A stalwart of the High Elf Pro Ball, Tobias had been playing ball longer than most of the players had been alive. A rookie at the Caledor Dragons, Tobias Ryfon didn't get to start a single game for the Dragons before getting released. His calm manner and top tier honed skills ensured he didn't stay unsigned for long and a career bouncing around the High Elf Pro Ball playing for all manner of teams before being traded to the Tor Achare Kestrels.

When captain Traeliorn Salendor offered Tobias a shot at a new challenge in the old world, the grizzled lineman willingly accepted and joined the Kestrels across the sea.
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Game 1 - Scores the first touchdown of the Tor Alessi Kestrels era, with a last minute winner in their first game.

Ralnor had been playing ball with "Trae" since they were old enough to throw a ball. The pair had trials with clubs up and down Ultuan from the 76ers to the =Tearful Actors= without any joy. Either they weren't good enough, or they weren't recruiting but after a year of trying unsuccessfully they decided to create the Kestrels and base it in their home town of Tor Achare. And so the Kestrels, and their journey, was born.

After years of trying to make his way as a Lion Warrior, Adresin had wound up at the High Westport crewing seafaring galleys as they made their way across the globe. He had seen the icey waters of the Sea of Claws, the greenest jungle of Lustria and its strange lizard men, the deserts of Araby and the strange wonderous lands of Cathay. Then one day on a routine trip out of High Westport ferrying an intrepid group of bloodbowl players to the Old World he is asked if he wants to join the Kestrels.

After years of being a journeyman (see what I did there - Ed) Adresin "First Mate" Phaendar leaves his old life behind to try his hand at balling.

On route to the final, Traeliorn was debating whether an 11 man roster would be enough against the hard hitting humans from across the city. As he mulled it over he walked around L'Anguille, hitting his regular haunts. As he did, he bumped into Jharak Hlaar, and old school friend who certainly new how to play ball when when the were at Tor Achare High.

Taking it as a sign, Trae asked Jharak if he was available to play that afternoon, to which the response was for you Trae, sure thing.

High Elf blood was dripping from his fingers. Constantin had successfully completed his mission, "Kill the guards and await reinforcements." We're his orders and now as he awaited the arrival of the Black Guard he rubbed the congealing blood from his fingers. It wouldn't be long now.

That had been his life, but since going rogue after the reinforcements failed to arrive, Constantin hadn't remained in any place for more than a couple of years, before his true origins were discovered and he was required to move on. In an effort to start again, after his latest boss had discovered his ancestry, had seen him stow away on a ship bound for the Old World. The land of man would offer him salvation. Of this he was certain.

Events took a surprising turn, when he was discovered on board the ship. The captain had been ready to throw him overboard until a tall elf, clearly of noble descent, had negotiated his release from a watery death on condition that he joined his bloodbowl team, the Kestrels. Constantin had vague recollections of his youth spent cheering on his boyhood dream, the Naggaroth Nightmares, and couldn't believe he was now going to be given the opportunity to play ball. With a wry smile and a bent head he accepted his fate, while inside beaming with delight. He would show them, he would help the Kestrels win.

Olwë had lived his whole life in his brother Elessar's shadow. Being 15 years younger, nothing he ever did was unique, new or better than his older sibling. When Olwë decided he wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a bloodbowl player his family only saw it as an attempt to emulate Elessar. When his brother got him a trial with the Ulthuan Dragonriders, Olwë failed to make the grade, resulting in much unbearable sympathy from the whole family.

Olwë fled. He was prepared to put up with the frustration of being second fiddle. He knew he was good enough, he just needed a chance to prove it. That is when fate intervened. Upon arriving at Tor Achare, he noticed a discarded flyer on the ground, inviting people to come and try out for a new team called the Kestrels the following day.

The clock tower struck midday just as Olwë arrived at the park, as per the directions on the flyer. There were a few other guys stretching out their tired muscles, who were also clearly here to try out. Olwë wondered how many spots they were trying out for.

An hour came and went and no one from the Kestrels arrived. Some of the waiting Elves, gave up and headed home. Another hour passed and still no one showed up. As the shadows grew longer, the number of Elves dwindled until Olwë alone was waiting in the park. On the verge of giving up, a short elf ran up to him and asked: "I'm not too late, am I?" Olwë explained that no one had arrived and that he was also here for the trials.

The pair struck up a friendly conversation, when the evening bells chimed their tune, they realised it was time to go, and that it had all been a ruse. But as they got up to leave, a resplendent elf strode up to the pair and introduced himself as Traeliorn Salendor's, captain of the Kestrels.

Without so much as an apology for his tardiness, he told them to race each other across the park. Olwë's pace and smaller girth easily gave him victory. Then he asked the to wrestle, this time the other elf, Mablung Palantír, with his lower centre of gravity came out on top. After several more challenges and exercises between the two, the new friends found themselves exhausted in a heap on the floor. They hadn't touched a ball between them and had been following Traeliorn's instruction for the best part of six hours. The Kestrels' captain walks up to the two elves and says: "Good work today, see you at training tomorrow." Before wandering off in the direction he'd arrived from.

And just like that Olwë's Telemnar was a bloodbowl player.

Salendor family motto: In the face of adversity, valour is the only path.

Team captain and owner of the Kestrels, Traeliorn failed to make the cut at several famous high elf teams before deciding that he would have to make his own team if he wanted a shot. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Traeliorn took what was left of his inheritance, purchased a small run down bloodbowl field and started to recruit a team. So were the Tor Achare Kestrels were born.

What no one had told Traeliorn was that there was a reason why no new team had joined the High Elf Pro Ball (EPB) for over a century was that it was expensive to run a team, once you factored in players wages, transport costs, apothecaries and various other sundries (I mean who would have thought you'd have to pay for a tea lady and a washer woman?!?!).

The team spent several seasons playing in the EPB, with very little success as they struggled to attract the stars or the young prospects to their small and new team. Surviving from one season to the next (more like game to game! - Ed) the Kestrels were never able to break out of the lowest tier of Ulthuan's premier bloodbowl league. The dreams of facing the likes of Nandorins or Caledor Wyverns were becoming more distant with every single game played.

So when the opportunity arose to play in the Empire Elite League, Trae didn't take much persuading, by his vice-captain and long time friend, Ralnor Molaroni.
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Game 1 - Despite not getting any SPPs in the team's first match, he plays a huge part with the game changing sack on the ballcarrier followed by a mazy dodging run to tag a free zombie preventing him from blitzing Tobias.

Deryth had run away from home when it was clear that his parents expected him to follow in the family tradition and take up a place in the palace guard. He fled, first Saphery and the Ulthuan. He landed in L'Anguille and ironically took up a job as a guard for hire.

When his fellow countrymen land in the city, and start tearing up roots as the Tor Alessi Kestrels, Deryth is enthralled like so many in the city. While watching them win the inaugural EEL Pasty Division, he decides no more guarding for this elf, and joins the team.

After another heavy night on the tiles, Finwë Táralóm stumbled into the Griffin Academy for Gifted Youngsters.

"And exactly what do you think you are doing young man?" screams the coach from across the courtyard.

Finwë ignores the older elf and continues on his way to his dorm room.

Several hours later, Finwë is awoken by a hammering on his door. As he rolls over to try and get back to sleep, there is a crash as the door comes of its hinges and the fuming coach is standing in the entrance.

"Get your things you lazy arrogant ungrateful toerag! We've sold you to the Kestrels," rages the coach.

"What?" mumbles Finwë.

"I said, we've sold you, you are no longer a Griffin."

"You can't do that? I signed a contract! I'm a Griffin. I'm going to speak to the head coach!"

"It was his idea, we don't have time for arrogant, piss taking, little snobs like you here at the academy."

And that was that, Finwë was no longer playing for his boyhood idols.

Will that experience would show Finwë the error of his ways and he'd knuckle down and make the most of his obvious skills?
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Game 1 - Finwë blows the chance to score the first TD of the Kestrels' new era, but a failed blitz (double skulls, rerolled into double skulls) drops him like a stone and he fails to recover the ball. Later in the game, he causes a casualty to get his first SPPs.

One of two players to join following the "trial in the park".

Mablung left school at the tender age of 125 to follow his dream of playing bloodbowl. A short lineman, who has the heart of a lion, Mablung is always the last one to arrive at training due to a love of sleep, and being awful at timekeeping.

His hard-working attitude means that he is loved by his team-mates and he is always willing to take his turn on the line of scrimmage regardless of whether he is facing a putrid beast of nurgle, or a stupid troll.

Mablung's favourite saying: "Let's get it on!"

Tor Anroc Kestrels player