“CIBBL - Y8, Spring - Athel Loren: round 3:

Even though the celebration of the recent victory against the Crystal Mere Mystics had been a rather mild one, at least to Mereia’s standards, Timaris Stormwing – the Meddlers’ head coach – didn’t have much time to prepare the game against Yennla Eternals. His mind was occupied with other matters at hand, more in particular the ritual for which he’d been collecting various ingredients over the past years. Nevertheless, the game still had to be played. In the end Timaris decided to delegate his responsibility to his assistant Mereia, one of the Meddlers’ former catchers. While she had accepted gladly to be in the lead for this game, she hadn’t invested much effort on either physical preparation of the squad or tactical considerations for the match. She confided in Kurnous, who would no doubt dominate Isha’s followers. The Eternals brought a wizard though, as well as a mercenary dirty player equipped with a bribe and two star players – Tom ‘bn’ Dilgn and Aryidel Wavediver – to top it off.

The referee blew his whistle to announce the start of the game. The sound of the whistle hadn’t even completely died out, when a well-aimed rock from the crowd hit Calypso full in the face. Her game was over even before it had begun. The Eternals had decided to kick in the first half, probably to put their wizard to good use, as well as the skills of Aryidel. Meanwhile Mereia had installed herself on the bench, carrying her usual tank top, cap and black leather fingerless gloves. She adjusted her shades slightly and ordered her first martini of the day to enjoy the spectacle. But in turn two Hauclir snaked a pass to Nimrodel. To add insult to injury he got rewarded by getting turned into a toad! The followers of Isha made use of the confusion to steal the ball and safely evacuate it. On the bench Mereia adjusted her cap backwards, more than a little surprised by the sudden turn of events. Ethandril moved in with an assist from Vanhir, and liberated the ball, but then Isilvar – on his way to the ball – snaked a dodge, causing a turnover! Aryidel used her charm to hypnotize Ethandril, who was completely in the ban of the mysterious elf, while Beroe profited from the situation. She picked up the ball and lobbed into the hands of another mercenary elf waiting in the end zone: 1-0 for Yennla Eternals!

The Meddlers started the second drive with more focus and dedication. Nevertheless, Keira was kicked out of the game quickly. Still, the wood elves were determined to score the equalizer and steadily moved forward. Fully aware of Aryidel’s qualities and the potential disaster they could create, the Meddlers kept enough people between the ball and the enchantress. At some point Ethandril got fouled off the pitch, but that didn’t stop Mereia from ordering her second Martini of the evening. In the end the wood elves couldn’t be stopped though. Eventually Hauclir ran in the equalizer in turn eight. Perfect defense ruined every chance for a one-turner.

In the second half the Eternals received the ball and sent two players into scoring range. Next turn the pass failed though, offering the perfect opportunity to the Meddlers to steal the ball. Time for Mereia to order her next martini! Comfortably installed on the bench, she witnessed how half of the Yennla Eternals, including Aryidel, lost themselves for the remainder of the half in a senseless brawl, which considerably eased the pressure on the ball. A few well-aimed hits came in handy to knock out a follower of Isha or two. Mereia’s face showed a genuine smile, knowing that the win was almost secured. A last effort to mark the ball-carrying Nimrodel only half succeeded. A simple blitz later the way to the end zone lay wide open: 1-2 for Modryn’s Midnight Meddlers!

Third win of the season. Mereia did not disappoint!
”