“Merlin Oldsoul stepped out of the doors of the Mordheim Colosseum and walked the few feet to his private coach that would take him home. He was in a jubilant mood as the Legion had just notched their fourth straight win putting which inserted them into contention for the playoffs. This was the third season under Coach Kondor and the team had improved dramatically since moving to Mordheim. It was hard to put a finger on why the team was performing better. Perhaps it simply was that by moving to Mordheim the Legion had found a distinct home field advantage.

For example, take a look at this game against the Irrana Avalanche. As usual the home team won the coin toss, but this time Legion chose to mix it up and kick off in the first half. The Avalanche roared down the field and the Legion was unable to even pretend that they would take the ball. Rather, they turned to their blocking and fouling game. As usual it was just a question of time before there was a breakthrough. The real breakthrough was in the armor of the ogre Isaac Asiata midway through the first half. As the Avalanche protected the ball carrier, Asiata was left behind to fend for himself. The problem is that Chris “Bloody Knuckles” Jones is a professional and this time he had teammates helping him. With assists from no less than a half dozen Legionnaires his well placed boot easily broke the ogres armor and saddled him with a niggling injury to his hip. Knuckles would repeat the same procedure on Chaz Grinshaw before the half ended.

Sure. The Avalanche scored but at what cost. A pair of niggled stars and the half still had time for Bullet. If the whistle has not sounded, the end of the half is Bullet Time as the Bullet Avonte Maddox can score in seconds. That is exactly what happened as Bullet scored to tie the game at halftime.

Merlin sighed. He had been deep in thought and almost did not notice when the carriage pulled into his estate. A decade earlier, Merlin had been an all pro and some would say legendary Lineman. Back in the day the Legion played in the city of Norden and had a much smaller following. Merlin was known for hitting hard but he was nimble enough to dodge away and even sidestep a few blows. In the end age caught up with him and the choice was to retire or be fired. He had always had a gift for speaking and his love for the Legion never diminished. That meant moving to the announcing booth was a logical yet difficult decision. Still, he had been wise with the gold from his last two contracts and investments had allowed him to live comfortably. Another advantage of living in Mordheim is that the real estate is extremely cheap. For the price he paid for this estate in Mordheim he would only have been able to afford a cottage in Norden.

Merlin walked up the cobblestone path from the carriage to his doorstep and his mind returned to the second half of the match he had just witnessed. This incarnation of the Legion really had a shot at a playoff run. Seamus McFamous had the muscle and showed it by breaking the arm of Darrel Williams. If Williams aspired to being a thrower, those dreams would be destroyed tonight. It was so ugly that shortly after the second half began the Avalanche gave up on winning and played for a draw even though they did not have the ball. They simply wanted to replicate Bullet’s touchdown to end the first half. It was not a bad plan but it was risky. Bullet scored as planned late in the second half and the Avalanche almost made the last second equalizer. They would have scored if the thrower had been sure footed.

Note to self: Tell Kondor he needs some players that can stand firm and not get pushed around.

At last Merlin reached his easy chair by the warpstone fire and heard the scamper of feet. A vicious crew of three children swarmed him begging him to recount the game. He gave a hearty laugh and picked up his youngest rugrat then sent a kiss through the air to his wife who had followed their hooligans in from the kitchen. As he spoke about the pregame antics of the jugglers and firebreathers he came to a decision. Merlin Oldsoul was glad to be retired.
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