iOctagon

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, WHAT Telecom! It's the telecommunications giant with a recurring appearance in every old man and woman's night terrors, because literally nobody knows what 5G is! I, the morally dubious clown that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your appropriately unpleasant host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"And we now go straight to covering the results of Days 1 and 2 of the Esferiad. Due to unforeseen budget cuts, we have been forced to only cover the results of the events that our Santo-Dominian athletes competed in. So, with that in mind, let's talk about the results!"
"Starting with Day 1! In Artistic Swimming, Team SD tied with Nieubasria for joint gold. An excellent performance! In 200m Freestyle Swim heats, Santo-Dominian athletes Patrice Owens, Hikari Kimomamoto, Ruby Redbridge and Dylan Haize-Ashknight all qualified for the semifinals. Then, in those semifinals, Owens, Redbridge and Haize-Ashknight qualified, while Kimomamoto was sadly eliminated. Then, in the finals, Redbridge won the bronze medal for our country, while Haize-Ashknight and Owens came in 5th and 6th place respectively. Congratulations to Ruby, and fantastic effort to Patrice and Dylan!"
"Day 1 was Match Day 1 for Water Polo. On that day, Team Santos-Dominius unfortunately lost 5-9 to Esferiad co-host Team Giovanniland. This puts our team at the bottom of Water Polo's Group B. A disappointing performance. Now onto Day 2: in 3m Springboard Dive, Santo-Dominian athletes Giovanni Dupont qualified in the heats, while peers Giuseppe Gravetti and Giorgio Escalini were eliminated. Dupont then qualified in the semifinals, but got 9th place in the finals. We didn't win, but good effort to Giovanni, Giuseppe and Giorgio. The 3Gs, let's call them!"
"Next up was 1500m Freestyle Swim. In the heats, Aliana Evans, Miguel Felipez and Rachel Menenda qualified, while Marc Spisse was eliminated. Then, in the semifinals, Evans, Felipez and Menenda were all sadly eliminated. Good effort to Aliana, Miguel and Rachel though! In windsurfing, our athletes Nicola Fantino, Selene Leroux and 'Alluring Queen of the Waves' Melissa Berlioz all got through the fleet racing stage. Then, in the finals, Fantino, Leroux and Berlioz got 10th, 9th and 6th place respectively. Blue Bubble dominated the top 3 for this event, but good effort to Nicola, Selene and Melissa!"
"Day 2 was Match Day 2 for Water Polo. On that day, Team Santos-Dominius lost 7-8 to Team Teralyon. This puts our team at 2nd last on in Water Polo's Group B. Good effort to the team though, it was close! And that's it - that's all the events Santos-Dominius participated in. Now let's look at the medal table after Day 2!"
"In the medal table, Santos-Dominius is at 8th place out of all 19 participating nations! We have 1 gold earned by Team SD in Artistic Swimming, no silver medals, and 1 bronze earned by Ruby Redbridge in 200m Freestyle Swim. That gives us a total of 2 medals! Blue Bubble sits firmly at the pinnacle of the table with 4 golds, 6 silvers and 5 bronzes for a staggering total of 15 medals! Tied for a distant second are Hertfordia at 3 golds, no silvers and 1 bronze as well as Saint Mark at 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronzes for a total of 4 each. Great job to Blue Bubble, and good effort to Hertfordia and Saint Mark!"
"And that wraps up today's coverage! Unfortunately our exclusive interview with Mr Damian Delarue-Brouillard, chairman of the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC), has been pushed back to a later date. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and it's been really nice to see our country's best athletes try their best in our very first Esferiad. Stay tuned to SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens!"

October 26th, 1421
Mario: Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the Larxian Esferiad Show, I am Mario Ruiz and we bring to you updates from Quoriv and Kharventhin, where the Esferiads are being hosted. As all of you are aware, Larxia had a pretty good 1st Day, but the fortunes of our athletes didn't favour them on the Day 2 of the Esferiads. Well we can't change what happened, but we will continue to support our athletes through thick and thin, and athletes, if you're watching this, all of us here in Larxia are very proud of how you are performing and representing Larxia on the international stage. Now I will pass the time to Natasha, who will get you the news from Quoriv. Over to you Nat.
Natasha: Thank you Mario. The second day of the Esferiads were a complete opposite to what happened on the first day. Our Equestrian Dressage team managed to secure qualification, but came in 6th in the final round, losing a medal in the process. The Tennis Singles event was one of the best things to happen to Larxia on Day 2 as all of the athletes from Larxia comfortably qualified for the next round. Larxia fell to a close defeat at the hands of the Andolian neighbours, H&J, losing a mere 6-5 loss. The Basketball team on the other hand was handily defeated by the Cambrians, 81-66. Even after this result, Larxia sits 3rd in the group out of 7 teams. That is all for Larxia in Quoriv. Back to you Mario.
Mario: Thanks a lot for the happenings in Quoriv Nat. Now we will move onto my colleague in Kharventhin. Over to you Jamie.
Jamie: Thanks dude. Now to the news in Kharventhin. The 3 m Springboard event was one to forget for the athletes, as only Jake Kidd managed to make it to the Semi-finals, where he ended up missing qualification, so Larxia had no representation in the 3 m Springboard finals. The 1500 m Freestyle Swim also saw no representation of Larxia in the finals, as every swimmer of the Larxian contingent failed to secure qualification, with Marcus Alejandro being the best performer for the nation. Well, onwards and upwards for the swimmers, as they will be looking to improve on their performance in this event. Larxian shooters Drake Maxwell and Hana Lee also failed to qualify in the 10 m Air Rifle event. We wish them the best for their future events and they will be training hard as well. The Larxian Water Polo team had a good day in the office as they handily defeated co-hosts Giovanniland 11-5. And the Beach volleyball duo of Garcia and Velasco fell to another defeat in their group drawings. Needless to say, they will have to step up and give it their all if they wish to qualify to the later stages of Esferiads. That is basically it for news in Kharventhin. Back to you Mario to close this off.
Mario: Thank you Jamie. As things stand, right now Larxia has won a gold medal and a bronze medal, putting us at the 7th position in the Medal tally. The athletes will be working very hard for the remaining days, and we suggest that the people turn up to support our athletes. It would definitely mean a lot to them and probably help them perform even better. That is it for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow, same place same time. Till then Adiós, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye.

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, Digital Arses! It's the multi-million-dollar video game company that wants you to know that you have to pay for the DA Corporate Essential Information Access Pass DLC if you want to know more about it! I, the sufferable egomaniac that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your manageably irritating host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"And we have just been told that the Opening Ceremony has ended without a hitch over in Quoriv, Giovanniland! Viewers at home, please do not panic, for we have a separate, second crew in Quoriv that has filmed the entire ceremony. It will be broadcast later today here on SDCSN Channel 3, so stay tuned for that! Anyways, my patronisingly Santosian colleague Melanie Coincé was with the Quoriv crew and attended the opening ceremony, so unfortunately I am legally required by my contract with SDCSN to hand over the time to her for a unbearable recap and thought-sharing segment."
"Yes, zank you Blubbaman. Bonjour, Santosie-Dominignoises watching this on your TV sets back home! I am Melanie Coincé, and I vill be covering all ze Esferiad events happening here in Quoriv. I must say, ze opening ceremony is très fantastique! Zhere is ample displays of Giovannilandian and Glenpavian culture and history. The music and poems were very amazing, non? I'm sure zat any person will reply 'oui!' to zat question. I particularly applaud ze depiction of Giovannilandian-Glenpavian reconciliation - c'est bien! Anyways, zhose are my thoughts on ze Opening Ceremony of ze II Summer Esferiad. I vill now hand back ze time to Blubbaman."
"Oh dear heavens, that took ages. Now that we are done listening to that weird mix of broken Common and patronising Santosian, let me go over some of the events in Kharventin that Santo-Dominian athletes will be participating in! As mentioned previously, Kharventin will be the site of many aquatic sports. These include artistic swimming, diving, team water polo, rowing, surfing, sailing, and slalom and sprint canoeing. Fighting sports, like boxing, fencing, karate, judo, shooting, wrestling and taekwondo will also be held here. Aside aquatics, near-water sports like beach volleyball and indoor volleyball will also be held here in Kharventin! And finally, the Esferiad triathlon will also be held here. And that's everything that'll happen in Kharventin!"
"I am also excited to announce that we have secured an exclusive interview with Mr Damian Delarue-Brouillard, chairman of the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC)! Join us tomorrow as we talk to him about our country's athletes, the history of the Esferiad and how good we will fare as a whole. We've even host a live questioning round where viewers like you at home can submit questions via an electronic channel - some of those question will be selected and we will ask Mr Delarue-Brouillard for answers on live television! Anyways, that's all we have to report for now. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and the long-awaited II Summer Esferiad has finally opened! Stay tuned to SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events,  and see you whenever stuff happens!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, Digital Arses! It's the multi-million-dollar video game company that wants you to know that you have to pay for the DA Corporate Essential Information Access Pass DLC if you want to know more about it! I, the sufferable egomaniac that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your manageably irritating host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"And we have just been told that the Opening Ceremony has ended without a hitch over in Quoriv, Giovanniland! Viewers at home, please do not panic, for we have a separate, second crew in Quoriv that has filmed the entire ceremony. It will be broadcast later today here on SDCSN Channel 3, so stay tuned for that! Anyways, my patronisingly Santosian colleague Melanie Coincé was with the Quoriv crew and attended the opening ceremony, so unfortunately I am legally required by my contract with SDCSN to hand over the time to her for a unbearable recap and thought-sharing segment."
"Yes, zank you Blubbaman. Bonjour, Santosie-Dominignoises watching this on your TV sets back home! I am Melanie Coincé, and I vill be covering all ze Esferiad events happening here in Quoriv. I must say, ze opening ceremony is très fantastique! Zhere is ample displays of Giovannilandian and Glenpavian culture and history. The music and poems were very amazing, non? I'm sure zat any person will reply 'oui!' to zat question. I particularly applaud ze depiction of Giovannilandian-Glenpavian reconciliation - c'est bien! Anyways, zhose are my thoughts on ze Opening Ceremony of ze II Summer Esferiad. I vill now hand back ze time to Blubbaman."
"Oh dear heavens, that took ages. Now that we are done listening to that weird mix of broken Common and patronising Santosian, let me go over some of the events in Kharventin that Santo-Dominian athletes will be participating in! As mentioned previously, Kharventin will be the site of many aquatic sports. These include artistic swimming, diving, team water polo, rowing, surfing, sailing, and slalom and sprint canoeing. Fighting sports, like boxing, fencing, karate, judo, shooting, wrestling and taekwondo will also be held here. Aside aquatics, near-water sports like beach volleyball and indoor volleyball will also be held here in Kharventin! And finally, the Esferiad triathlon will also be held here. And that's everything that'll happen in Kharventin!"
"I am also excited to announce that we have secured an exclusive interview with Mr Damian Delarue-Brouillard, chairman of the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC)! Join us tomorrow as we talk to him about our country's athletes, the history of the Esferiad and how good we will fare as a whole. We've even host a live questioning round where viewers like you at home can submit questions via an electronic channel - some of those question will be selected and we will ask Mr Delarue-Brouillard for answers on live television! Anyways, that's all we have to report for now. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and the long-awaited II Summer Esferiad has finally opened! Stay tuned to SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events,  and see you whenever stuff happens!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, Digital Arses! It's the multi-million-dollar video game company that wants you to know that you have to pay for the DA Corporate Essential Information Access Pass DLC if you want to know more about it! I, the sufferable egomaniac that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your manageably irritating host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"And we have just been told that the Opening Ceremony has ended without a hitch over in Quoriv, Giovanniland! Viewers at home, please do not panic, for we have a separate, second crew in Quoriv that has filmed the entire ceremony. It will be broadcast later today here on SDCSN Channel 3, so stay tuned for that! Anyways, my patronisingly Santosian colleague Melanie Coincé was with the Quoriv crew and attended the opening ceremony, so unfortunately I am legally required by my contract with SDCSN to hand over the time to her for a unbearable recap and thought-sharing segment."
"Yes, zank you Blubbaman. Bonjour, Santosie-Dominignoises watching this on your TV sets back home! I am Melanie Coincé, and I vill be covering all ze Esferiad events happening here in Quoriv. I must say, ze opening ceremony is très fantastique! Zhere is ample displays of Giovannilandian and Glenpavian culture and history. The music and poems were very amazing, non? I'm sure zat any person will reply 'oui!' to zat question. I particularly applaud ze depiction of Giovannilandian-Glenpavian reconciliation - c'est bien! Anyways, zhose are my thoughts on ze Opening Ceremony of ze II Summer Esferiad. I vill now hand back ze time to Blubbaman."
"Oh dear heavens, that took ages. Now that we are done listening to that weird mix of broken Common and patronising Santosian, let me go over some of the events in Kharventin that Santo-Dominian athletes will be participating in! As mentioned previously, Kharventin will be the site of many aquatic sports. These include artistic swimming, diving, team water polo, rowing, surfing, sailing, and slalom and sprint canoeing. Fighting sports, like boxing, fencing, karate, judo, shooting, wrestling and taekwondo will also be held here. Aside aquatics, near-water sports like beach volleyball and indoor volleyball will also be held here in Kharventin! And finally, the Esferiad triathlon will also be held here. And that's everything that'll happen in Kharventin!"
"I am also excited to announce that we have secured an exclusive interview with Mr Damian Delarue-Brouillard, chairman of the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC)! Join us tomorrow as we talk to him about our country's athletes, the history of the Esferiad and how good we will fare as a whole. We've even host a live questioning round where viewers like you at home can submit questions via an electronic channel - some of those question will be selected and we will ask Mr Delarue-Brouillard for answers on live television! Anyways, that's all we have to report for now. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and the long-awaited II Summer Esferiad has finally opened! Stay tuned to SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events,  and see you whenever stuff happens!"

Sunday 24th October 1421 - Häřtferdsierndeambeu Esferied Kęmiti Preview of the II Summer Esferiad (Quoriv & Karventhin)

Jeremy Clarkson: Hello and welcome to what is the 2nd time you've seen the Häřtferdsierndeambeu Esferied Kęmiti do news because we aren't going to let some news station or the government do the reporting. Yes, we know we are the olympic committee themselves but our track record for reliable pro-H&J reporting (yes, they can go hand-in-hand) is like that of a 5 star hotel. So everything is fine on the accuracy end. Now where were we... oh yes. Let us begin from the top.
Richard Hammond: Yes we shall.
Jeremy Clarkson: Wha- Hammond!
Richard Hammond: Hello & welcome, we are Hertfordshire & Jammbo's Olympic Committee, let us introduce ourselves. We are your hosts Clarkson, Hammond & May. Even though we are competing in the Esferiad too, we also do the reporting alongside our editor John Kramer.
John Kramer: We hope you appreciate the effort put into this and indeed the life you live, otherwise you might find yourself valuing your life just that much more.
Richard Hammond: John, we aren't putting people into your karmic death traps.
John Kramer: The sinners of society need to learn somehow.

A picture of the three hosts of coverage of Hertfordshire & Jammbo's efforts at Summer Esferiad II. John Kramer, the editor, is not pictured. He said he had to sort something out.
Richard Hammond: Anyway, you join us on Lavender Island, just off the north-east coast of our home continent Andolia so this is far closer to home than the first Esferiad which took place all the way up in St. Josalyn, Cambria. Lavender Island is home to the nations of Blue Bubble...
James May: It's called Glenpavia, Richard.
Richard Hammond: ...and Giovanniland.
Jeremy Clarkson: Regardless of their name, we have brought in 150 official entrants, though the real number thanks to team activities is higher than that.
James May: Quoriv in Giovanniland & Karventhin in Glenpavia are the two host cities in this joint effort by two Auran nations who have a long & storied history with each other. But I'm sure they can explain it all themselves.
Jeremy Clarkson: If you will recall at the first Summer Esferiad, we performed much better than anyone was expecting, ranking as the third best nation that time round.
Richard Hammond: That's right. The only two able to perform on a superior level to us and it was a narrow margin were Cambria & their national brothers Nieubasria, the Astor duo. I also seem to recall that I won gold in lightweight boxing back then.
James May: So you'll be attempting to defend your title?
Richard Hammond: Yep!
James May: And what if you fail?
Jeremy Clarkson: He'll die of shame and I'll die laughing.
Richard Hammond: Heheh, yeah.
Jeremy Clarkson: Well unfortunately we don't have time to show you the roster just yet, but we are working to provide the highest quality roster sheet we can muster.
James May: Which, considering it's us three, isn't really the highest standard.
Jeremy Clarkson: No you're right, I mean, in the eyes of somewhere like Saint Mark or another similarly high brow nation, our version of highest quality is their version of peasantry.
Richard Hammond: Everything is peasantry to them!
James May: Well, that's not strictly true but...
Jeremy Clarkson: Sorry James, we don't have enough time for one of your lectures so we'll end it there. Thank you so much for watching and, er, goodnight!
Richard Hammond: Er, Jeremy, where's John?

A small squeaking can be heard in the distance, just outside the HNJEK headquarters at the outside lavatory.
Billy: I want to play a game. [spoken in the distance]
Richard Hammond: Oh no.
James May: I'll go sort it out.
Richard Hammond: Has Kramer seriously gone and put opposition athletes, or even our own, into one of his traps?
Jeremy Clarkson: Maybe it's unrelated to him, although that would not surprise me given his twisted sense of justice.
Richard Hammond: I've just had a thought, what if Marcarius or one of his aides...
Jeremy Clarkson: Butlers & maids.
Richard Hammond: Yeah, butlers & maids.
James May: Rich poncey pillocks.
Jeremy Clarkson: Oh, you're back. Any luck?
John Kramer: Alright, I've de-activated Billy. I don't condone putting innocent people into my traps. That is akin to murder.
James May: Like that's going to reassure everyone.
Jeremy Clarkson: Back to the aristocrat, I very much doubt that would be possible, that man's going to have the highest level security imaginable. Now if I might make a suggestion... run!
Richard Hammond: Running away. Disclaimer, we weren't involved in whatever John was doing!
 
Well, that debacle happened. We hope to see you lot again soon for more insulting of other nations and general cocking about. In the meantime, let us send off in the usual fashion. Some say our athletes have been found as far north as Avaratra, and that we have a full size Esferiad logo on an Esferiad logo. All we know is, we are the HNJEK. Goodbye!
         
 

Ugh.
Lady Angela Deye was annoyed by the image that looked back from the deco mirror in her smart dressing room. She had long ago become comfortable with her thick, orange hair, and although she was a bit on the shorter side, she did have a nice figure. What drew her displeasure was the blazer ... red. 
Ugh. I look horrible in red, she muttered to herself. Why did the Markan colors have to be red, white and gold? It wouldn't be so bad if she had only had to wear it for the parade, but it was also part of the Markan equestrian team's official riding costume. Maybe she could convince His Highness to go with white as the main color next year and a more traditional black for the riding costume. Oh well. There's nothing to do about it right now. Red it is.
She smiled a bit, amused by her own vanity, tucked her hair under her black cap, and turned to leave her suite. She had just enough time to get some riding in at the Lavandula Equestrian Center.

Kasper opens his phone, the ping was heard across the room as the Blue Bubble Team get ready to walk out. She was wearing the traditional Leader uniform - from when the Army was the most important thing to his country. It was her first real public appearance to the world, after all.
It was captioned: "Official Photo released, just in time for the opening ceremony. The sword won't be included tonight, though."
He smiles. She knew how to rock an outfit, even as humble as she is. He posts a comment, "Looking amazing. Good luck tonight!"
Shrugging on his Blazer, he hears another ping of his phone.
A DM. "Good Luck for the games, BTW. I am hoping I can catch the Archery to see you play." He starts to reply when a follow-up message appears. "And lose LOL!! Xxx"

Siblings, huh?

 
The Official Logo of the Blue Bubble Esferiad Committee and Team, along with their Blazer. This Blazer would be worn with Black shirt, bottoms, and shoes.
 
 

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

"Hello, everyone! From Kharventin, Blue Bubble, we at Santo-Dominian Cable-Satellite Network Channel 3 bring you live coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! Our coverage of the II Summer Esferiad is brought to you by our generous sponsor, CHEAP Furniture! It's the upper-lower-midscale foreign furniture chain that's got everybody bruising their hands as they desperately try to save money by building their CHEAP furniture at home instead of not buying from CHEAP at all! I, the journalist without journalistic standards that is Approctoflecticus Blubberman, will be your tolerably egotistical host for the entire duration of the II Summer Esferiad!"
"That's right - after covering the 1st T20 World Cup and the 1st World Cup of Football, my crew and I have now been assigned to covering the Esferiad. More work for no change in wages, baby! Yes, as you noticed, despite towering ratings, us here at SDCSN Channel 3 are still somehow on the verge of utter financial ruin, so you will continue to see us accept sponsorship deals from all kinds of unpalatable corporations just we can get that sweet dough to stay alive. Anyways, the extraordinary nature of II Summer Esferiad means that we have made special arrangements to cover its entire duration!"
"What are these special arrangements, you ask? Well, since the cities of Kharventin, Blue Bubble and Quoriv, Giovanniland are hosting this Esferiad jointly, we can't have one crew travel to and from the two cities. It'd be too costly and logistically awful, and we don't have the manpower or the money! So, for events in Quoriv, Giovanniland, we will be handing over to another SDCSN Channel 3 crew headed by my unforgivably pretentious colleague Melanie Coincé! I'll let Melanie introduce herself."
"Zank you, Blubbaman! I am very hon-oured to cover zis absolutely fantastique event alongside you. Mes amis watching this on TV in Santosie-Dominigne, can you feel ze palpable excitement? I am, for one. Vhile my colleague Blubbaman covers mostly aquatic events in Kharventin, I vill be covering most of ze other athletic events in Quoriv! Such a smart division of labour, non? Anyways, I vill hand ze time back to Blubbaman and his crew. Be very excitée, mes amis! This is ze first Esferiad Santosie-Dominigne is participating in-"
"And it's back to me, Blubberman! Not Blubbaman or Blubbehman, it's Blubberman. Gosh, that was unbearable. People like her who speak Santosian are so- wait, I'm on air. I said nothing! Haha, I said absolutely nothing. Anyways, we've just been told that the Santo-Dominian delegation has arrived! Due to the special nature of this Esferiad, the athletes participating in Quoriv's events have arrived there, while the athletes doing Kharventin's events have arrived here. This is very exciting, as Santos-Dominius has historically specialised in aquatics, which means that some of our best, handsomest and most attractive athletes will be here in Kharventin instead of being stuck in Quoriv with Melanie and her pit of hell- I mean, just kidding! I didn't mean that, haha. You heard nothing!"

"We have also received word that the Santo-Dominian National Esferiad Committee(SDNEC) has released the logo and official blazer design of Team SD! In a moment, you should see images of both on your very own television screen. It must be noted that TeamSD's Esferiad logo looks very similar to its T20 Cricket logo, which indirectly adds to speculation that SDNEC is cooperating with the Santo-Dominian Government to do a branding overhaul for all of TeamSD. The TeamSD Esferiad logo has also been praised as 'innovative' by figures such as President Paul Goldberg, who has also stated that he will be watching coverage of the Esferiad. This is the channel for live and direct coverage of the II Summer Esferiad! I'm Approctoflecticus Blubberman, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of the Esferiad. Stay tuned for SDCSN Channel 3 for coverage of its events, and see you whenever stuff happens, even if that means I have to be awake 24/7 and do absurd overtime work!"

City of Gingkalos Slogan: The Suburban City Description: Calming trees and humble abodes coexist in natural harmony in this spread-out city. Population: 354,098 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Ostpalain-Westrhuin(PW) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Gingkalosian Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Henrik Grosz (DCB)
Body - Gingkalos Municipal Council
The typical Santo-Dominian city, restrained by limited space for development, is bursting with high-rise towers and skyscrapers. In Gingkalos, however, it's a different story entirely. Jokingly called "The Suburban City" by many residents, Gingkalos is fairly spread out on the small island upon which it is located, with many of its residents living in typical middle-class suburbia. Often considered a great place to start families and raise kids, the city offers large spaced-out homes, cosy low-rise buildings and lots of greenery. Gingkalos' definitive symbol is the tall Ginkgo tree, which represents the family values that the municipal government wishes to cultivate in the local area.
Another distinct feature of Gingkalos is its low taxes. In recent years, Canton Ostpalain-Westrhuin has been known for lowering its corporate and income taxes in a bid to attract more investment and wealthy residents. This strategy has worked to a degree, with the city observing a noticeable influx of more well-off residents in recent years. However, some older Gingkalosians with roots in the city have complained that their better-off neighbours are increasingly attempting to hoard big properties - although the city has remained dismissive of these concerns.
ETYMOLOGY
From Ginkgo biloba(common Ginkgo/Gingko tree).
HISTORY
Gingkalos was first founded in around 645 AF by settlers who found the island's evenly-spread vegetation a great source of relief from the scorching southern Dominian summers. As it grew over time, the city's residents and authorities discussed urbanisation as a way of bypassing the island's geographic limitations. However, this was rejected - many elderly citizens preferred a more suburban, tranquil atmosphere like Berchstein to the rapid development and rampant noise of metropolises such as Arkurter. This crucial decision would ultimately shape the city to become what it is today.
In the 1390s Gingkalos was faced with another difficult decision. Being home to abundant vegetation, logging companies from Friberne and Arkurter fought with the city's residents for the right to cut and sell the local area's Ginkgo trees. The logging companies attempted to bribe the municipal council into bypassing citizen consultation and approving the logging activities, but the municipal council took too much time to consider accepting the bribe. In the end, environmentalist organisations reported the corporations' suspicious acts to the national authorities in Friberne, and the Cantonal Court of Ostpalain-Westrhuin ruled against allowing the Ginkgo trees to be cut - protecting the city's harmonious nature for years to come.
Since then, Gingkalos has acquired a reputation as the definitive representation of Santo-Dominian middle-class suburbia; many movies about family life and teenage bildungsroman(coming-of-age) movies have been filmed in the city. Population growth, however, is a concern - residential development is reaching its limit, and some residents may eventually choose to move elsewhere given the small size of the island the city is located on.

City of Galioveile Slogan: A city of awakening. Description: This historic city is home to the Castle of Rebirth, where nobles used to conduct their rites of passage into adulthood. Population: 45,325 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Yatasailie-Comte(YC) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Santosian Demonym: Galioveilean Government: Council-manager government
Mayor - Anne-Marie Shalour(CoR)
Body - Council of Elders
One of the most mysterious and historic cities in Santos-Dominius, Galioveile sits on a partially inaccessible tidal island in the Canton of Yatasailie-Comte (Santosian for "Yatasail County"), far in the south of the island of Santos. Surrounded nearly entirely by sea, the only way to access Galioveile is to wait for the narrow sand passage connecting it to the Santosian mainland to appear at low tides. At high tides, the city is completely inaccessible by foot or by vehicle; however, the city has recently begun debating the establishment of a ferry service.
It should be noted that Galioveile doesn't just include the famous tidal island section that most people are aware of - a majority of the population actually live on the mainland side of the city, which is far more connected and accessible than its original core on the tidal island. This is why despite appearing to be very small in pictures, Galioveile actually narrowly has more people than the town of Berchstein in Canton Zentrum-Dominien.
The most famous landmark of Galioveile is undeniably the Castle of Rebirth. Sitting at the very top of the tidal island, the castle is famously known as where nobles in ancient times conducted their rites of passage in adulthood. To this day, the castle's interior walls and gardens are still filled with paintings, carvings and sculptures depicting the trials that young nobility have to go through. Nowadays, despite no longer being a site where adulthood rites are conducted, the Castle of Rebirth remains a tourist attraction, as it is rumoured in fairytales that hidden in its spire is a beautiful flower that will give those who find it everlasting adolescence.
ETYMOLOGY
From Galium odoratum(sweet woodruff), éveil(Santosian for "awakening") and possibly veil.
HISTORY
Galioveile was first discovered to be a naturally defensible location by the Duke of Neuenstadt in 132 AF. However, as the Duke believed that it was a double-edged sword (defenders may also find it hard to escape), he ultimately did not establish a settlement in the area. As the years passed, rising sea levels caused Galioveile's tidal island to become more and more inaccessible, as the sand passage connecting it to the mainland slowly eroded. It was only in 196 AF that mysterious tribal settlers from faraway unknown lands(now believed to be northwestern Andolia) set up shop and founded a village on the site. Unfortunately, the settlers were constantly beset by bad luck - the village elders, who were more experienced and adept at leadership and survival skills, often died in an untimely manner of plagues and diseases. This led to the rest of the village placing a great deal of importance on training its younger members to be able to take over the reins as soon as possible and as best as possible. The first rites of adulthood were conducted at the top of the hill on the tidal island, and later generations would build the Castle of Rebirth to commemorate and honour this tradition.
Galioveile gradually became more and more well known over the centuries, as countless nobles and rich families sent their adolescent heirs and heiresses to train at the Castle of Rebirth, picking up combat skills and learning how to survive and lead. Even the Duke of Neuenstadt - now a far descendant of the original Duke - sent his young heir to train at the castle. According to ancient tales, the heir ended up losing his life while training in the spire, which was struck by lightning. To mourn the death of his son, the Duke placed a flower granting everlasting youth to one who finds it - and the legend has charmed the city's residents ever since. To this day, many tourists will pay a visit to the Castle to search for the flower, but no one has managed to find it. It is said that the flower is actually a bush of sweet woodruff - Galium odoratum - which is where part of the city's current name comes from. Nowadays, Galioveile's culture and customs differ from most of the country - and scientists and historians have consistently attempted to figure out why.

Federal City of Friberne Slogan: Heart of Tradition Description: Charm, harmony and history make this place the country's greatest city. Population: 762,423 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Friberne (FE) Status: National and provincial capital, largest city overall and in canton Language: Common, Santosian, Dominish Demonym: Fribernese Government: Mayor-council government
Lord Mayor - Pierre Montcharrau (DCB)
Body - Municipal Commission of the Federal City
Home to the Santo-Dominian national government, there is arguably no city better than Friberne in the entire Federal Republic. Situated at the northwestern end of the Azure Lagoon, Friberne plays host to the Fribernese Fortress (the presidential palace), the National Senate Building, the National Court Building, the Friberne Stock Exchange and so much more. From the magnificent spectacle that is the Water Jet of Friberne to the haute-couture boutiques of Châtaignier Boulevard, this grandiose city truly has everything to offer. Beautifully gardened parks and splendid Santosian architecture seem to always be around the corner no matter where you go. All this add up to make Friberne Santos-Dominius' greatest city.
ETYMOLOGY
From frei(Dominish for "free") and berne(old Dominish for "bear").
HISTORY
Friberne was founded by refugees escaping from the sacking of early settlements Saxlonia and Palatinium in 144 AF. The two towns had been fighting the Saxlonian-Palatinian War of 143, which ended indecisively, and settlers who could no longer stand the warring fled south to establish Friberne.
Following its foundation, Friberne slowly but steadily grew to become a city-state; its first leader was Burne, Count of Upper Saxlonia. Back then, it was simply called Upper Saxlonia, which then was changed to Upper Sasslen when the Framboisian nobility implemented the Great Step Up reforms of 159. Nevertheless, despite its residents' desire to seek solace and refuge, Friberne was unable to avoid war forever.
The people of what is now Canton Framboise soon invaded the city-state of Lotharburg, situated in the northernmost tip of Santos. Its ruler, Duchess Joan IV, sought Fribernese assistance in creating numerical superiority so as to repel the Framboisian invaders. In spite of numerous efforts by the armies of Framboise to take Lotharburg, Friberne was able to send troops and relieve pressure on their beleaguered northern ally. The united Fribernese-Lotharburgian army ultimately defeated Canton Framboise.
From then onwards, Friberne steadily became a growing powerhouse in Santo-Dominian politics. It made alliances with towns near and far, including Sasslen, Palain, St. Arlaine, Waldburg and Schwabenburg. Its prior friendship with Lotharburg was also maintained. This array of alliances catapulted Friberne into great significance, which was only further accelerated when Saint Mark conquered Santos-Dominius in 898 AF. The Saint Markian colonists chose Friberne as the seat of their colonial government, viewing it as a reliable conservative stronghold compared to cities like Waldburg(WS), Louisann(LM) and St. Arlaine(SN), all three of which have long histories with revolts. The Fribernese population lived up to this expectation - despite sharing the other cities' dislike of their colonisers, it decided to cooperate rather than revolt and face near-certain destruction.
When the Patriotic Liberation broke out, Friberne was the last Saint Markian stronghold to fall to the Santo-Dominian forces. Despite the heavy fighting that happened right outside the city, the liberating Santo-Dominians decided against destroying this historic town, choosing instead to peacefully enter. When the new Federal Republic needed a capital, the Fribernese ceaselessly lobbied for the honour in an attempt to save the city's reputation. They succeeded, as the new government thought it wise to locate itself in Friberne so as to show continuity and demonstrate that the country had been truly liberated from Saint Mark.
Nowadays, Friberne stands as Santos-Dominius' heart of tradition, contrasting sharply with the futuristic Arkurter, the bombastic Sasslen, the historic Galioveile and the fairytale-like Romant-sous-Bois. It's one of a rare few cities in Santos-Dominius that is evenly trilingual: 1/3 of the city has Common as their 1st language, another 1/3 with Santosian as their native language and the remaining 1/3 with Dominish as their mother tongue. This is reflected in the city's three neighbourhoods: the elegant and splendid Santosian Quarter, which has decadent architecture and high-fashion boutiques; the neat and tidy Dominish Quarter, which has the government complex and several museums; and the Fribernese Littoral, the tranquil lakeside neighbourhood with fancy mansions and homes.

Town of Berchstein Slogan: Where the morning sun smiles at the sea. Description: The elderly residents boast that having nothing to do is this seaside town's unique charm. Population: 43,234 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Zentrum-Dominien (ZD) Status: Largest cantonal town, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Berchsteiner Government: Council-manager government
Mayor - Amelia McManting (DCB)
Body - Berchstein Town Council
Is there much to do in the town of Berchstein? Ask any local resident and they will unfailingly say "no". Apart from the usual grocery stores, bakeries, post office, town hall and residents, Berchstein has little to offer for the adventurous traveler. But this seaside town's residents like it that way - according to a recent demographics survey, over 80% of elderly Santo-Dominians lived in or planned to move to Berchstein.
The reason for this is precisely because Berchstein doesn't have much going on. This quaint and quiet village is the perfect settling place for those who have already lived through their most adventurous, exciting and passionate years. Its pastel-coloured, mid-sized homes are excellent for elderly couples and families who wish to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of big cities like Arkurter and Sasslen, as well as the politics of Friberne. In almost anywhere else, being a town with nothing much going on is nearly always a negative. But in Berchstein, it's the defining characteristic that makes it attractive.
ETYMOLOGY
From berch(old Common for "family who lived close to a birch tree") and stein(old Dominish for "stone, rock").
HISTORY
Berchstein was founded by Emilia, Dowager Countess of Rederburg long ago. After her husband died and her son took over as Count of the city, Dowager Countess Emilia wanted a refuge where she could take a rest and stop having to deal with the complicated matters that come with being a noblewoman. She left Canton Sasslen-Vorpalain and sailed around the Dominian archipelago in search of a perfect location, and Berchstein was the place that she chose. With the money she got from her late husband, the Dowager Countess built and maintained a large mansion estate, where she lived carefree and surrounded by servants, which she treated kindly.
Right before the Dowager Countess died, she bequeathed ownership of the estate - and the town by extension - to her servants and their families, as a final act of boundless generosity. Since then, the descendants of those servants have lived in Berchstein for generations, carefully keeping the town intact and treating newcomers kindly as a way to pay tribute to the Dowager Countess. Nowadays, the town is what Emilia Redenburg would've wanted it to become - a quiet refuge for all who want to slow down and catch their breath.

City of Arkurter Slogan: The Frontline of Time Description: A rapidly morphing city, with little trace of its past. Population: 425,897 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Nordrhuin-Theronigen(NR) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Arkurter Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Sarah Einhart (CoR)
Body - Council of All Arkurters
Arkurter is Santos-Dominius' 2nd-largest city overall, and its most futuristic. Sitting on an island in Canton Nordrhuin-Theronigen, Arkurter has long been the financial hub of southern Santos-Dominius while sustaining a friendly rivalry with Friberne for the status of overall financial centre of the country. With cerulean and pearl white office buildings in its heart, Arkurter is home to a lot of regional banks and major corporations.
Arkurter has also acquired a reputation for innovation in recent years. Technology and communications start-ups often find the bustling southern city a better and more bustling choice than the quiet, traditional and leafy Friberne. Although this has caused some crude Friberneses to accuse the city of abandoning its past, Arkurters have always coolly retorted that Friberne just can't catch up to their hometown.
ETYMOLOGY
From ar(prefix, origin unknown) and kurter(name, origin unknown).
HISTORY
Arkurter was first populated by emigrating people from the northern shores of the continent of Andolia. Founded on the coast with prime access to the Yatasail and Darkesian Seas, medieval Arkurter flourished as a trading port. As its founding citizens traversed the Yatasail specifically to arrive at the city, Arkurters also mastered the skill of seafaring earlier and better than other major towns in Santos-Dominius. Arkurter became a booming city where citizens hailing from Santos and northern Dominius could purchase and sell goods and products of all kinds in exchanges with Andolian merchants from near and far.
Today, Arkurter is still a trading port, but not literally so: the city has sustained its own branch of the Friberne Stock Exchange. Although this is jokingly viewed as an insult by some proud Arkurters, it cannot be denied that the stock trading activity has brought much wealth and prosperity to the city, assuring its residents that development will not stop. No matter where one goes, Arkurter always seems to have the most fascinating and modern technologies, buildings, roads, cars, and so on. Perhaps this is why incumbent Mayor Sarah Einhart declared in her first victory speech that Arkurter was on "the frontline of time".

City of Anheit Slogan: The city of rising fog. Description: A city covered by fog and smog, with exceptionally industrious residents. Population: 136,024 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Niedersasslen(NL) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Anheiter Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Gladys Williamson (DCB)
Body - Anheit Municipal Council
Nestled in the north of the Dominian Archipelago, Anheit has always been an industrial hub of the country. The largest city and provincial capital of Canton Niedersasslen, Anheit is Santos-Dominius' leading manufacturing heart and part of the greater Northern Dominius industrial area. The city is one of northern Dominius' more populous and modern cities, with technological and scientific advancements allowing for the construction of ever more futuristic plants and factories.
Anheit is not a popular tourist destination. However, it is home to some of Santos-Dominius' biggest industrial corporations and conglomerates. As a result, many engineers and workers seeking manual labour for good pay often come to the city in search for various employment opportunities, which the city always has an abundance of.
ETYMOLOGY
From the An river and heit(Dominish suffix meaning "soft/fair").
HISTORY
Anheit was first settled by peoples from the island of Santos. It was also populated by emigrants from the southern part of the Auran mainland. The city's strategic position at one of the northern points of Dominius was observed by the city's rulers, who noted that Anheit lay at the northern entrance of the Darkesian Sea from the Infinite World Ocean to the west. This good fortune allowed Anheit to prosper as an industrial and trading hub, specialising in the export of Santo-Dominian products from all over the country. At first, this was fine materials like garments and riches; but as technology developed, this was quickly replaced by steel and iron. Anheit was dotted with factories everywhere, and it caused smog to blanket the city, resulting in the nickname "the city of rising fog".
These days, Anheit is far from the industrial powerhouse it used to be - the boons of automation and technological advancement have meant that there is far less need for the manufacturing plants of the past. However, Anheit is not ready to give up its long productive tradition yet - the city has been building newer and more sophisticated renewable energy plants and recycling centres in hopes that the industrious passion of its citizens can adapt to new environments and survive for generations to come.

CONTENTS
A
Anheit
Arkurter
B
Berchstein
F
Friberne
G
Galioveile
Gingkalos
L
Lotharburg
Louisann
M
Myosotine
N
Neuenstadt
P
Palain
R
Rederburg
Romant-sous-Bois
S
Sasslen
Solaceil
Sorbierra
St. Arlaine
T
Tagetedel
W
Waldburg

City of Gingkalos Slogan: The Suburban City Description: Calming trees and humble abodes coexist in natural harmony in this spread-out city. Population: 354,098 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Ostpalain-Westrhuin(PW) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Gingkalosian Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Henrik Grosz (DCB)
Body - Gingkalos Municipal Council
The typical Santo-Dominian city, restrained by limited space for development, is bursting with high-rise towers and skyscrapers. In Gingkalos, however, it's a different story entirely. Jokingly called "The Suburban City" by many residents, Gingkalos is fairly spread out on the small island upon which it is located, with many of its residents living in typical middle-class suburbia. Often considered a great place to start families and raise kids, the city offers large spaced-out homes, cosy low-rise buildings and lots of greenery. Gingkalos' definitive symbol is the tall Ginkgo tree, which represents the family values that the municipal government wishes to cultivate in the local area.
Another distinct feature of Gingkalos is its low taxes. In recent years, Canton Ostpalain-Westrhuin has been known for lowering its corporate and income taxes in a bid to attract more investment and wealthy residents. This strategy has worked to a degree, with the city observing a noticeable influx of more well-off residents in recent years. However, some older Gingkalosians with roots in the city have complained that their better-off neighbours are increasingly attempting to hoard big properties - although the city has remained dismissive of these concerns.
ETYMOLOGY
From Ginkgo biloba(common Ginkgo/Gingko tree).
HISTORY
Gingkalos was first founded in around 645 AF by settlers who found the island's evenly-spread vegetation a great source of relief from the scorching southern Dominian summers. As it grew over time, the city's residents and authorities discussed urbanisation as a way of bypassing the island's geographic limitations. However, this was rejected - many elderly citizens preferred a more suburban, tranquil atmosphere like Berchstein to the rapid development and rampant noise of metropolises such as Arkurter. This crucial decision would ultimately shape the city to become what it is today.
In the 1390s Gingkalos was faced with another difficult decision. Being home to abundant vegetation, logging companies from Friberne and Arkurter fought with the city's residents for the right to cut and sell the local area's Ginkgo trees. The logging companies attempted to bribe the municipal council into bypassing citizen consultation and approving the logging activities, but the municipal council took too much time to consider accepting the bribe. In the end, environmentalist organisations reported the corporations' suspicious acts to the national authorities in Friberne, and the Cantonal Court of Ostpalain-Westrhuin ruled against allowing the Ginkgo trees to be cut - protecting the city's harmonious nature for years to come.
Since then, Gingkalos has acquired a reputation as the definitive representation of Santo-Dominian middle-class suburbia; many movies about family life and teenage bildungsroman(coming-of-age) movies have been filmed in the city. Population growth, however, is a concern - residential development is reaching its limit, and some residents may eventually choose to move elsewhere given the small size of the island the city is located on.

City of Gingkalos Slogan: The Suburban City Description: Calming trees and humble abodes coexist in natural harmony in this spread-out city. Population: 354,098 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Ostpalain-Westrhuin(PW) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Gingkalosian Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Henrik Grosz (DCB)
Body - Gingkalos Municipal Council
The typical Santo-Dominian city, restrained by limited space for development, is bursting with high-rise towers and skyscrapers. In Gingkalos, however, it's a different story entirely. Jokingly called "The Suburban City" by many residents, Gingkalos is fairly spread out on the small island upon which it is located, with many of its residents living in typical middle-class suburbia. Often considered a great place to start families and raise kids, the city offers large spaced-out homes, cosy low-rise buildings and lots of greenery. Gingkalos' definitive symbol is the tall Ginkgo tree, which represents the family values that the municipal government wishes to cultivate in the local area.
Another distinct feature of Gingkalos is its low taxes. In recent years, Canton Ostpalain-Westrhuin has been known for lowering its corporate and income taxes in a bid to attract more investment and wealthy residents. This strategy has worked to a degree, with the city observing a noticeable influx of more well-off residents in recent years. However, some older Gingkalosians with roots in the city have complained that their better-off neighbours are increasingly attempting to hoard big properties - although the city has remained dismissive of these concerns.
ETYMOLOGY
From Ginkgo biloba(common Ginkgo/Gingko tree).
HISTORY
Gingkalos was first founded in around 645 AF by settlers who found the island's evenly-spread vegetation a great source of relief from the scorching southern Dominian summers. As it grew over time, the city's residents and authorities discussed urbanisation as a way of bypassing the island's geographic limitations. However, this was rejected - many elderly citizens preferred a more suburban, tranquil atmosphere like Berchstein to the rapid development and rampant noise of metropolises such as Arkurter. This crucial decision would ultimately shape the city to become what it is today.
In the 1390s Gingkalos was faced with another difficult decision. Being home to abundant vegetation, logging companies from Friberne and Arkurter fought with the city's residents for the right to cut and sell the local area's Ginkgo trees. The logging companies attempted to bribe the municipal council into bypassing citizen consultation and approving the logging activities, but the municipal council took too much time to consider accepting the bribe. In the end, environmentalist organisations reported the corporations' suspicious acts to the national authorities in Friberne, and the Cantonal Court of Ostpalain-Westrhuin ruled against allowing the Ginkgo trees to be cut - protecting the city's harmonious nature for years to come.
Since then, Gingkalos has acquired a reputation as the definitive representation of Santo-Dominian middle-class suburbia; many movies about family life and teenage bildungsroman(coming-of-age) movies have been filmed in the city. Population growth, however, is a concern - residential development is reaching its limit, and some residents may eventually choose to move elsewhere given the small size of the island the city is located on.

City of Gingkalos Slogan: The Suburban City Description: Calming trees and humble abodes coexist in natural harmony in this spread-out city. Population: 354,098 (as of 1421 census) Canton: Ostpalain-Westrhuin(PW) Status: Largest cantonal city, provincial capital Language: Common, Dominish Demonym: Gingkalosian Government: Mayor-council government
Mayor - Henrik Grosz (DCB)
Body - Gingkalos Municipal Council
The typical Santo-Dominian city, restrained by limited space for development, is bursting with high-rise towers and skyscrapers. In Gingkalos, however, it's a different story entirely. Jokingly called "The Suburban City" by many residents, Gingkalos is fairly spread out on the small island upon which it is located, with many of its residents living in typical middle-class suburbia. Often considered a great place to start families and raise kids, the city offers large spaced-out homes, cosy low-rise buildings and lots of greenery. Gingkalos' definitive symbol is the tall Ginkgo tree, which represents the family values that the municipal government wishes to cultivate in the local area.
Another distinct feature of Gingkalos is its low taxes. In recent years, Canton Ostpalain-Westrhuin has been known for lowering its corporate and income taxes in a bid to attract more investment and wealthy residents. This strategy has worked to a degree, with the city observing a noticeable influx of more well-off residents in recent years. However, some older Gingkalosians with roots in the city have complained that their better-off neighbours are increasingly attempting to hoard big properties - although the city has remained dismissive of these concerns.
ETYMOLOGY
From Ginkgo biloba(common Ginkgo/Gingko tree).
HISTORY
Gingkalos was first founded in around 645 AF by settlers who found the island's evenly-spread vegetation a great source of relief from the scorching southern Dominian summers. As it grew over time, the city's residents and authorities discussed urbanisation as a way of bypassing the island's geographic limitations. However, this was rejected - many elderly citizens preferred a more suburban, tranquil atmosphere like Berchstein to the rapid development and rampant noise of metropolises such as Arkurter. This crucial decision would ultimately shape the city to become what it is today.
In the 1390s Gingkalos was faced with another difficult decision. Being home to abundant vegetation, logging companies from Friberne and Arkurter fought with the city's residents for the right to cut and sell the local area's Ginkgo trees. The logging companies attempted to bribe the municipal council into bypassing citizen consultation and approving the logging activities, but the municipal council took too much time to consider accepting the bribe. In the end, environmentalist organisations reported the corporations' suspicious acts to the national authorities in Friberne, and the Cantonal Court of Ostpalain-Westrhuin ruled against allowing the Ginkgo trees to be cut - protecting the city's harmonious nature for years to come.
Since then, Gingkalos has acquired a reputation as the definitive representation of Santo-Dominian middle-class suburbia; many movies about family life and teenage bildungsroman(coming-of-age) movies have been filmed in the city. Population growth, however, is a concern - residential development is reaching its limit, and some residents may eventually choose to move elsewhere given the small size of the island the city is located on.