[Zoranian Folklore: Terrors of the mind and spirit]

So you have returned for more bone chilling tales from the mystical land of Zoran? Well this time it is nothing terrifying, but instead a tale that many people in Zoran are familiar with, the tale of Amadahy. 

Back in the days when Saint Mark ruled the land, there was a young woman named Amadahy. Amadahy was an orphan whose mother died in childbirth and whose father died in an attack of her village from Saint Mark colonists. She was raised by her tribe, just as tribal law dictated at the time. The woman taught her household skills and the men taught her how to hunt and use a bow. From the shamans she learned religious beliefs that her parents were supposed to teach her, but when the shaman of the village first saw her he said,

“This girl has the spark inside her. Truly the Spirit has something planned for her.”

Indeed, she did have a spark inside her and the Great Spirit had something grand planned for her. When she came of age, which at the time was sixteen years old, she did not know what she wanted to do with her life. It is tradition that a woman would choose her life path whether that be religious or secular whether as a mother or a member of the tribe’s workforce or sometimes both. Yet she did not know what she wanted to do. When she came to face her father and the red chief, she said that she did not know what life path she wanted to follow. Her father and the red chief were displeased and told her to leave the tribe until she decided what life path she wanted to follow. She was ashamed and walked out of the tribal village in tears going into the wild Zoranian jungle.

She walked deep into the jungle, crying the entire way, until she reached the edge of a waterfall. When she reached the edge she looked down off the edge of the waterfall, debating what she wanted to do with her life. However, shame at her inability to decide took hold over her mind and she decided to jump off the edge of the waterfall to her death. Just as she was about to jump off, she was stopped by a divine light that shone brightly in front of her. A Voraltar named Tanehewe floated in front of her, sent by the Great Spirit to stop her from ending her life.

“Ganesosgv, Amadahy. I am Tanehewe, a voraltar of the Great Spirit, Do not cast your life away to the pits of despair. You have a spark within you, a spark gifted to you by the Spirit Himself.”

Amadahy was in shock and awe at the Voraltar and fell to her knees at the edge of the waterfall before saying,

“A spark? What could I have done to deserve such a gift from the Great Spirit? I am but a simple orphan.”

“The Spirit works in ways that not even I understand. But fear not, I have come to grant you guidance.” they said, “Go to the grave where your father was laid, there you shall find the light to your spark that will help you find the path you will follow.”

Amadahy thanked Tanehewe before getting up and going to the burial ground where her father was laid to rest. Upon her arrival at the burial site, she found a large group of children gathered together with tears rolling down their cheeks. They were thin to the bone and some sat nude but all of them owned anything. They didn’t have money, food, toys, or even a family. Conflict with Saint Markian colonists have been leaving a massive number of orphans and tribes have been struggling to support all of them. These children were among those that were cast out from their tribes because of there being too many mouths to feed and not enough people to work to produce or procure food.

Amadahy was moved by the sight of these children and the spark within her was finally lit. The spark within her is known as the Spark of Giving, and at the sight of these children she felt the need to give them along with other children gifts to raise their spirits, encourage good behavior, or to help them survive. She ran to her village with haste and when she arrived people thought she had chosen her life path. While this is true, it wasn’t a traditional one. She entered the foster home that she was housed in and got to work making a large woven basket out of river cane. The Great Spirit was pleased with her dedication that he blessed the basket so that she can pull out any gift she needs. After she finished weaving her blessed basket, she ran out of the village back to the children at the burial ground and gave them food, clothing, some Zorallas, and some toys for them to play with. The children smiled and thanked her for her kindness and since then she has been giving gifts to children across Zoran for years with the help of the Great Spirit. But she only gives gifts to good boys and girls or orphaned children who are in desperate need to help and she goes from house to house or alleyway to alleyway every night to give out gifts to all children in Zoran.

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

*turns on the lights and brushes off some dust*

I'm back! @Dilber, you're going for a little swim!

 

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

Zoranian Times Live!

"Helloooooo Zoran! The finals have come and gone and we have emerged victorious! Against all odds our team managed to beat the blue shirts of Dalimbar! This is not just a victory for our nation but for all of Aura! Our team beat Dalimbar 6 to 10 in a match that can only be described as phenomenal! The Dalimbari used their infamous landmine tactic on the field but our coach had prepared for this...that is why the GDC sent some tanks with mine ploughs and mine flails to burst through the stadium wall and clear the field of landmines! This occurred mere minutes before the match started but this wasn't the only thing that led our team to victory. The Zoranian refugees, yes the same refugees that interfered with other matches, were furious at the Dalimbari for supplying landmines to the Corporate faction in the civil war and lashed out against the Dalimbari players, attacking a few Dalimbari players throughout the game! This caused some Dalimbari players to be injured during the match and it provided enough of a distraction for our team to score us a few points to take the victory in the match! We here at Zoranian Times hope this victory brings some joy to our fellow countrymen back home who are having to endure a most dreadful civil war. I am Quiyakaso and I am getting out of here before my bad luck takes effect!"
The camera then shows Quiyakaso running away towards a hotel but not before being tackled by Winotlisa Austenaco, who is still wearing a orange prison jumpsuit.

"I am the true reporter of Zoranian Times Live! Not you!" yelled Wintolisa. The two began fighting on the ground but none of the crew did anything and kept reporting the fight. Quiyakaso bit Wintolisa's hand but Wintolisa punched Quiyakaso in the face. They then rolled around on the ground for a bit and to be honest it isn't as interesting as you may think. But the fight ended when the security guards who were chasing Winotlisa for the entirety of the World Cup caught up and tackled Wintolisa onto the ground and off of Quiyakaso.

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

Zoranian Times Live!

"Hello Zoran! Quiyakaso here refreshed and ready for anything today! It has been a few days since I was on air but that was because I wanted to stay in my cheap hotel bed and cry for a while! Anyways these past few days have been a wild one! Last night our team beat the very skilled Fujansk team in the quarterfinal by three points! At the very beginning of the game, the Zoranian Olympic judo team ran onto the field and knocked out the referee and the two assistant referees! However, despite these actions, the Fujansk were able to get an early lead on our team and close to the middle of the game the Zoranian team were losing hope. But then the Zoranian refugees began holding onto the legs of the Fujanks players, begging them for alms. This prevented the Fujansk team from scoring or well moving much, allowing out team to catch up and win the game in the last few seconds of the game! Our team will be going up against the Kurabi rugby team tonight folks! All of Aura is cheering for us! Well probably with the exception of Dilber who is claiming their team won! Regardless, let's bring home the gold!"

Right as Quiyakaso thought he had a successful broadcast at full energy without interruption, a swarm of Dilberian seagulls that have been injected with a variety of drugs by BetterBy Pharma start attacking him and on the screen you see Quiyakaso yelling and running through the streets of Dilber City trying in vain to escape the seagulls!

"BY THE SPIRIT! WHY! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A SEAGULL ATTACK!" screams Quiyakaso before the NACZ logo appears.

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

Zoranian Times Live!

*Zoranian times live into plays to reveal a very tired looking Quiyakaso who looks like he does not want to be reporting right now*

"Yeah, hello Zoran. So our team won our games against Recuecen and Badgeria the past few days. It was a great event yada yada yada. The Zoranian refugees flooded the field and prevented Recuecen's players from playing properly. They kept clinging onto their legs or kept bothering them about asking where they were in the Zoranian language, a language the Recuecen players did not know. So our team was able to push forward in winning us eight points. For the Badgeria game it was a normal one, the Zoranian refugees didn't really bother the Badgerian players and the game was fairly normal with our players able to score some points against them. Our next match is against the notorious Hertforidan rugby team, let's hope that our players can pull through this one folks and I have complete faith in our team who has been training using video recordings of their national team's rugby practices and matches to be able to counter them effectively. That is all from me today now please let me sleep after struggling to get the drugged up police officers of Dilber to find the things that was stolen from me." The camera kept recording and he just looked at the camera in confusion,

"What are you doing? Stop recording."

"We are waiting for something funny or random to happen." yelled someone from behind the camera,

"No! This is probably the most normal broadcast my entire career so far! Don't jinx it!"

"No...the people love seeing you miserable. You are a meme in Zoran for crying out loud! Just find some random Dilberian that would be willing to mug you or something." Quiyakaso just sighs, drops the microphone, and walks off camera,

"I am going to bed, goodnight."

"NOOOOOO! THE VIE-"

The screen then transitions back to the news studio leaving the divided country of Zoran with a very bland update on the rugby game.

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

28 November, 1420; 5:40 PM AMT

Zoranian Times Live!

Zoranian Times live intro plays and reveals a unawares Quiyakaso who is currently picking his nose until he realizes he is live on air.

"Oh! Hello people of Zoran! I am Quiyakaso Gohalitsve and we are reporting live in the streets of the capital of Dilber awaiting the celebratory parade that the NACZ planned for our rugby players! But while we wait, I want to say that the team uniforms of the other teams look absolutely marvelous, very fashio-"

A red haired five year old, dilberian chique who is dressed like a homeless person, aggressively stops into view of the camera before saying, 

"You really think you know what fashion is!?" said the girl. Quiyakaso pinches the ridge of his nose before sighing

"And who might you be little girl?" the girl had abnormally large muscles for someone her age before she said loudly,

"Who am I!? Are you stupid or something!? I am the best fashion designer in all of Dilber! And I tell you that these jerseys are not fashionable at all! What I am wearing is the peak of fashion!" Quiyakaso began to laugh and the girl only grew angrier,

"Okay okay little girl, look here have some money and buy yourself a chocolate bar or something."  he pulls out some Dilberian currency he got when he arrived her and handed it two the girl. The girl took it but quickly ate it and let out a battle cry. She punched Quiyakaso in the balls with all her might. Quiyakaso clutched his crotch as he let out a squeak that showed that this girl was not any normal girl, she was a Dilberian girl on steroids. Quiyakaso collapsed onto the side walk and the camera man backed up as a swarm of homeless people and the girl quickly descended upon him, stealing everything he had on him except for his microphone. When the swarm dispersed, Quiyakaso was left curled up on the ground in his white boxers and his microphone as he clutched his groin in agony. He didn't roll over to face the camera but you could see him shakily raise the microphone to his face and you heard him squeak out,

"You *groan* heard it here *sob* first folks. *sobs* Jerseys are not fashionable. *groans* Now let-argh-view the parade. *sobs* Why did I keep this job?"

"Because it pays really well and you didn't think things could get worse from what occurred at the Olympics." said the camera man. Quiyakaso began to silently cry in pain in the street as the NACZ logo fades into view on the screen before changing to another camera that showed the NACZ parade which shows floats with a giant logo of the NACZ made out of roses and the rugby team standing on the first float. But on the next float there are three people in the Olympic judo team outfit, in fact they are the three Zoranian finalists in the Judo event from the Olympics, if Quiyakaso wasn't incapacitated he would be asking what they are doing here but he can't! Following their float there is a giant platypus mascot with a few cheerleaders who are bringing the hype. Then a few other floats pass that aren't very important but behind the float you think you see a person in a prison jumpsuit with a shaved head running from some security guards yelling that he will run till the ends of the planet.

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

28 November, 1420; 7:00 AM AMT

Zoranian Times Live!

Location: Dilber, Dilber International Airport

Zoranian Times live intro plays and on the screen you see Winolisa Austenaco from the beginning of the Saint-Josalyn Olympics. He now has a shaved head and is wearing a filthy and wet orange prison jumpsuit.

“Good Morning Zoran! My name is Winotlisa Austenaco! A-”

“Hey! I thought you were fired! In fact, aren’t you supposed to be in prison in Saint-Josalyn!? How did you even get here!? Security!” interrupted someone from off screen. Winolisa frowned, dropped the microphone and yelled,

“No! I am not going back there! You will never take me alive!” Winolisa starts running and two security guards follow behind him in pursuit.

“Now where is Quiyakaso Gohalitsve?” asked someone offscreen. The sound of muffled yelling can be heard off screen and the cameraman turns around with the camera to show a hogtied Quiyakaso with duct tape over his mouth moving like a caterpillar out of the news van.

“By the Spi-”

28 November, 1420; 7:05 AM AMT

Zoranian Times live intro plays again and this time the proper reporter, Quiyakaso Gohalitsve, is on camera.

“We apologize for all that folks! Good morning Zoran! My name is Quiyakaso Gohalitsve and we are here live at the Dilber International Airport to show our national Rugby team arrive for the second annual Rugby tournament! We were not present in the first tournament but this time we are able to participate! After our team’s victory at the Olympics against the incredibly talented Fujansk team, our team has been practicing a lot to improve to ensure our victory in this event! Despite the turmoil in our country, we here at the Zoranian Times hope we can all come to cheer our team to victory in the Rugby World Cup.”

Sound of a plane landing heard in the background

“Oh! It seems our team’s plane has landed now, let’s go see them exit the plane!” Quiyakaso and the cameraman walk over to the team’s plane and watch the plane door open and the steps lower to the ground. The team is seen in their black, purple, and red jerseys walking down the steps of the plane carrying their carryon bags.

 

“There they are folks! Our skilled rugby players are ready to head out and play in the World Cup! Th-” He was interrupted when the cargo hold door popped open and Zoranian refugees began pouring out of the cargo hold. Quiyakaso just stood there watching with his mouth agape. After all the refugees are out of the cargo hold, you could see that there were approximately 1,000 refugees that were in the cargo hold.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well it appears that are approximately a thousand-wait how is that even possible? How did a thousand refugees fit in the cargo hold and how did the plane manage to make the journey with all that extra weight!? In fact, how did they get into the cargo hold undetected!? How are all those refugees still alive!?”

“Stay on topic Quiyakaso!” yelled someone off screen. Quiyakaso facepalmed and sighed before continuing,

“Right, well there are approximately 1,000 refugees that fled the turmoil in Zoran by stowing away in the cargo hold of our national rugby team's plane. We will see you at the parade that the NACZ had arranged later today before the games begin today. I am Quiyakaso Gohalitsve, why do weird things like this keep happening to me whenever I report, and I will see you all later today!”

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup [rosters, roleplays, results]]

Zoranian Rugby Team:

Team Info:

• Style mod: +2
• Manager: Adanvtelidohi Wadoyaholi
• Coaches: Ahneewakee Adasegogisdi, Euna Dinanelohvsgi

Players:

Name	Age	Position
Amo-Adawehi Tsasima	25	Loosehead Prop
Attakullakulla Quegadu	21	Hooker
Salonitah Gelusva	22	Tighthead Prop
Twah'kohi Agasgani	20	Second Row (L)
Atsadi Hna'hido	28	Second Row (R)
Enoli Digewi	30	Blindside Flaker
Dlasimahe Asduidv	26	Openside Flanker
Sesdi Tsunela	23	Number 8
Ganiyegi Atsidanelv	19	Scrum-half
Ganohilvsv Ayeliiyv	33	Fly-half
Wohali Goyadv	24	Left Wing
Hawinaditlv Ayeli	34	Inside Centre
Doyaditlv Ayeli	30	Outside Centre
Duyugodv Goyadv	28	Right Wing
Kali Gasohi	18	Full Back

 

Spoiler

Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: yes
Assign my players red cards: no
Godmod injuries: Yes
Godmod scoring: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

 

[The Zoranian Civil War]

April 30, 1420
12:30 PM Over Time
National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower; Yemiduga City, Fisheros, Zoran

In a meeting room at the top floor of the National Zoranian Banking Clan tower, hundreds of executives and CEOs from corporations across Zoran have gathered to discuss their plans in the war. All of them sat in a large round table in dim lighting. Everyone had a binder with information on the current status of the war. Everything from expenditures, number of arms and ammunition, to missiles and missile launching sites, to even expenditures and their combined income. Every person in that room had put an investment in the future of the country and hoped to make massive profits if they succeeded in taking control and the mastermind behind it all was the head of one of the oldest industries in Zoran, Quasena Basket Weaving Enterprises. The current head of the Quasena family that runs the business is none other than Kunagadoga Quasena, who sits in the most elaborate chair with the window of the room behind him.

“Glad to see all of you could make it today. We have much to discuss in terms of our push to take the country. Open your binders to page two titled, the Dalimbari Arms Agreement or the DAA.” Everyone in the room did as he instructed all at one, everyone knew better than to challenge his authority. The page was a detailed copy of the contract signed between the Corporatocracy of Zoran and the Free State of Dalimbar which went over the agreed price settled on for arms and the promise for Dalimbar to be the Union’s main supplier of arms during the conflict.

“As Dalimbar as our main supplier of arms we will have access to a large amount of supplies and weapons from them to support the private military companies we have hired to do our dirty work. They were not cheap but they ensured quality arms for our cause, especially their world renowned landmines. I propose that we send a representative over to Dalimbar to keep them posted on current events of the war and to negotiate more deals with the Dalimbari junta.” said Kunagadoga as dryly before taking a sip of his glass of water, “Does anyone in the room oppose this proposition?” No one in the room said a single word in response to his question, “All in support raise their hand.” He said as he raised his own. Everyone’s hand in the room raised with him, something which pleased the leader of the Union.

“Very good. Now with that out of the way, we must turn to a more pressing issue, Adsila Ani’-Wah’. Everyone please look at the screen on the wall opposite of my seat.” He said as he turned on the screen with a control panel on the table. Everyone turned their swivel chairs to face the screen in unison as the screen showed video camera footage of CGZ escorting a blindfolded Adsila from her apartment building to an alleyway on the opposite side of the street. After the pair was out of view on the camera, the screen switched to a side by side report of Adsila and CGZ with their records, police reports, bio, and picture. CGZ’s was quite empty compared to Adsila’s but CGZ’s criminal record was full compared to Adsila’s empty criminal record.

“Ladies and gentleman, two of our biggest pains in the asses are in hiding together. CGZ has long been a thorn in the side of all wealthy people whether they are in business or governance for centuries. Illusive, untraceable, intelligent, skilled, and dangerous. The fact that he has become part of our hunt for Adsila makes things a lot more difficult.” said Kunagadoga without hiding the annoyance in his voice.

“Adsila on the other hand is a more reluctant annoyance. For a long time the Ani’-Wah’ clan has rivaled my family in wealth for many years. But it was never a feud in fact I am sure all of us have had lovely relations with the heads of the Ani’-Wah’ family. But our biggest threat in this war is the monarchist faction, who intend on having Adsila as the monarch of Zoran. So we must have her eliminated if we wish to disorganize and crush our biggest rival for the control of Zoran. But with CGZ protecting her, locating her will practically be impossible.” he said grimly. Everyone in the room began to whisper amongst themselves, most of the men and women in the room knew the impossibility of tracking down CGZ. Kunagadoga raised his hand and the whispers ceased,

“Thank you. But I have two potential solutions. One is we commit an act or provoke an act by one of the factions that will cause Adsila to want to leave the protection of CGZ to help end the war. This one I believe has the most potential as Adsila is known for having a compassionate heart and being strong willed, just like her father. Thus if we push her to the point where she can’t stand to sit back and watch any longer then we might be able to track her down.” The others in the room began to nod and whisper in agreement amongst themselves, “The other option is one that I believe will be less likely to occur but could lead to great results, we contact the Cambrians and try and enlist the help of their Inquisitors to potentially locate CGZ. However, like I said this would be unlikely to occur due to our agreement with Dalimbar and thus they probably do not think highly of us currently. It would also risk ruining our good relations with Dalimbar by turning to their enemy for support. Personally, I prefer the former option but of course I will put this up to a vote. All in favor of option one raise your hand.” A good majority of the table raised their hands in support of drawing Adsila out, some agreed out of fear of Kunagadoga and others genuinely believed for option one to be the best course of action.

“All in support of the idea of reaching out to the Cambrians, raise your hand.” Those that did not raise their hand before raised their hands now potentially believing that despite the unlikely nature of getting support from T&C that it could prove to have more results. Kunagadoga smiled at this,

“Great, option one it is then. But this meeting has gone on for quite a while now, let’s all take a quick thirty minute break and gather around the water cooler and talk about our money shall we?” Everyone in the room smiled and began talking in agreement as they all stood up and left the room. However, one executive walked up to Kunagadoga and whispered,

“Kuna my old friend. Are you sure your personal grudge against Adsila didn’t influence the making of this plan? You still aren’t miffed about the fact that she rejected you back in secondary school are you?” The smile on Kunagadoga’s face faded quickly at the executive’s words,

“Detsinulahungu my old friend, not another word out of you unless you want to end up as a woven basket that is gifted to the Dalimbari.” Kunagadoga said coldly. Detsinulahungu’s eyes widened and he slowly backed away from Kunagadoga.

I will never forget the day that she broke my heart.

Kunagadoga thought to himself before leaving the room to go to the water cooler as he had said.

[The Zoranian Civil War]

April 30, 1420
12:30 PM Over Time

Waholi stopped as he reached the large wooden door that led to the meeting room. The importance of this meeting weighed down on him. He knew very well that without support from Saint Mark they would be forced to surrender in three months as they drew closer to running low on ammunition and supplies. He took a deep breath and exhaled before pushing open the heavy door.

Before him stood a tall and slender man, with a tanned complexion, black hair and mustache, and brown eyes. Waholi knew that this man was Lord Maxwell, cousin to the Prince of Saint Mark. He closed the gap between him and Lord Maxwell with a smiled and bowed in front of him before speaking,

“It is an honor to have you here Lord Maxwell. Thank you for coming so quickly, I hope you didn’t have too much trouble getting here.”

“It's a pleasure meeting you General. My trip wasn't too difficult. Thank you for asking. My family has a hunting lodge near here, so it appears that I was simply spending some time there in the country, while I slipped away to your fortress here undetected.”

“It pleases me to hear that, I worried that with all the turmoil in the country you would have experienced some troubling issues. But come take a seat, would you like anything to drink? We don’t have much but it would be rude not to offer anything.”

“A bourbon and water would be appreciated, if you have it. Thank you.”

Waholi called in a soldier over his walkie talkie to bring Maxwell’s refreshments and in a few seconds a soldier came in with a tray that had a bottle of brandy and a pitcher of water along with two classes for each on it. The soldier set it down on the table and poured it out for their guest. The soldier then stood at attention until Waholi dismissed him,

“Now let’s get to the business side of things.” said Waholi as he sat down at the table, “I am going to be honest with you, we are desperate for aid from Saint Mark. While we have popular support amongst the people, our supplies are limited. I estimate that at the current rate without support we would last about three months until we run out of ammunition and other supplies. As I mentioned to one of your intelligence agents, we are in need of arms, supplies, and funds. In exchange, when we win the war I will convince Adsila to maintain the Saint Markian-Zoranian trade agreement and defense agreements as well as repay Saint Mark the amount of money you loan us during the war.” Maxwell took a sip of his glass of Bourbon before saying,

“The House of Halohin, as well as the Houses of many of our Electors, have a long and friendly history with the Ani’-Wah’ family. For the sake of these ties, and to promote the greatest chance for stability and prosperity in Zoran, we are ready to support you with all of the funds and non-martial supplies you require.” said Lord Maxwell. General Waholi thanked the Spirit in his head but stopped as the lord continued,

“Just as a cautionary measure, we would rather not send you munitions directly, but we will be happy to send more than enough in the way of funds to be able to purchase whatever you need. If however, you run into problems finding a source for the munitions, we will help you there as well. Saint Mark is committed to your success.”

“Your reasoning is understandable and we have no problems with Saint Mark’s precautionary measure. It brings me joy to know that Saint Mark is backing our cause, we will send someone to your capital to keep you informed on the situation.” 

“Best of luck and may God's Will be aligned with your cause.” said Maxwell before he finished up his glass of water.

“Thank you, may the Spirit help us all.”

The two shook hands, smiling as they secured a deal that could change the course of the war.
 

April 31, 1420
12:00 AM Over Time

A monarchist soldier runs into Waholi’s room holding a modified zPad(to prevent the corporations from listening in as well as preventing them from tracking them down), Startled by the sudden entry of the soldier, Waholi jumped out of bed and drew the pistol he hides under his pillow, aiming at the soldier.

“Sir! Sorry to wake you but there has been a major development. You are going to want to see this.” Waholi exhaled and put the gun on the bed before walking up to the soldier and taking the zPad from his hand. His eyes widened in shock, disgust, and sorrow. His palms shook and tears welled up in his eyes,

“By the Spirit...how could this happen? I didn't expected for something like this to occur.” He whipped the tears from his eyes and shoved the tablet back to the soldier,

“Send a message to all men that are still over there, tell them to return to the nearest base they can get to immediately!”

The soldier nodded and ran out to do such a task. When the soldier was far enough away, Waholi fell to his knees and began to weep. He did not weep because what had occurred impacted him personally, but he wept for the innocent lives that were lost and ruined by what had occurred.

How could they do this? Centuries of history and development, gone! Has the GDC gone mad!?

[2nd TWP Rugby World Cup - Signups]

Zoran is signing up

[Hey'all]

Welcome! We are glad to have ya! Feel free to ask questions on our discord, everyone is happy to help!

[Zoranian Folklore: Terrors of the mind and spirit]

Back again for another tale from the land of Zor? Well for this tale you better hope you don’t lose your head.

There are many spirits that reside in Zoran, some as malevolent as the Urakti and others as peaceful as a visiting soul of a family member. But there is one spirit that is feared above all, the Crimson Rider. Every blood moon it is said that the Crimson Rider, on his wicked horse Cyprus, rides down from the moon to make his ride across the Zoranian isles to round up any stray spirits that remained in the mortal realm for too long. However, the Crimson Rider shows no mercy to any poor traveler it counters on its midnight ride. For you see, the rider does not see the mortal flesh of man, he only sees their souls and thus believes them to be lost spirits and he drags them with him on his midnight ride down to the underworld. Yet during the night, mortals will hear his eerie yet captivating call for the dead to return to their respective afterlives. This call causes many poor fools to cross paths with the Rider. One such fellow was Lagida Tle’-Maya’.

Lagida was a beautiful woman who had suitors traveling from all thirty tribes of Zoran asking for her hand. But all these suitors were turned away for she believed that she needed no man to be happy. She sometimes saw her beauty as a curse as that was all men would see, they wouldn’t see her for her intelligence or for her singing voice. Unfortunately for poor Lagida, the people of her demanded that she either marry or become a seer, a mystic like position that existed before Adanvdo graced the land with his presence. She did not wish to live the life of a seer so she relented and decided to marry. But at this point no man was willing to marry her because she broke their hearts before. Unable to find a husband on her own she had to wait until her mother could arrange a marriage for her. But she made one request to her mother, she wanted a man who could sing. While her request was an unusual one her mother granted her daughter this.

However, that night there was a blood moon and all Zoranians closed their windows and their doors for they knew it was time for the Crimson Rider to make his rounds. Lagida was never the superstitious type and always thought the stories of the elders were nothing more than stories to keep them from misbehaving. But that night her doubts will lead to her demise. While Lagida slept through the night, she heard an enchanting voice sing in the distance which caused her to wake,(Note: the words of the Rider has a similar meter to The Alan Parson's Project's song The Cask of Amontillado(yes it is based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story) listen to it a bit and then read it if you want to. It doesn't work perfectly with some of the lines but it is the best I can do to describe the way I imagined it)

Hear me all spirits,
Return to your halls;
The master requires,
Your return to your sires,

Adhere to my call,
And you might just find,
The crimson rider
Upon his night ride

Lagida thought this was some man playing a prank upon the village people by pretending to be the Crimson Rider. Yet she found the voice of this nonexistent man to be enchanting and thought him to be the man she wanted to marry. She rushed down the steps and unlocked the door before rushing out into the streets to find this mystery man. Lagida ran out of the village in the direction she was hearing the enchanting voice,

Seven hours till dawn,
But the night will drag on;
As the Great Spirit’s Liaison,
Will ride on and on,

Adhere to my call,
And you might just find,
The crimson rider,
Upon his night ride,

But as she drew closer, the enchanting voice grew eerier and eerier and the air around her grew cold. Despite the cold air, Lagida walked on determined to see the man she may wed. After a few more minutes of walking she soon noticed that frost soon formed on the plants around her as they died of the cold. She knew something was wrong but she did not want to admit the truth behind it all. It wasn’t long till the thundering of hooves filled her ears and she saw the approaching shadow which she hoped to be her mystery man. But as the shadow became clearer she came only to find the crimson rider upon his night ride. The rider rode a translucent black horse with glowing white eyes that showed all men feared to see. But the rider himself was a sight to behold. He wore a red cloak with gold trim and underneath he wore a black doublet that looked as though it were made of leather with a red undershirt. He wore black trousers and black leather gloves. But that wasn’t the frightening part about him, his face was what sent fear down Lagida’s spine. His head was charred, melted, and as black as coal and his eyes were like red tongues of fire. The rider stopped when he saw Lagida on the road, his red eyes staring deeply into her soul. Without saying a word, the rider extended his left hand towards Lagida and thin red wires spew forth from his arm. The wires wrapped around Lagida until she couldn’t move a single part of her body. She screamed in vain as the wires dug into her and burned her flesh before she fell to the ground tied up and helpless. The Crimson rider then signaled for his horse to continue on its way and it began to zoom through the night while dragging poor Lagida as he rode. She screamed and cried as was dragged through mud, dirt, gravel, and water but it was too late for her as the rider took her life and dragged her into the Underworld.

When you hear my song,
Know you do not have long,
Till I come along
To take what does not belong

When the moon bleeds red
Know that the dead will be led
By the Crimson Rider
Whose tale has no end

[Zoranian Folklore: Terrors of the mind and spirit]

Gather around young and old as I tell you tales best left untold.

Many moons ago, before Advanvdo blessed the land with his presence, there was a man named Yeminose. Yeminose was a renowned hunter across Zoran, it was said he once killed twenty Jaguars all on his own in less than an hour. He was the ideal man, strong, humble, wise, athletic, pure of heart, and charitable. But as his fame and renown grew he lost his way and grew prideful, greedy, pompous, and arrogant. It was though he was a whole different person.

One day, Yeminose was making his rounds through his village when he encountered a shaman who had heard of the great hunter who had lost his way. The shaman wore rags and old tattered clothes made of elk skin. Yeminose looked down upon the old shaman with disgust and said,

“How can a man who speaks to the spirits present himself in such an indecent and filthy way.”

Little did he know that this shaman was an aparition of the Great Spirit who had come to teach a lesson to the prideful young hunter. The shaman spoke with a stern voice,

“Young hunter, you may be strong and you may be fit but your heart is as black as the deepest depths of the sea. How can you speak of the spirits when your own soul is as vile as the mouth of bottom feeders like the crab?”

Yeminose was enraged at these words and said,

“How dare you, you old fool! Do you not know who I am!? I am Yeminose! Slayer of Jaguars! Bane of sharks! Master of the jungle! I demand you get on your knees and beg my forgiveness!”

The Great Spirit did no such thing and instead challenged the prideful Yeminose,

“How about this, there is a monster in the deepest part of the jungle. It is known as Toranas, an Urakti that has taken the form of a muscular hairy creature that stands at 8 feet (2.44 meters) tall that bears great strength and invokes fear in any being or creature that encounters it. If you can slay this beast then you shall earn my apology and be known as the greatest hunter in the world.”

Yeminose, who was one to never turn down a challenge, accepted the challenge. But his pride and arrogance will get the better of him.

He ventured into the darkest depths of the jungle. All sunlight was blocked by the canopy of the great and ancient trees. The jungle was unnaturally quiet, no creature made a sound, not even the platypuses in the rivers. But there was a parrot, who stood on a branch, that spoke,

“Turn back *squack* death and doom ahead *squack*.”

Yeminose ignored this parrot, only laughing at its mimicry of some cowardly fool.

No creature or beast can best me! I am the greatest hunter in Zoran!

He thought to himself as he crossed a riverbed, going into the deepest part of the jungle. He has never traveled this deep into the jungle before. His previous confidence faded from him and was replaced with uncertainty. The trees were twisted and covered in thorns. The roots were black and were visible above the ground and a thick fog covered the floor of the jungle. The silence along with the reduced visibility put Yeminose on edge

Suddenly, the earth shook under his feet as he heard stomping in the distance. His legs began to tremble and he found himself unable to move. From the fog he saw a silhouette of a giant hairy creature with glowing red eyes. It stood on two legs and had arms that were the size of Yeminose’s body. He could hear its heavy breathing as it drew closer and he saw the face of the humanoid-like creature. The creature had huge feet and it walked in a strange manner. The proud hunter struggled to raise his bow up in time before he let out a blood curdling scream that echoed throughout the jungle as the creature picked him up, threw him onto the ground, and mercilessly stomped on him. That day many Zoranians heard the strange roar of the creature and when people went to investigate all they saw were the remains of a human corpse and giant humanoid footprints.

It is said that Toranas still roams the jungle till this day, and some say that there are more of his kind out there. But when you hear its thundering roar you know your end draws near. Let this be a lesson about pride, no matter how great of something you may be there will always be something or someone greater than you that will crush you.

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber Slime delivery!

[The Zoranian Civil War]

April 30, 1420
12:00 PM Over Time
In an undisclosed location that is definitely not in an ancient fortress from the height of the rule of Saint Mark over Zoran

“What do you mean you lost her?! How can you lose the daughter of Ani’-Wah’!?” exclaimed Wohali Lanusila, leader of the Monarchist Forces,

“We’re sorry sir, but this guy in a really cool black armor just took out the GSC forces that were in the apartment, took Auraelia to his vehicle, and drove off at fast speeds with her in tow. Since then we lost track of her.” said the soldier on the encrypted phone. Wohali took a deep breath and pinched the ridge of his nose before asking,
“Did you even attempt to follow the vehicle this mystery man was in?” there was a moment of silence before the soldier answered,

“No sir.” Wohali was about to throw the phone at the wall but instead he just poured himself a glass of Mist Over the Lake Badgerian whiskey with a shaking hand and downed it in one go. He let out a sigh before asking,

“What did this armored man look like?”

“Well we didn’t see anything that could make his identity stand out but he wore black armor and had a helmet mask.” The soldier stopped and the sound of discussion distant explosions could be heard on the other end of the line, “The scouting party just got back from the apartment and they found something which gave us the identity of the suspect. Sending you a photo now.” Waholi then looked at his messages and saw a photo of a purple card with black crown and a cookie on it.

By the Spirit CGZ has gotten into this, what is going on in this country anymore.

“Tell all forces to be on the lookout for any sign of CGZ, we need to find the future queen to be safe in our hands!”

“Sir yes sir.” Wohali ended the call and poured himself another cup of Mist Over the Lake whiskey to calm his nerves.

Without that girl our faction will be divided among who should succeed. I was able to unite the factions into supporting Adsila as the Queen but if she dies or goes missing then our forces will lose their purpose and we will lose this war.

He let out a sigh as he looked at his watch to see that it was time for him to meet with the delegation from Saint Mark. As a monarchy itself he hopes that their similar alignments may allow for some support to be arranged for the monarchist cause.

This country has been left ungoverned for far too long. While the ideals of the founder were noble it was flawed and chaotic. People have been stuck in poor conditions while the Council tells the world that there are no problems. President Ani’-Wah’ was the closest unifying force this country has seen since the days of Austenaco. Only a strong unifying figure with the power to enforce regulations and to create laws to protect Zoranians from unfair and unjust conditions can save this country. All this can be done through a monarch and the Ani’-Wah’ family are trusted by the people because of the late president. The GSC has practically already lost after a large number of their troops defected to our cause or to the theocratic cause. While the theocrats have a fire and a passion, they are few in number and lack support from the Divine Shaman himself. The only real threat is the Corporate faction because they have money, resources, connections, and influence.

Waholi thought about all this and more as he marched down the ancient halls of the Saint Markian fortress to meet a potential ally in his fight for a truly united and better Zoran.

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber you know, you look better covered in a healthy shade of neon green.

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber I have a slime delivery for you! :p

[The Zoranian Civil War]

April 30, 1420
11:00 AM Over Time

“Atsila Ani’-Wah’ under orders of the Grand Defense Council you are under arrest for treason!” yelled a soldier from the other side of the door. Atsila looked at the door in fear as the thought of being put in a prison cell crossed her mind.

I didn’t ask for this! I don’t want to be queen! I wasn’t part of any of this!

She thought to herself. The soldier banged on the door again,

“Atsila Ani’-Wah’ if you do not open the door this instant we will be forced to use force.” yelled the soldier. Atsila could hear the soldiers planting charges on her door. She just stood there, paralyzed with fear.

Great Spirit please help me!

“Hey what’s the deal here? Don’t you guys think that ballistic breaching is a bit much for a normal apartment door?” said a muffled and unrecognizable voice. The sound of gunfire followed along with the sound of bodies hitting the floor, people being grappled, and a...wilhelm scream? Atsila leaned against her wall and slid down to the ground out of fear. Then there was silence and no sound was outside...until there was a slight click heard from the door followed by another click and a third click. After the third click the door unlocked and the door opened to reveal a man in a black reflective helmet mask in some strange black armor. Behind him were the unconscious bodies of six Zoranian soldiers and the man looked completely unharmed. He walked into her apartment casually as if nothing happened and looked at Atsila.

“Sorry about that, hope they didn’t cause you too much trouble.” said the man. Atsila could tell that the man’s voice was modulated as it sounded too deep for it to be natural.

“Who are you?” asked Atsila. The man’s body language shifted to give the idea that he was insulted,

“How can you not know who I am?! I am the one and only CGZ and I am here to save your hide from the idiots in the GSC, the fat cats in their towers of false power, the fanatics that use the Great Spirit’s name for their own desires, and from the monarchists that are the closest thing you have to a fan club. Look I am not on any side of this war but seeing as you are an enemy to three of the four sides and a potential pawn for the fourth and that just makes you a target. Now I am offering you the chance to come with me and hide until the war ends. Just going to say it now, I am probably your only hope kid.” CGZ offered his hand to Adsila. Adsila thought about her situation for a minute, what he said was realistic as without her one side in the war effort would fall into divisions over who to make into a monarch and so she would become a target by the two other sides. Also she already is considered a traitor by the GSC so it looks like she has no other choice. She takes the legendary thief’s hand and is pulled to her feet.

“Now before I take you with me I am going to have to blindfold you.” He says, taking out a black blindfold, “While I want to help you I can’t trust you with the location of my secret hideout. So if you could put that on it would make my job ten times easier.” Adsila sighs and begrudgingly puts it on. The thief then grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the apartment building, through the conflict filled streets and into what she can assume to be a car. She was buckled into her seat with help from CGZ before he accelerated causing her to be pushed back into her seat.

“When did my life get so complicated?” she said out loud without even realizing it,

“Probably when your father died. Just stating the obvious here.” answered CGZ.

As they sped down the streets they could hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions. While she could not see, Adsila already imagined what must be going on. A few bullets even hit the car but they didn’t do any damage to the vehicle due to how armored it must be.

“Jeeves play My Mix!” said CGZ and a posh sounding voice answered,

“Right away sir.” A drum solo began to play from the speakers of the car and classic rock filled Adsila’s ears.

“How are you so calm during all of this?! People are literally dying around us!” Atsila says trying to yell over the classic rock music,

“Look it isn’t that I don’t care but it's the fact that I have to worry about getting you to safety without drawing too much attention to myself by using secret tunnels that I have all around the country. The thing is that the closest entrance to one of these tunnels is in the middle of one of the conflict zones. It is going to keep a level head when driving anyways.” says CGZ as he manages to swerve around a very obviously placed landmine that was set in the middle of the road.

“Damn that was a famous Dalimbari mine! How much funding do these private militaries have!? Anyways, as you can-oh wait you can’t see, well if you could see you would understand why I am having to be so calm while driving. If I wasn’t calm then we wouldn’t survive so if you would be so kind try not to interrupt the music.” Adsila didn’t know what to say about this.

By the Spirit I don’t know whether I am with a bold genius or an adrenaline junky madman!

[Death of a President]

April 30, 1420
9:30 AM Over time
Adsila Ani’-Wah’

Sarcophagi lined the walls of the mausoleum with statues of great Zoranian men and women standing erect behind them. Light shone through the stained glass windows as Adsila and the SIC agent walked off to a secluded corner of the mausoleum to discuss her future.

“I would like to first give my condolences, your father truly was a great man.” said the man,

“Thank you, might I ask what your name is?” asked Adsila,

“I can’t give you my true name but you can call me 4012. You already know why I am here, I came on behalf of the SIC to ask if you plan on continuing your family tradition.” said 4012. Adsila let out a sigh, she knew that this would come up shortly after her father died.

“I am not sure. There is a lot of change currently and I am not sure if I want to go into the SIC.” She answered with uncertainty in her voice. 4012 nodded in response seemingly understanding what she must be experiencing,

“That is completely reasonable, but when we saw your father named you the new head of the Ani’-Wah’ family we looked into your academic record and we were impressed by what we saw and is very typical of almost all Ani’-Wah’s who entered the SIC. Graduating from high school early, being in your final year of university at the age of eighteen, having straight A’s, being fluent in three languages, and studying political science. You would make an ideal agent in the SIC.” Adsila was surprised at the amount of information that 4012 had on her. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or creeped out by what he knew.

“I can understand that but I don’t know. It is just a lot to think about and I am going to need some time. If you could contact me in a few days then I might have an answer for you.” said Adsila. 4012 nodded as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out and let out a sigh,

“I will be sure to do that. If you would excuse me I have to take this.” he said as he answered his phone and walked away.

If this is any indication of things to come then my life is about to get very complicated.

Adsila thought to herself before walking down the halls of the mausoleum to attend the ceremony that is being broadcast across the nation. She took her seat at the front of the ceremony and watched it while thinking about the future of her life.

11:00 AM Over Time

The statue of Apenimon Ani’-Wah’ was unveiled and blessed by the shaman as the ceremony was drawn to a close and the casket was carried into the crypt. Adsila wiped her eyes as she walked down the steps of the mausoleum, thinking, once again, about 4012’s offer to join the SIC and her family tradition. The crowds of people behind the barricade were slowly let into the mausoleum to pay their respects to her father and a majority of them stopped to bow to her as though she were royalty. They all kept their distance out of respect as she made her way to the limo that was waiting to take her back to her apartment. But as she entered limo, she thought she overheard someone in the crowd whisper,

“Is that her? Is she the girl that people online have been saying should be the first Queen of Zoran?” 

Adsila was confused as to what she heard but she didn’t think of it too much on the ride back to her apartment. When she arrived at her apartment not too far from the Platypus Island University campus, she looked outside her window that had a view of the Grand Security Council Meeting Hall. She thought about what must be going on inside the emergency meeting that was called today when she saw an explosion erupt from the building. She stared in horror at the event as she saw Zoranian soldiers run around the building as security went on high alert. She then heard the sound of gunfire coming from the direction of the Meeting Hall. Adsila got away from the window at this point and went on to see what the news was saying about this. The first thing that popped up was a live video feed of what was occurring. She saw soldiers fighting against what appeared to be normal Zoranians. It was pure chaos, people were shouting, guns were fired, people were dying, and fire was burning.

What in the world is going on!?

She looked further into the event and read the headlines of major news sources in the country. 

Explosion at GSC Meeting Hall! 

Corporations Declare War Against Government

Monarchists Take Up Arms Against the Security Council!

Religious Fanatics Declare Crusade, Claim Divine Shaman is True Ruler of Zoran!

Zoranian Civil War has Begun: Understanding the Four Factions of the War

The list of headlines went on and on and Adsila was shocked as to what the country has become. She soon recalled what she had heard back when she was leaving the Mausoleum as she saw a headline that read, Monarchists Declare Adsila Ani’-Wah’ Queen of Zoran. That was when she heard someone banging on her apartment door.
To be continued in a new thread: The Zoranian Civil War

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

^Actual picture of @Dilberafter my spooky sliming this week

[Hello I’m Gloibria]

Welcome! We are glad to have you join!

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber so because of budget restraints I had to change the source of the slime. The slime may be green but don't be fooled...it is made of crabs!

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber if you thought you were safe from the sliming this week then you have been mistaken! From the pile of busy work I shall still slime you!

[Weekly Sliming of Dilber]

@Dilber later than usual but here is your weekly sliming!