Eden

If there’s anything that really awakens the interest of practically all the people and cultures of Gaia it’s the common interest for Eden. It is a sport of masses that attracts the attention of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the entire world and has managed to become a true social phenomenon. Its origin is very old and, for what is known, was played even before the arrival of the Messiah. Some historians even theorize that perhaps it was not even developed by man, although naturally everybody denies it.

The rules of Eden pit two teams of six people whose goal is to project a heavy ball into the net of their rival. It is played in a round stadium, enclosed by high walls and filled with columns between fourteen and fifteen feet high. The ball can be struck with fists, feet, elbows or head, and is free to bounce between the columns or the walls. In fact, many of the best passes and plays are done taking advantage of seemingly random bounces.

The sport calls for strong physical contact, both in the form of collisions and attacks to the opposing team in the form of punches and kicks. However, no confrontation can last more than three seconds. After which, it is mandatory to wait for thirty seconds before initiating a new attack. Another possibility is using the ball to hit your adversaries hard enough that it really causes damage. Even as the ball is only leather, it is sufficiently heavy to take a player out.

A game lasts four sets of fifteen minutes each, between which there is a brief rest in order that the players can recover. To assure the correct enforcement of the rules, official games have four referees, who watch the fouls and control the time of the confrontations.

As a general rule the matches are played at ground level, but the best players can get to dispute parts of the encounter jumping on the columns of the stadium. This is due to the popularity of this sport, where there are thousands of players in Gaia, among which exists a very small percentage that have even developed Magic. Consequently, the great stars are even able to take prodigious jumps, move at inhuman speeds and extrude their physical energy into the ball to give their shots greater power. Because of the incredible visual spectacle of the game, it is no wonder people cheer such gymnastics, and consider the abilities of their idols as mere game talent.

Eden is played in the majority of countries and principalities of Gaia. The most culturally advanced, like Abel, Phaion or Togarini, have their own leagues, whereas in other wilder places, like Goldar or Hauffman, games for entertainment are simply common. Some professional players have been able to obtain fame and recognition at a worldwide level, and gain crazy annual salaries for being on their teams. Although it is not very common, it is a mixed sport, so there are also some elite female players in the leagues.

Traditionally every five years a world cup is played in which the national teams gather from all the countries in the world. The next one was scheduled for the beginning of next year in Lucrecio, although given the present situation in which the Empire finds itself, nobody knows for sure if it will end up being played or not. Anyway, because of the social impact that it would cause, the countries attuned to The Holy Empire and those that make up the Azur Alliance are trying to reinforce their teams to the max, since if the competition takes place, neither would wish to lose the game.

The last the two world cups have been won by Phaion Eien Seimon, and its team is considered as one of the best (if not the best) in all of Gaia. Ironically, both times they reached the finals against Shivat, who they defeated by an only slim margin.

Imperial League Teams

Abel: Lions

Ilmora: Does not have a team

Galgados: Hawks

Dalaborn: Vikings

Helenia: Saints

Arlan: Bandits

Kanon: Pirates

Alberia: Stags