when the carefully set up defense was bypassed by him just before the first half ended, on minute three of stoppage time. In the second half, Team Giovanniland continued with a similar formation to the first half, hoping that they would be able to mount a similar counterattack to the previous one that led to the goal. In fact the team did, with good attempts from Gabriella Orfeo and Giustiniano Nottua-Glabrio, the latter of which required a stellar defense from Nieubasria's goalkeeper Dalton Fairburne to stop, but overall the success was not to be repeated since the Basric defense improved after the first and ultimately only goal from Giovanniland. As time progressed, the goal to break the even score was eventually scored by the striker Zedh Coreia from Nieubasria at the 65th minute, and the defending champions further added to their score near the end of the match through a 83th minute goal by Landan Aylmere, unfortunately denying the Giovannilandians any chance at a comeback. Our team was then eliminated from the competition, curiously the third time this happens just at the round of 16 and with a score of 3-1 for the opposing team, dubbed 'The 3-1 Curse' by fans. The coach Hettor Ottavio-Linare expressed their commiserations at the result and the fact the goal of surpassing this stage did not come to fruition, but also lauded the team for playing to the best of its ability against the top team in the world. Gustavo Zapata, the new captain, also commented that due to the big changes taken in the team since the last world cup this new roster is very much still adapting itself, and over time he expects that it will be stronger. With these results, we at the Football Report have updated the scoring leaderboard one last time for the foreseeable future! The newcomer to the Esquadra Nationale, Vittoria Oriastella, has proven her place as one of the rising stars of the national football, scoring two goals in this World Cup, while at the top we have famous strikers like the captain Gustavo Zapata and the young star Matteo Ventomar. Name Goals Scored Rank Gustavo Zapata 9 #1 Matteo Ventomar 8 #2 Pietro Takeda 5 #3 Lorentio Santo-Ferrari 4 #4 Regina Horatiano-Viselli 3 #5 Arabella Viator-Nyima 2 #6 Giustiniano Nottua-Glabrio Klementina de Abreo-Florino Vittoria Oriastella Sergio Feragi Faustiano 1 #10 Giovanni Oliverde-Lastrilla Kassio Fidustio-Severi Herbina Gavio Horati Ottavio Laquo-Tertulli Hortensia Purparbone That is all from us today! Although our team has been eliminated, continue watching this channel because we will continue displaying further matches from the 3rd World Cup of Football. I hope to see you there, and I also make an invite to all viewers to stay tuned for our upcoming Chess Report that will cover all happenings from the 1423 Giovanniland Chess Championship, starting today in the city of Sonserina!

Since it just became December in the timezone I live in, it's time for questions with a holidays theme! Choose an option and post the reason below if you want.

Giovannian Empire An article from the Lavender Encyclopedia | Choose a different language The Empire's maximum territorial extent during its second golden century (950-1050). Full quality image link Status: Empire Absolute monarchy (648-1095) Semi-constitutional monarchy (1095-1226) Capital: Rivomonte (648-650) Porto Violeto (650-734) Giovannia (734-1226) Official Languages: Giovannese and Lavandulan Other Languages: Glendulan and Minsunese (in Aura) Fhaeng, Ganfa, Ardalan, Ulergen, Beremean, Emunian, Varanian (in Andolia) State Religion: Violetism Demonym: Giovannian Area: 648 (initial extent): 165,700 km² 731 (unification of Lavender Island): 460,800 km² 850 (after colonization of Fhaengshia, Giovandolia and the Outer Sirenas): 1,052,400 km² 950 (after colonization of northern Varanius and overseas trading posts): 1,130,000 km² 1095 (after independence of Blue Bubble, Minsu and Fhaengshia): 508,200 km² 1225 (end of the Empire and modern area): 395,107 km² The Giovannian Empire (Giovannese: Imperio Giovanniano or Imperio de Giovanniterra) was a late medieval and early modern state in the southern coasts of the Darkesian Sea, with lands in both Aura and Andolia, that existed from 648 to 1225. The empire was founded in central Lavender Island from an alliance between the Abrentan and Lavandulan civilizations, and then proceeded to unify the island for the next century. Wars against Minsu (675-688) and Blue Bubble (726-731), in between periods of rebuilding and improvement of the nation's military, and increased trading, marked the first century of the empire. Afterwards, the empire set its sights beyond the island, embarking on a lengthy conquest of various states in northern Andolia between 750 and 850, corresponding to what is today Fhaengshia, Giovandolia and the Outer Sirenas, and also securing a pivotal treaty with Saint Mark in 780. The empire's maximum extent was reached in the next century after the annexation of northern Varanius and the voyages across the oceans that led to the establishment of multiple trading posts, such as in the coast of western Nur, an era deemed the Golden Age (850-1050). However, the empire came to a decline with the Lavender Revolutions of the late 11th century, which re-established the independence of Blue Bubble and Minsu. Soon after, the return of the Fhaengshian monarchy happened, regaining into control of their entire country after their centuries-long exile in the southern lands of Fhaengshia and causing further territorial losses for the empire. The empire's final century featured a change of government, from an absolute to a semi-constitutional monarchy, and a greater focus into modernization and adaptation. This successfully consolidated control of Giovaura and Giovandolia, although the western provinces of the latter (modern-day northern Varanius) were lost in 1204. In order to keep up with the times, the final years of the empire saw the start of industrialization, and the eventual transition into a full constitutional monarchy in 1226. Formation The Giovannian Empire's origins date back to an intricate period of Lavender Island history. In the late 6th century, the Abrentan civilization was experiencing turmoil after its prosperous Classical Era, with the Abrentan Republic being divided into three states in 574, and these successor realms breaking into even smaller ones by 600. Meanwhile, the Lavandulan civilization faced a long decline during its post-imperial era, besides being threatened by the expansion of other peoples in the island such as the Minsunese. A notable happening of this time took place in the year of 571, just before the Abrentan division, when several Lavandulan states forged an alliance with the objective of eventually forming an union with the friendly Abrentans to the south. The ensuing crisis in Abrento threw a wrench in this plan, but two decades later they found a powerful ally in the Giovannian Domain, led by a general called Giovanni that had common interests with the Lavandulans of regaining lost glories, and strategically located in the crossroads between the Abrentan and Lavandulan civilizations. For the next decades, the Giovannian Domain start to conquer the other Abrentan successor realms one by one, aided by the Lavandulans. The Akallian Confederacy was the first to fall, in 604, followed by the Kornelian Domain in 612, Principality of Kadrina in 615 and Duchy of Velitamme in 623. The ensuing conquests were harder, as they included powerful and populous areas like the Duchy of Rivamora and the rump state of the Abrentan Republic. However, by instigating rebellions in Rivamora that state was also defeated, and after the annexation of the frontier County of Edrense by 640, the Abrentan Republic was left totally encircled. Thus began a long siege that lasted for eight years, until the capital Abrentopole fell and Abrento was reunified. Thereafter, the Giovannian Empire was officially founded, by uniting the two lands of Abrento and Lavandula. Unification of Lavender Island The unification of Lavender Island under the Giovannian Empire. The Giovannian Domain's small capital of Rivomonte soon gave way to the much larger city of Porto Violeto, at the time the largest city in the empire that was not also a previous polity's seat of power, so it was chosen as a neutral new capital. With that began a long process of reconstruction, since the lands of the Empire had seen constant conflict for much of the previous century. The now crowned Emperor Giovanni I, son of the general that forged the alliance with the Lavandulans, focused on improving the nation's economy, expanding its military and seeking trade relations with neighboring nations, while also adding to the empire some frontier mountainous regions, ruling until his death in 655, having ruled the Empire and its predecessor state since 624. The remainder of the 7th century then saw the rule of two other emperors. Giovanni's younger brother Lorentio I ruled from 655 to 672 and largely continued his brother's policies, further strengthening the Empire, while Lorentio's son Tommaso I ruled from 672 to 701 and took the empire on a different path, starting the second phase of the Lavender Unification Wars. With the preparations laid down by the two previous emperors, Tommaso I declared war on Minsu in 675, seeking to conquer the powerful state to the east which was seen as a threat to imperial ambitions. The war was tough, lasting for thirteen years and happening on two different fronts, the northern and southern. These two fronts eventually met on southeast Lavender Island, where the Minsunese civilization had started around three millennia before, and also the location of its main cities such as Tanba and Shinano, which fell on 688. After Tommaso's death, his daughter Emilia I ascended to the throne, ruling from 701 to 726, whose reign was marked by a peaceful period in between the major wars of her predecessor and successor's reigns, and also by the increase of trading posts established by the empire across the Darkesian, which helped to expand the nation's trading routes. During Emilia's reign, Giovannian operatives furthermore acted in foreign lands that could be potentially annexed to the empire in the future by stoking division and turmoil, such as the Ardala Khanate that fell in 712. After her death, Tommaso's younger son Giovanni II became the emperor after that, and due to his achievements is commonly known as Giovanni the Great. The first of his major acts was to finish what his father intended, to unify the entirety of Lavender Island. The invasion of Blue Bubble happened from 727 to 731—at the time, the Glendulans were divided into northern and southern clans that were fighting a cold war, the result of a civil war centuries before. The northern clan quickly allowed conquest, in the belief that the empire would help the side win, while the southern clan resisted for four more years until its eventual defeat in 731. Thus the island was unified at last, and a new city called Giovannia was built on the orders of Giovanni II to celebrate this achievement, on the original land of the Giovannian Domain. The city then became the capital three years later, marking the transition to a new phase of the empire. Reign of Giovanni II The southern Darkesian Sea in the year of 750 AF on the eve of the first expeditions. Giovanni II ruled until 782 for a total of 56 years, the longest of any emperor, and had already left a mark in history in his first few years by being the first ruler to unify the entirety of Lavender Island. After two peaceful decades during with the empire adapted to this new reality and made important progress in trade and military affairs, expansion happened once more, this time outside of the island. The emperor had economical interests of expanding its territory in order to increase the empire's riches, and also because previous emperors had already been paving the way for conquest by destabilizing foreign lands. Two imperial sailed off Porto Violeto and Abrentopole in 750, headed to the coasts of northern Andolia. The first fleet landed on the sandy shores of what is now the Fhaengshian territory of Ahfeginsi, defeating the Kingdom of Ahfeginsi and annexing its capital Finsi in 751, while the second fleet reached the Islas dell'Annovo in the new year of 753, where the important fortress of Forte Giovanni (modern Islamagna) was founded. One year later, the second expedition reached what is now modern Giovandolia, getting involved in wars against the Ardala Khanate's successor khanates, with the city of Andoliavilla being the first major settlement founded by the Giovannians there. This fleet was led by General Flavio, later honored when the coast was named after him. The ensuing decades saw more conflict in northern Andolia. In Fhaengshia, the Giovannian armies stationed advanced southwards, annexing more realms such as the Kingdom of Shihganfe in 758, home to the large religious city of Ganfa as the capital, but in the winter of 762 their advance was stopped by the most powerful state in the area, the Kingdom of Fhaengshia, which was centered on the islands and the capital Fhaendhaw, with some territory in the south as well. General Filippo then sent a letter calling for reinforcements to Emperor Giovanni II, and in October of the same year they arrived from Abrentopole. After some naval battles near Ruike and the capital Fhaendhaw, King Soetihn agreed to surrender, while Crown Prince Meisinh, the leader of the forces in the Gheffian region, ordered a retreat to the jungles of modern southeast Fhaengshia. The Colony of Fhaengshia (Kolonia de Fensìa) then was established in November of 762 and lasted for more than three centuries, although it originally only included the eastern Fhaengshian coast—the western plateau was originally a different colony, the Highlands Colony (Kolonia dello Planalto) that was founded one decade after, but later included in the modern state due to migration westwards during the Empire's time. Meanwhile, in modern Giovandolia, the Ardalan successor khanates saw the threat of the invading empire and crafted alliances to resist the imperial expansion. The full conquest of civilizations such as the Ardala, Bereme and Ulerge took several decades to be accomplished and outlasted Giovanni II's reign, though by the time of his death significant advances had been made by the imperial forces. After the arrival into the mainland and the founding of Andoliavilla in 753, expansion continued in the valleys of the Irto River in modern-day northwestern Giovandolia through a series of battles, leading to the area's annexation by 770. Furthermore, despite initial setbacks suffered by the Giovannian forces, the old Ardalan capital of Altan-qota (Giovannese: Oddabrio) endured a siege of several years, but it ultimately fell and was razed in 778, its riches stolen and brought to Lavender Island. This was a result aided by revolts from subjects of the Ardalans, that were incited by the Giovannians, and led to the annexation of the entire coast of modern Giovandolia, deemed the Colony of Fernando Coast (Kolonia dell'Lido Ferenno), while the native Andolians resisted for longer in the inland valleys and mountains. It was the last expansion of Giovanni II's reign, though the emperor also achieved a significant diplomatic victory in the end of his realm through the signing of the Treaty of Syntilla with Saint Mark, starting a centuries-long collaboration between the two Auran powers that continues to this day. Consolidation of the Empire The administrative divisions (darker green) and colonies (lighter green) of the Giovannian Empire. [OOC: Article to be continued later]

Good evening to all! This is your host of the Sports Report, Numerio Dellio-Oliverde, with the news that Giovanniland has successfully advanced from the group stage of the World Cup of Football. It was tough, but we've made it! Huzzah! We'll be covering the results of the last two matches played by our football team and how they went. Matchday 4 - Giovanniland 0-1 United Adaikes (Halftime: 0-1) The fourth game of our team was against United Adaikes, featuring a slightly different roster due to the expulsion of Manuella Giakobo in the previous matchday, replaced by Teodoro Sonserina. The first goal of the match came in the 21st minute, scored by Adaikesian forward Sonya Kynaston in a counterattack, after Giovanniland's striker Gustavo Zapata had a good chance to score but the shot was caught by the opposing goalkeeper Abby Kidd. There were good chances to score from both sides, and aside from the goal for United Adaikes, the match seemed fairly even. Sadly, their defense was effective and stopped any scoring attempts from Team Giovanniland, although our three strikers nevertheless had a fair performance and our defense also improved after the goal that went through. The match once more came to a heated moment when Lorentio Santo-Ferrari was the target of a grave foul during the Adaikesian defense area while he had the possession of the ball, and thus Giovanniland was awarded a penalty. Lorentio himself took the penalty, but unfortunately it hit the crossbar. This was near the ending of the match, and soon the whistle blew to mark the final score: Giovanniland 0-1 United Adaikes, the third loss in a row and putting the team in a delicate situation. Matchday 5 - Giovanniland 2-1 Peourouin (Halftime: 0-1) Goals: Lorentio Santo-Ferrari (52'), Matteo Ventomar (90'+2') For the last matchday, Giovanniland came into the match needing a win to advance, and furthermore requiring at least one of Sekiya or Teralyon to lose their matches, since they were in direct competition with our team for the third and fourth spots. The match was against Peourouin, another team that could still qualify, so stakes were high. For most of the first half the match stayed goalless, with midfielder Gabriella Orfeo bringing the strongest threat to the Peouroun defensive area in the 15th minute, but the shot was diverted by their side's defense player Voldymyd Gorun. Near the end, the Peouroun forward Odeyh Ussrsaii brought a dangerous attack into the Giovannilandian defensive area that was successfully defended, but in the rebound, their fellow teammate Sayu Aktar opened the score, at the 42nd minute. During halftime, Giovanniland was then the last-placed team in the group, and the moment called for change. Coach Hettor Ottavio-Linare then made some adjustments in the second half, making the team further focused on offense by replacing Klementina de Abreo-Florino with another striker, Tarutio Lukulli, who got to play his first World Cup match as part of the national team, and in the midfield switching Gabriella Orfeo for Mara Erdene-Aruna. This proved to be successful, as the momentum successfully resulted in a goal by Lorentio Santo-Ferrari, who redeemed himself after missing the penalty in the previous match. The task was still not completed, however, as the team stayed at fifth place behind Teralyon due to the goal differential. Both teams needed a goal, as a draw would benefit neither, which meant that the atmosphere in the Istadio Gral. Tavara Dipartí continued animated, both Giovannilandian and Peouroun fans cheering for their own teams and the strikers attempting every way possible to break the deadlock. It seemed that nothing would come from subsequent attacks, and the match would stay as a draw. Both teams had beautiful attempts to score, but both defenses were also working perfectly. With both teams on the brink of elimination, when all seemed lost, Giovanniland's striker Matteo Ventomar found the right angle to get the ball past the Peouroun goalkeeper Jakub Ostatna, and score the second and final goal of our team in the stoppage time of the second half. This goal came from an assistance by the young Tarutio Lukulli, successfully making a pivotal impact in his first World Cup match. The stadium erupted with cheers, but waited, as three more tense minutes were still left in the clock. Then, at 90'+5', the final whistle sounded and fans celebrated the nation's qualification at last, in what is perhaps one of the most suspenseful and breathtaking ways to qualify. Team Giovanniland barely made it in, securing qualification in fourth place of the group through a comeback win, while Teralyon dropped to fifth place, a bad day for their fans since their team had just lost to United Adaikes over at Istadio Rio Bianco. Now, the next match stands to be a tough challenge, as Team Giovanniland meets defending champion Nieubasria in the round of 16, their team having qualified as leader of group C. Twice the teams have played before, although none in the World Cup—first Nieubasria won 6-3 in the gold medal match of the I Summer Esferiad at Saint-Josalyn. Then on the following edition, the II Summer Esferiad here at Quoriv and Kharventhin, Giovanniland won 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the semifinals! Coach Hettor stated that they hope for a good match nevertheless, and that our team should perform the best that they can no matter who the opponent is. Rest assured, Giovannilandians can at least celebrate that our team has escaped the threat of group stage elimination, which would be unprecedented in national football history, and now will at least equal the two previous World Cups' feat of reaching the round of 16. That is all from us today, stay tuned for more news from the 3rd World Cup of Football in Ryxtylopia and make sure to be here in our channel to watch the Giovanniland vs. Nieubasria match two days from now!