Map of Remikra, 998 to 1026
Introduction:
First played in Wannonia during ancient times, the game of "scrall" initially involved mock armies and spellfire-induced fake weapons, such as archery, of that era. In 1002, scrall tournaments began adapting technological advances such as hot-air balloons. However, leading figures of scrall have since aimed to preserve past traditions of ancient mock-warfare.
Basic Objectives:
The playing field of scrall consists of a twenty-five-square Grid, the only Grid in existence. This Grid is located in the present-day province of Nintel, with each corner pointing in a cardinal direction (North, South, West, East) and each square covering a square-mile. Spectator stands are scattered throughout various locations on the Grid.
Every tournament involves two teams: the Red Team and the Blue Team. The Red Team is based in the West Corner of the Grid while the Blue Team is based in the East Corner. Initially, each Team owns the squares on its side of the Grid while the squares in the center, spanning North to South, make up a "no-Team's land." Each Team has a Jackpot to which each joining member contributes one qor (Middle Remikran currency). And each Team hides its Jackpot in its territory from the other Team. The role of each Team is to plan a strategy to find the location of the opposing Team's Jackpot, to obtain that Jackpot and add the contained sum of money to its own Jackpot, and for the Team to defend its own Jackpot. Spectators will watch as a tournament involves confrontations between Red and Blue Team members, leading to numerous exchanges of mock-spellfire-discharges, archery battles, and events such as balloons being shot down (with safety nets and other protocols recently installed to prevent actual casualties). As the tournament continues, Teams will gain and lose squares on the Grid as territory. And each tournament ends with a winner determined only when a Team's Jackpot reaches a total of one-million qors (Middle Remikran currency). That means that there is no set time limit, meaning that the duration is difficult to predict. The average tournament, however, is usually between ten days and two months.
Map of Remikra, 1264 to 1308
Changes Over Time:
Scrall had been a staple of tradition in Wannonia until its downfall in 1176. Between 1176 and the early 1200s, the Grid lay mostly abandoned. In 1216, however, Combrian authorities restored it and launched a tournament that autumn. Tournaments were played continuously in the years that followed, even during the wars of the 1240s. After the establishment of the Early Republic (Federal Estates), it came to be that the Grid straddled the border between Junction and Morris Counties in the province of Nintel. However, the Grid, itself, was privately-owned, being a private subsidiary of the National Speculatorium (part of the athletic hierarchy in Remikra). Numerous leagues came into existence during this time, filing into the ranks of either the Red Team or the Blue Team as tournaments continued to be held. Media outlets broadcasted scrall tournaments for entertainment; and, in later years, some players even carried mounted cameras.
When the Early Republic fell and gave rise to the Independent Commonwealth in 1309, the tournaments were discontinued indefinitely owing to political instability in the region. Commonwealth economic policies established income brackets for athletes versus owners as leagues were treated like other businesses in terms of ownership power and taxation. Such policies established financial incentives for smaller leagues and more individual participation opportunities, while tax policies led to lower spectator prices. Scrall, however, fell out of fashion by this time, leaving the Grid abandoned, once again, until after the 1329 pandemic. In 1335, new innovations in balloons, mock weaponry, and safety standards brought back the fashion with a grand reopening. Scrall has been played regularly ever since.