Sports

Real sports are not common in Daleth. There are some competitions that can be seen as sports: the competitors make physical efforts to gain honour, and many people go watching this. The competitions are usually done among friends, and sometimes country against country.

“The difference between a competition and a war is, that in war men die involuntary,” a priest once said.

The competitions may get rough, and the competitors may get killed. Sometimes the audience is also wounded or killed, be it because the competitors are not paying attention, be it that the audience starts a competition on their own.
After some serious incidents during the competitions, the competition could only be initiated by the rulers of a country. The most important competitions are initiated by the Emperor (The Emperors Games).

The Emperors Games

The Emperors Games take place three times a year. The games consists of many different sports and tournaments. Every knight or landowner in Daleth can join the Games, and many do. They bring along their best fighters for the different tournaments, and their most capable artists to lighten up the eveningballs at the Emperors Palace.
Swords-fights on feet and mounted, horserunning, shooting at a target with arrows or balls, dexterity competitions, swimming, running, they are all in the game. Sometimes even “friendly” battles are set up.
The Emperors Games are a big attraction in Ildritz, and many people come to see it. The fields around the Capital are used to give place to all visitors.

The White Mountain Run

The White Mountain Run is set up as a military operation. The army of Ciniz asks everyone to join the Run. The Run starts at the Door of the East, east from the White Mountains. From there, the runners should reach the Palace of Ciniz as quick as possible. The winner of the Run has to live near the Door of the East and take watch over the Erflanden. As soon as an enemy is spotted, the runners should send this message to the Palace of Ciniz. Runners-up in the competition are asked to function as messengers for the Count of Ciniz.
The White Mountain Run is held every year, at the beginning of the year.

Eisspaurds

Eisspaurds is a strange competition, held by Naglani on Kristalmeer. The competitors get their feet tied to sharp bones and run over the frozen lake as fast as possible. There are several distances to the Eisspaurds, the longest goes from Zol-Marekat to Solmer, Topomeir and back to Zol-Marekat. The shortest icerun is about threehundred feet.
The winner just gets the honour of being the winner.

Brakja

Brakja is a rough sport and therefore prohibited. The brakja games takes place illegally now, mostly in Naglani regions, for the Naglani claim Brakja as a traditional game of their clans.
Two members of different clans enter a place of combat and fight each other with their bare hands and feet. The winner is the one who doesn’t fall on the ground. The game is clan-bound, and clans fight against each other in tournaments.
One Naglaniman once said Brakja is just another form of play, and the competitors are not really hurt at all. Poorters just took over the game but didn’t realise the play-part of it. Several Poorters have been severely hurt and sometimes even got killed in a game of Brakja.

Salamandran Challenge

In the desert parts of Salamandran, every year the Challenge takes place. Everyone who wants to join comes to Donvar. The point of the challenge is to find the Salamandran banner in the desert and then to get to Nieuw-Gamoor as soon as possible, no matter what means are used. The challenge is very difficult, because it takes place in the dry season. Most who come to the challenge appear in small groups, with servants and all. The arrival of the banner in Nieuw-Gamoor is always a sight to be seen. Cheating is a part of the game and the one who cheats best gets a special prize.