Sanduay was one of, if not THE biggest broomstick sport in all the Realms. Named after the Battle of Sanduay in the War of the Depths, there were 10 players on a Sanduay team trying to defend their tower from the opposing team\u2019s attacks. Three players, called Head-ons would try and turn the enemy team\u2019s tower completely from green, to blue, to yellow, to pink, to orange, to purple, to red. If the tower is completely red from roof to base, the game is over, and the tower\u2019s team loses. While the three Head-ons tried to keep the opposing team behind, two other players, the Overheads, would hold position high above the roof and pick off anyone who manages to circumvent the three below. The remaining five players, Guardians, would try and keep their tower as non-red as possible. They can only go up one color, so if the opposing team turns one section to two colors down, the five players couldn\u2019t go back up two colors. On top of that, once a section of the tower is red, the Guardians can\u2019t make it go up one color, they have to leave it alone and that particular Guardian is benched. Each of the remaining five players focused on one section of the tower. Two players, the Roof Guardians, would monitor a half of the tower\u2019s roof while the remaining three, the Tower Guardians, each focused on a third of the tower from where the roof sits to the base. Each player\u2019s position was named after one of the 10 warriors that defended and repaired the tower to secure victory. The three Head-ons were Sedomar, Kanomar, and Rodomar; the two Overheads were Terralem and Asolem; the two Roof Guardians were Lansel and Roofel; and the three Tower Guardians were Aludax, Lenezax, and Handomax. When she was a Realmfleet Cadet, Arsha was Captain of the Realmfleet Sanduay Team, usually taking up the Kanomar position, and received quite a number of trophies for her victories. She DID lose, yes, but she lost graciously and still loves the sport! Because of her love for her home, her favorite team was the Largandra Leopards. Though, they weren\u2019t going to be playing in the Under-union Festival, her second favorite, the Falgreth Furies, were. She, Malnar, and Gorfanth were given the opportunity to meet them one night and were pleasantly surprised that they weren\u2019t conceited at all. \u201cI tell you, I\u2019m honored to meet you,\u201d chuckled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored that you follow us,\u201d returned the Team Captain, a male Troll named Anshuu. \u201cI\u2019m surprised you follow an Under-realm team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHelps me to understand people outside of the Mid-realm better. If I\u2019m going to be a Queen, I need to know how my allies\u2019 subjects think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo better way to do that than Sanduay! How long can you stay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur entire evening is free, why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we want you to watch our practice.\u201d Arsha checked with Malnar and Gorfanth who nodded eagerly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCaptain Anshuu, we\u2019d be honored!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerfect! We just need to wait for our coach and\u2026\u201d A female Troll then came up to them. She was the team\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry, boys and girls,\u201d she grumbled, \u201cyou guys are grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrounded?!\u201d protested Anshuu. \u201cWhy?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to let a broomstick band fly overhead,\u201d explained the coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid the report say who they were?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, only that it was the only band scheduled to pass overhead. Once they\u2019re gone, you guys can practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, perfect!\u201d grunted one of the Guardians, a Female Troll named Beshee. \u201cIs it just me or does something ALWAYS happen whenever we practice outside of our home field?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I guess we\u2019ll have to wait,\u201d muttered Anshuu. That was when a noise like something flying could be heard. The noise grew louder as the source got closer. \u201cThat must be them,\u201d mused Anshuu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSounds kind of small,\u201d observed Gorfanth. \u201cMust be a Realmfleet band.\u201d The broomstick flyers then went over the stadium. They were a band of five and dressed all in white. \u201c\u2026Or\u2026not,\u201d mumbled Gorfanth. \u201cWho were they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d muttered the coach. \u201cMy glasses are still being fixed and I hate wearing contacts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey looked to be about Arsha\u2019s height,\u201d muttered Beshee, \u201cbut I think they were wearing masks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWeird,\u201d grunted the coach before she took a briefcase of training drones. \u201cWell, they\u2019re gone, so you guys can practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery peculiar,\u201d muttered Arsha as she, Gorfanth, and Malnar went to the stands. \u201cVery, VERY peculiar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As hinted before, Felansi dancing is what we call Flamenco dancing. The Feisty Felansi Forsorna Family, or 4 F\u2019s, is a massive family of Felansi dancers that adopted a nomadic lifestyle to entertain people across the Realms. Founded by Succubi and Incubi, the family has taken in humanoids all across the Realms and use their own natural age-stopping magic to keep their family members young-looking. Everyone, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and children, all contribute to this family of entertainers. Originally, they were just dancers, but as the family evolved, they added new entertainment options to their repertoire. Now, with Felansi dancing still the main event, their acts include singing, comedy sketches, fashion designing, and modeling. They are divided into 10 groups in the colors of the Divine Ones, the Perky Pinks, the Ravishing Reds, the Opulent Oranges, the Yummy Yellows, the Grand Greens, the Beautiful Blues, the Plentiful Purples, the Bountiful Blacks, the Gracious Greys, and the Wonderous Whites. Yunfeen, a Succubus in a purple dress named Termaf, and a Zephyr in a blue dress named Tufarmem looked over their script for their comedy sketch. \u201cAll right,\u201d declared Termaf, \u201cwe\u2019ve got everything up to the climax, let\u2019s rehearse that.\u201d Termaf and Yunfeen turned their backs to Tufarmem, then Tufarmem fed them a line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy, you cowards!\u201d she called. \u201cYou\u2019re afraid to say \u2018Alanshi Falls!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cALANSHI FALLS!\u201d repeated Termaf and Yunfeen with a crazed expression on their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou stay away from me!\u201d yelped Tufarmem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSlowly I turned!\u201d continued Termaf and Yunfeen as they slowly turned and approached her, their expressions still crazed. \u201cAnd step by step, smarg by smarg, I\u2026!\u201d The sound of flyers then interrupted them. The three women then threw their scripts down in frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome on! Just once!\u201d wailed Termaf. \u201cJust! Friggin! Once!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe minute we get to that \u2018smarg by smarg\u2019 line, something always happens!\u201d complained Yunfeen. They heard a scratching on the door. \u201cMust be Beruka,\u201d mused Yunfeen. She opened the door to let in her Cerberus, Beruka. All three of his tails were level and the expression on all three of his faces was sour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you keep the noise down? I\u2019m trying to sleep!\u201d complained Beruka from his left-most head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not us, I assure you,\u201d replied Tufarmem. She grabbed a telescope and looked out the window, extending it and looking into it to see the broom rider band that flew over the Sanduay field. \u201cDear lord, that kind of racket from five broom riders?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBroom riders? At this time of night?\u201d asked Yunfeen. She then got a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me see,\u201d urged Termaf. She looked through the telescope and found the broom riders. \u201cNow that\u2019s the weirdest broom rider band I\u2019ve EVER seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, they\u2019re gone now,\u201d mused Tufarmem. \u201cMaybe we can practice some more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s do it tomorrow,\u201d suggested Yunfeen. \u201cI need to ask Malnar about it. Maybe she would know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know either?\u201d asked Yunfeen the next morning as she and Beruka spoke to Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t,\u201d confirmed Malnar. \u201cMama didn\u2019t know anything about it either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow that IS peculiar,\u201d muttered Beruka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you see what they looked like?\u201d asked Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy vision\u2019s worse than yours, Malnar,\u201d remarked Beruka. \u201cThey looked splotchy to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see their faces only because they had a mask that hid their features,\u201d muttered Yunfeen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid anyone else in your family see it aside from you three?\u201d asked Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, they said that our ships\u2019 sensors didn\u2019t detect them last night,\u201d answered Yunfeen. \u201cYou know, now that I think about it, I\u2019m surprised the Furies were allowed to practice last night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe upcoming game\u2019s a pretty important one,\u201d reminded Malnar, \u201cand it could last into the night. \u2026You know, that just made me realize that the band last night must have had a higher priority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn unaffiliated broom rider band?\u201d asked Beruka. \u201cI\u2019d say that\u2019s not possible, but your story says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomehow, I feel like shenanigans are about to happen this week,\u201d grumbled Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re absolutely sure you can\u2019t tell me what your mother said yesterday?\u201d Elmar asked Calandra that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry, but what Mother told me and Orbak is classified Code Black,\u201d answered Calandra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re all sworn to secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2019Fraid so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat complicates things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry, but it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy would your mother want to stage a secret operation during the Under-union festival?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, she thinks this operation will help the Realms.\u201d Calandra looked out the window. \u201cHer heart\u2019s in the right place, you know. She DOES care for the kingdom. She\u2019s kind, good-hearted\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStupid.\u201d While Elmar said it under his breath, Calandra heard that and shot him a Look!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is not!\u201d Elmar figured that it would be illogical to hide his real feelings now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe certainly is! She\u2019s an ox who can\u2019t put together 2 and 2 if you spelled out the instructions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, that\u2019s enough!\u201d Calandra jabbed her finger into his chest. \u201cNeed I remind you that she\u2019s gonna be your mother-in-law?! \u2026Speaking of which, I\u2019ve got wedding dresses to try out. I\u2019ll see you in the morning and you WON\u2019T be talking about my mother like that again!\u201d She then stormed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Well, I\u2019m hardly wrong,\u201d muttered Elmar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sanduay was one of, if not THE biggest broomstick sport in all the Realms. Named after the Battle of Sanduay in the War of the Depths, there were 10 players on a Sanduay team trying to defend their tower from the opposing team\u2019s attacks. Three players, called Head-ons would try and turn the enemy team\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,236],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-3056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-3-the-first-strike","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3057,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3056\/revisions\/3057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}