Hyperball

Hyperball is a fast-paced sport that combines physical, mental, and adimus prowess all into one exciting game. Invented in 2380 TS, it quickly became a global sensation with dozens of professional teams around the world. Large hyperball stadiums are located in many major cities and countries, and games are even broadcast live so that people can watch their favorite teams. As a universally beloved sport, hyperball transcends regional conflicts and brings people together in a way that very few other things can.

Origins & History

As a sport, hyperball was created in 2380 TS but its origins came a few years prior. Nathaniel Reston created the progenitor to the hyperball for his final quartzsmithing mastery project while he was a student at Logentor Masters School in the Normalian Empire’s capital city of Normanden.
Reston wanted to create a quartz-based object that could move around freely on its own for an extended period of time without needing a continuous infusion of mentus. Using a variety of quartz variants including plethora, tuner, and mentus, he was able to achieve his goal. He created the “hoverball,” a small spherical quartz rock that would fly along a preset path when activated with a nominal amount of mentus. Once it was airborne, the hover ball could remain in flight for up to an hour by using latent mentus energy in the air.
Reston’s mastery project was a success, but as innovative as the hoverball was, it had very little practical use. He tried to apply the same principle to create an object that could carry packages or physical messages, but this proved to be impractical. It couldn’t carry large objects, and the distance it could travel was too short to be meaningful. Telepathy and quickening could perform the same tasks far better.
Reston finally decided to tinker with the hoverball design to make it useful for exercise and martial arts training. He wrapped the quartz rock in rubber and then used ustus and leather to fashion an outer skin. He then adjusted how the ball moved so that it flew around randomly within a set space. Reston promoted the ball to Warrior Guild band fighters as exercise equipment. They could practice trying to hit or catch the ball as part of their training regimen. This concept was met with mixed results, but it led to some band guild members creating a game where players tried to dodge the ball until one was left standing.
When Reston saw this, it gave him the idea of creating an official game using his hoverball. He solicited his friend, Pamela Bestmore, a black band in the Heelman fighting style, to help him design a game that Warrior Guild members would enjoy. Bestmore and Reston worked on the game for several months on and off, perfecting the rules and equipment that would be used. Together they came up with a challenging and fun game where teams of four used long quartz polls to hit the erratically flying quartz ball through a scoring ring.
Reston introduced the sport to Normanden Warrior Guild members, and it was a huge success. Over the next several months, the sport quickly evolved to be more complex, adding multiple scoring rings that also moved around similar to the quartz ball. Reston continued to tweak and customize the hoverball and eventually changed its name to hyperball, which soon became the name of the game as well. Guild members formed permanent teams and started to play in tournaments against each other. Hyperball was a huge success and Reston and Bestmore even made money managing bets. Soon Warrior Guild members from neighboring cities wanted to participate in the new game.
After about two years, hyperball had become extremely popular throughout southern Normalia and spectators would even gather to watch guild teams play. It was then that a merchant by the name of Jefferson Anselary approached Reston and Bestmore about turning hyperball into an official sport. He felt that it had potential to draw huge crowds since the game was fast-paced and showcased guild member’s athleticism. Anselary provided the funding to help turn the amateur game into a professional sport.
The trio formalized the rules, players, and equipment for the game. Reston came up with the exact designs and specifications for all of the equipment to make the game experience more consistent. Bestmore standardized the rules and trained referees on how to follow and score the game. Anselary used his funds and resources to design the first hyperball stadium and also contributed the final piece to the gameplay, creating a playing field with various hazards that could be used against both teams during the game. This would add an element of surprise and randomness to keep things even more interesting.
They then created the first official hyperball league made up of various teams consisting mostly of Warrior Guild members from across southern Normalia. In 2380 TS, the first season of the official sport of hyperball began. Since Reston and his companions completely controlled the league, they made money from the sale of equipment to teams that wanted to participate and from ticket sales to the game. They also managed the betting, advertising, and even vendors that wanted to sell food during the games. Teams were awarded cash prizes for winning matches.
Over the years, this model quickly changed. Anselary saw a need for maintaining consistent teams across the league. In the beginning, teams would be more fluid because players weren’t full time since they were only paid if they won. Anselary used his connections to help form eight professional teams where members were paid to be full-time hyperball players and received bonuses for winning games. With all the revenue from sponsorships, merchandising, ticket sales, and more, they could easily pay the players a steady salary while still making a hefty profit. The league had teams from all over the Normalian Empire, which at the time spanned the entire western continent.
By 2415 TS, hyperball was so popular that people from all over the world were coming to Normalia to see the games. Eight separate fields had been built to accommodate all of the games, but the demand was still extremely high. Every game was sold out and they even licensed various broadcaster networks to show the games worldwide.
Because Reston held the patent and licensing rights for the hyperball and other equipment, no one else could form leagues without the trio’s permission, and they held a monopoly on the sport which would last for another 250 years. To capitalize on this, Anselary contracted with cities and countries all over the world to build hyperball stadiums and they decided to form multiple hyperball divisions. By 2443 TS, three official hyperball divisions had been established, each with sixteen professional teams. The three divisions combined created the World Hyperball League (WHL) and it became the largest privately held organization on the planet.
In 2450 TS, the first Hyperball Championship Tournament was held. The top four teams from each of the three divisions competed in a tournament leading up to the final game which was dubbed the Hyperball World Championship. From then on, the tournament and championship were held every year after the individual divisions’ regular seasons.
The WHL continued after the retirement and subsequent deaths of the founders and continued to be the largest private organization in the world, owned and operated mostly by the families and descendants of the original owners. After the WHL lost exclusive rights over hyperball licensing, other smaller hyperball leagues began to form. These were mostly amateur leagues similar to how hyperball first began, where players weren’t paid to play but would receive money for winning games.
In the early 3000s TS, several masters schools came together to form a league where each school was represented by teams comprised of students. The MHL (Masters Hyperball League), became extremely popular, drawing crowds similar in size to the WHL. This was because, unlike the WHL where teams weren’t necessarily region specific, MHL teams were tied to masters schools, which were in turn tied to specific cities or countries, giving people the experience of cheering on a team of people they felt connected to in some way, either because they attended the school or lived in the city that hosted the school. This same logic prompted the creation of national hyperball leagues in large stable countries. Though much smaller in size when compared to the WHL, these national leagues gave the citizens an opportunity to root for region specific teams and this was a big success for countries that could afford to build the infrastructure needed to launch a national league.
The WHL still remains the largest hyperball organization in the world, and despite many attempts to replicate its success, it’s the only professional hyperball league that has existed continuously since the organization’s founding in 2443 TS. Much of this is due to the fact that WHL teams are not tied to specific locations, allowing these privately owned teams to move as needed if strife or conflict makes their homebase unsafe. In the same vein, WHL stadiums are located all over the world, allowing games to be hosted anywhere. Even if a stadium is destroyed or the country its located in dissolves, because the WHL always operates more stadiums than it needs, it’s easy to change venues as needed. The MHL is the only other league close in size and popularity and it has a similar claim to longevity even though its teams are tied to masters schools.

Game Field & Equipment

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

Hyperball equipment standards and specifications are all regulated by the guidelines set forth by the original founders of hyperball and the WHL. For the first few hundred years after hyperball’s creation, Only WHL quartzsmiths were allowed to create hyperballs and other equipment needed to play the game. After the patent ran out and amateur leagues started to form, other quartzsmiths began creating hyperball equipment, however, the standards remained the same.
This was because the WHL would certify quartzsmiths that proved they could create hyperball equipment at the same standard as their internal quartzsmith. Because of the power and prestige that the WHL had, every quartzsmith wanted that certification since people would be reluctant to buy otherwise. This allowed the WHL to maintain quality standards even if they couldn’t keep a monopoly on sales. Also, quartzsmiths had to pay to receive training from the WHL to receive this certification, resulting in an additional revenue source for the organization.

The Field

Hyperball is played on a 125 x 50-meter field (approx. 136 x 54 yd). The field may be any type of terrain that is not hazardous to the players. Examples include grass, gravel, shallow water, wood, sand, mud, ice, dirt, rocks, snow, or a combination of multiple terrains. The only constant is that beneath the terrain is always a solid slab of quartz which is a combination of various variants dependent on the nature of the field and the embedded mentus within. This is referred to as the field core and it is a complex quartz-based device similar to a city core. Though far less sophisticated than a city core, it still takes around a dozen quartzsmiths and mentant engineers several months to build a hyperball field.
The field is surrounded by a 3-meter-high wall made of quartcrete, though in some cases other quartz may be used in the walls depending on the needs of the field itself. There is a 2.5-meter area between the active playing field and the surrounding wall known as the interim. This is the area where referees monitor the game and additional team members and coaches stand.
The field must contain between 300 and 700 embedded mentus commands. These commands cannot use guardian or mind mage level mentus and are only allowed to cause temporary, superficial injuries to players. Embedded commands can be triggered manually by players or randomly throughout game play. Randomly triggered embedded commands must be designed to work without prejudice towards either team. Every field also has six large quartz tablets mounted on stands in the interim. Two of them are field master grids used by the field masters during the game. The other four are referee grids that allow the referees to track the players, ball, and rings as well as see all embedded mentus and view other important information about the field to ensure a fair game.
All professional hyperball fields are certified by WHL officials before use. The WHL will also certify fields used by other leagues for a cost. This is almost always done because the WHL is considered the authority for all things hyperball. Hyperball fields are updated, changed, and modified routinely, usually during a league’s off season. This keeps the game fresh, especially as advancements in embedded mentus expand over the decades. It also prevents veteran players from completely memorizing a field.
There are also practice fields which teams use to train on. These fields have all the same dimensions of an official field but no embedded mentus triggers. Field masters can use their own mentus to help in training and teams also typically have an opportunity to practice on the fields they will play on at least once before an official game, though this differs based on the league.

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

Scoring Rings

There are 3 scoring rings used in the game. Each is 2 meters (6 ½ feet) in diameter and made of iron along with plethora, and mentus quartz. These rings float anywhere between 2 and 5 meters above the field and move at speeds up to 7 m/sec (15 mph) of their own volition, though they always remained confined to the field. Each ring is also painted red on one side and blue on the other side. The rings are designed so that they can be moved and controlled by mentus, however they will still fight against external control, so moving them requires focus and concentration.

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

The Hyperball

A hyperball is 70 cm in circumference and weighs approximately 1lb. It has a core composed of boulder, plethora, mentus, and onerwa quartz. That core is surrounded in rubber and then wrapped in a skin made of leather and ustus. Both the core and the skin of the hyperball have complex embedded mentus giving the ball a host of unique properties.
The hyperball is capable of flying around the entire game field at speeds up to 10 m/sec (approx. 22 mph). It is constantly moving throughout the game without stopping and flies between 1 and 5 meters off the ground. Once released onto the field the ball never stops moving until it is summoned by a referee using a special device. Aside from this, the hyperball is designed to resist external mentus interference with only a few preset exceptions needed for the game. In addition, even when physically struck, a hyperball’s speed and trajectory is only altered for at most 3 seconds before reverting to its own random course around the field.

Poleclubs

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

The poleclub is used by players to strike the hyperball. It is a silver, cylindrical poll, 1.5 meters long and 3 cm in diameter. It is made of steel along with boulder, mentus, and tuner quartz. A poleclub’s design allows it to be temporarily infused with a player’s mentus, which allows them to give it special properties that could be helpful throughout the game.
The base of the club can be turned like a knob to change its score setting to blue or red depending on what side of the ring the player is scoring on. Once set, the club will faintly glow its scoring color and will change the hyperball to that same color when struck. When hit, the hyperball will stay this color for up to three seconds before returning to its normal purple.

Game Play

A game of hyperball has four 25-minute quarters. There is a five-minute break between each quarter, except the second and third where the break can be longer depending on if there is half-time entertainment.
Hyperball is a fast-paced game and there is almost no interruption in the game play, even after scoring. Players are typically substituted on the fly by quickener. The game is stopped if a healer is required to care for significant injury or if a penalty requires a pause in gameplay. In addition, each team is allowed 7 timeouts of up to 5 minutes and during that time the game clock is stopped.
The objective of the game is to score as many points by using a poleclub to strike the hyperball through one or more of the rings. If a team ties at the end of the fourth quarter, the game is extended by 10 minute intervals until one team wins.

Players

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

Each hyperball team has 7 active players: 4 runners, 2 guides, and 1 field master. There can also be up to 5 relief players in the interim. Players cannot be mind mages, guardians, or any special adimus rank. During the game teams are also allowed a healer, quickener, two coaches and a team manager or sponsor in their area of the interim.
Both mentus and mandamus are allowed in hyperball, but mandamus is rare as it is only useful in very specific circumstances. Because of this, most hyperball players are nons, mentants, and channelers. In addition, teams almost exclusively communicate telepathically during a game, which means that players must be adept at sending telepathic messages, which, unlike receiving them, is not a subconscious, automatic skill.

Runners

The four runners use poleclubs to pass the hyperball back and forth to each other while trying to keep it from the other team’s runners. They coordinate their efforts to keep control of the ball and eventually score by hitting the hyperball through one or more rings. Runners easily have the most physically demanding job on the team. Though they can use mentus and mandamus to speed themselves up or jump high in the air to get to the ball, they still have to be in peak physical condition, especially since field terrains can vary. They are allowed to use mentus on themselves or their poleclubs, but not on the rings, field, ball, or other persons.
Runners are the only players on the active playing field. They are allowed to move into the interim for no more than 3 seconds and cannot interfere or interact with the guides, field masters, referees, or other non-playing members in the interim. Most runners enter the interim to propel off of one of the side walls or swap places with a relief player.

Guides

Each team has two guides. Their job is to move the rings into position so that their runners can score. The guides can use mentus or mandamus to force the rings to a certain position. They must fight with the other team’s guides for control over the rings so it can be difficult to get them to stay in one place for very long. Guides work from the interim and are not allowed on the active field nor can they physically touch the rings. They are not allowed to use mentus or mandamus on the field or any other players, even those on their own team. Although guides can use mandamus to move the rings, they tend to be strong mentus users as it is far easier to move the scoring rings using mentus due to their design.

Field Master

The field master uses mentus and mandamus on the field to help their team and hinder the other team. Field masters work from the interim and are not allowed on the active field. They can use embedded commands in the field itself or use mentus and mandamus of their own as long as it is directed towards the field and not a player. This is usually done to alter the terrain in some way. They can also use the embedded field mentus on individual players and are also allowed to use their own mentus or mandamus on players to counter the effects of a field command that was either triggered at random or by the opposing team’s field master. Teams are severely penalized if a field master breaks these rules, so they must be very careful.
Field masters use a large, mounted quartz tablet that is designed to be a miniature replication of the field. This is known as the field master grid. The grid has multiple functions. It allows the field master to trigger embedded mentus—assuming they know where it is—and also keep track of the players, rings, and ball. The ball shows up as a purple dot, rings are small purple circles, and the players show as red or blue dots depending on the setting of their poleclubs. The grid cannot distinguish between individual players, it can only detect poleclubs.
A skilled field master can easily tip the balance of the game in their team’s favor and they are usually considered the most valuable members of the team. Field masters will also spend hours or even multiple days studying the fields their team will play on in advance of upcoming games.

Scoring

Players score points by hitting the hyperball through one or more rings. Each ring is painted red on one side and blue on the other. At the beginning of the game, a coin flip determines who scores on what side and the sides are reversed in the last two quarters. Players may only score by hitting the hyperball through their team’s side of the ring. The ball must also match the teams color when going through the ring.
The hyperball is normally purple but changes color when struck by a poleclub. The color change is determined by the poleclub’s setting. Players scoring on blue must set their poleclub to blue and red if they are scoring on red. Once hit with a poleclub, the ball will only remain the scoring color for three seconds, unless it is hit again by a poleclub from the opposing team. After three seconds, the ball reverts to its original color and must be hit again to score.
Teams earn more points if the ball passes through 2 or all 3 rings within the same 3 second period, assuming the ball passes through the scoring side of each ring. Three points are earned for 1 ring, 7 points for 2 rings and 12 points for all 3 rings. When a team scores, game play immediately resumes as the hyperball just continues to move around the field on its own.

Rules

The hyperball may only be touched by a poleclub. Players may not intentionally touch the ball with their body, nor can they attempt to use mentus or mandamus to alter the ball’s course or speed. Doing so results in a penalty.
The scoring rings’ speed, trajectory and rotation can only be altered by mentus used by the guides. Players cannot intentionally physically touch or move the rings.
Players are allowed to use any mentus or mandamus on themselves, but they cannot use mentus or mandamus directly on opposing players. However, field masters can use mentus on the playing field to trigger or dispel embedded mentus that may affect the players on the opposite team and even the hyperball. They can also use their own mentus or mandamus to undo the effects of embedded mentus on a player. For example, if an embedded mentus trigger is used to bind a players feet, the field master can use their own mentus to undo those effects.
Runners are not allowed in the interim for more than 3 seconds. Field masters and guides are not allowed outside the interim at all.

Penalties

The game is monitored by 12 referees who watch the match both in the physical and mentant realm as well as by using the referee grids. There is always at least one mind mage serving as a referee as they are capable of seeing far more in the mentant realm.
Penalties result in either the inability of certain team members to participate for a short period of time or a penalty shot for the other team.
Penalty shots are when a referee moves the rings to one end of the field and holds them in a specific formation. The rings float 3 meters from the ground, side-by-side. There are 10 meters between each ring and 7 meters from the edge of the field to each of the two rings on either end. This ring formation is placed at either of the far edges of the field.
One runner is given the opportunity to hit the hyperball through one of the rings. They must be at least 25 meters away from the ring formation and no other players are allowed to help or interfere. The hyperball still moves freely during the penalty shot phase so the runner must time his shot carefully. A successful penalty shot is worth 5 points.
If a penalty results in a player being unable to participate for a certain period of time, that player cannot be replaced by a relief player and the team must operate one player down until the penalty is up.

Ball Tampering

Ball tampering is when a player attempts to alter the course or disposition of the hyperball in a way not allowed by the rules of the game. This includes purposeful physical touching by any player, other than a runner, or by a runner without the use of a poleclub, or by the use of mentus or mandamus by any player. Ball tampering results in a 5-minute penalty for the offending player and a penalty shot for the opposing team.
Ball tampering is the most egregious offense especially since hyperballs are highly resistant to external mentus, so a player has to work very hard to tamper with it. Three acts of ball tampering from a team results in immediate disqualification and forfeit of the game. This is also the case if it is found that the hyperball has been permanently compromised by anyone on the team or someone acting on their behalf.

Ring Tampering

Ring tampering is when a ring is moved in a way not allowed by the rules of the game. This includes purposeful, physical movement by any player and mentus or mandamus tampering by any player other than the ring guides. Ring tampering results in a 3-minute penalty for one of the two guides on the team of the offending player.

Field Tampering

Field tampering is when the field is triggered or altered by any player other than the designated field master. Field tampering results in a 3-minute penalty for the field master on the team of the offending player.

Player Tampering

Player tampering is when a player is moved or affected by another player physically or with mentus or mandamus in a way not allowed by the rules of the game. This includes pushing, pulling, biting, hitting, kicking, tripping, elbowing, and slapping an opposing player as well as mentus and mandamus commands directed at any player, regardless of what team they are on. The only exceptions are mentus and mandamus used by the field master to dispel or counteract field-related mentus or a healer to mend an injury. The first offense of player tampering results in a penalty shot for the opposing team. The second offense by the same player results in a 3-minute penalty and a penalty shot. The third offense results in that player’s removal from the game. Player tampering offenses are reset at the end of each quarter.

Out of Bounds

A runner is out of bounds if he remains in the interim for more than 3 seconds. A field master or guide is out of bounds if they move outside the interim. Being out of bounds results in a 2-minute penalty for the offending player.

Leagues

There are several hyperball leagues throughout the world, the main one being the Worldwide Hyperball League, with three separate divisions. In addition to this, there is the Masters Hyperball League which manages masters school teams, the Sunnin minor league, and several other smaller country-specific leagues.

Professional League

There is only one worldwide professional hyperball league and that is the Worldwide Hyperball League (WHL). The league is split into three divisions, the Anselary Hyperball League (AHL), the Bestmore Hyperball League (BHL), and the Reston Hyperball League (RHL). Each division has 16 teams run by private organizations that must abide by league rules and have access to their own practice field. The three divisions cover different geographical areas with the Anselary comprised of teams based in Candovia, Bestmore comprised of teams based in Lumaria, and Reston comprised of teams based in Sunntondra and Estern.
While each team may have a set home base, where their practice field is located, they can acquire players from anywhere in the world and the teams are not usually connected to a specific city or domain, allowing them to change their location in case of war or other unfavorable circumstances.
Each team is given a set amount of funds from the WHL to ensure a minimum salary for players and staff. Team owners can use merchandizing and other fund-generating activities to make additional money with a set percentage going back to the WHL. Players and staff also receive bonuses directly from the WHL for winning games, with tournament and championship games worth significantly more.
Team owners and managers can set the salary for their players and staff at whatever they like as long as they do not go below WHL minimums. In general, professional hyperball players and staff are some of the highest paid professions in the world.
Every team in a professional league plays every other team in that league twice during the regular season which runs from the month of Wayin to Glorin of the following year. The season is 15 weeks long with 16 games a week in each of the three professional leagues. Every team plays twice a week against two different opponents in two different stadiums.
The top four teams in each league go on to play in the WHL championship tournament which happens after the regular seasons and spans from Zandamin to Candovin. This comes out to 12 weeks including the championship game which is always held on the 2nd Normander of Candovin.
The top four teams in each of the leagues are chosen by the number of games won. If a tie prevents all four teams from being chosen, the tie is broken by taking each team’s winning games, determining how many points they won by, and adding these points. These scores are then compared to see who will go on.
Tie breaking is only needed if the tie prevents the top four teams from being determined. For example, if two teams tie for first place, then no tie break is needed, however if two teams tie for fourth place, then tie breaking is used. On the extremely rare occasion that score comparison does not completely resolve the tie, then the remaining tied teams must play against each other to break the tie. This same tie breaking procedure applies to the tournament season when trying to determine the top two teams to compete in the Hyperball World Championship. The entire season last 10 months, from one Zandamin to the following year’s Candovin with 2 months off-season when teams practice, recruit and trade players, and play exhibition games.
All WHL games are played in official stadiums located throughout the league’s geographical region. These are separate from the practice fields that teams train on. Each league operates between 12 and 16 stadiums at any given time. Though this is far more than the number of games that could be played simultaneously on any given day (8), hyperball fields are all different and having excess fields adds to the variety and randomness of the game. In addition, extra fields are needed in case one or more cannot be used due to wars or other unfavorable circumstances.
In order to make sure fields are built in relatively stable areas, it is not uncommon for several to be located in the same domain or even city. Examples include Ramilda, which, despite being a relatively small city, has three separate hyperball stadiums due to its status as a major power.

Masters League

Masters schools that have hyperball teams belong to one of the Masters Hyperball League (MHL) divisions. Divisions are determined by how many academies are currently participating as each division can only have a maximum of 12 teams. Since 502 TA, there have been 24 participatory academies and 2 masters league divisions.
The MHL season starts in Estervin and ends in Zandamin. Each team plays every other team in the division twice with one game each week. All MHL games are played on days of rest. The MHL does have a league championship but unlike in the WHL, there is no tournament. Instead, the top team in each division plays in a championship game.
Because of the relative stability and longevity of the MHL, WHL teams will often draft talent from the pool of former MHL players.

Sunnin Minor League

The Sunnin Social System operates a minor league for children in mentus school age 12-14. It also makes allowances for those age 15 who are in their last year of mentus school. This minor league has dozens of different divisions based on region and operates in most countries, even those that have their own nationalized schools of mentus like Ellenon.
Similar to the MHL, the Sunnin Minor League (SML), is divided into twelve team divisions that adjust based on how many schools are participating. This fluctuates every few decades and there are currently 480 participant schools for a total of 40 divisions. The SML season starts in Estervin and ends in Zandamin. Each team plays every other team in the division twice with one game each week. Unlike other leagues there is no interdivisional tournament or league championship. Instead, the top two teams in each individual division have a championship game at the end of the season, and each division has its own championship team for the season.
The WHL sets different standards for minors. The balls and rings move at slower speeds and the field has between 100 and 300 triggers as opposed to the 300 to 700 that are standard in professional and amateur leagues.
Minor league games are more regional in nature and are usually attended by the parents of the players or the citizens of the locality. Proceeds from the game help fund Sunnin’s educational programs and division champions and the runner-up team always receive a small cash prize for the players as an incentive. Particularly talented minor league players often go on to play on national leagues, MHL teams, or even a WHL team.

Other Leagues

In addition to the leagues that span worldwide, there are several smaller hyperball leagues. Some are domain specific, some are amateur leagues, and some are ad-hoc.

Warrior Guild Tournaments

Almost every warrior guild has a hyperball practice field on site. This stems from the roots of hyperball where it was originally played in warrior guilds. Some warrior guild fields are even used as practice fields for professional teams. The Warrior Guild itself does not run an official league, but there are often ad-hoc tournaments either between members of the same guild or between several guilds in the same domain or region. Some of these tournaments are very well organized and have recurring teams and a predictable schedule, others are one-off or less structured. They are all amateur in nature with money being made off of bets and prizes being awarded by the individual guilds if any.
In addition, because these are practice fields, the fields are basic terrain with no embedded mentus triggers, so Warrior Guild tournaments are either played without field masters, or the field masters use their own mentus and mandamus to affect the playing field, similar to how professional teams practice.

Glorandor Hyperball League

Glorandor is the only country in the world that does not participate in the WHL because of their isolationist policies. However, the game is very popular in the dwarf nation, and as a result, they have their own professional hyperball league that functions very similar to the WHL. There are seven teams, one for each of the seven territories. Each team can only be comprised of members of the team’s home territory, and the teams are owned by the territory’s chief, though they typically have other people manage them. Each territory earns money from ticket sales in their stadiums and merchandising for their team, and this money is used to pay the teams and staff.
The seven teams are fiercely competitive as dominance in hyperball is seen as a point of pride for the dwarven citizens. In addition, the hyperball season is far more taxing than the WHL season as there are far more games played each season per team and almost no break between hyperball seasons.
Each team plays every other team ten times over a 35-week season for a total of 210 games not including the championship. Games are played over the three days of rest with two games each day. Only six of the seven teams play each week resulting in two games for each team. The schedule is set so that the territory that isn’t playing rotates each week, and that territory is also where all six games are played that week.
This means that no team ever plays in its home territory, which eliminates the ability to have home-team advantage. It also forces citizens, who want to watch their teams play, to travel to other territories and patronize those stadiums, providing income to that region. Every Glorandor territory has two hyperball stadiums that are constantly being updated and changed to provide for a different game experience each time games are played there. Because of the popularity of hyperball, games are almost always sold out.
At the end of the 35-week season, the two teams with the highest combined point total across the 60 games they played during a regular season compete against one another in a single championship game to determine the league champions for the year. The hyperball season runs from Estervin to Candovin with the championship game played on the 3rd Normender of Candovin. This leaves only the Sunnin Solstice as a break before the new season starts again, meaning that hyperball in Glorandor is a year-round sport. As a result, team rosters are often changed mid-season as teams add and remove players based on their needs.

Other National Leagues

Several large and medium sized nations have national hyperball leagues that typically start their seasons during the off season of the WHL and overlap for a few months. These are typically smaller leagues with 8-12 teams and usually only one game a week that avoids the days that the WHL teams are playing. In many cases, national teams are allowed to use WHL stadiums within their domains depending on the arrangements they have with the WHL.
Despite their smaller size, national leagues can still draw hefty crowds depending on how they are designed and promoted . Some examples include the Ellenon Royal Hyperball League (RHL) which has twelve teams based on the twelve elven royal houses, and the Acumen National Hyperball League (ANL), which has nine teams based on the nine ducal regions. In both cases, regional pride goes a long way in hyping up the individual teams which is different from WHL teams as they are typically not connected to a specific city or country even if their practice field is located there.
National leagues also give opportunities for those who want to play hyperball professionally but failed to get drafted to a WHL team. In many cases, these leagues can also used as a steppingstone into the WHL.

by AWGColeman (AI Creation)

Page Contents

Games & Sports

Category	Sport
Invended	2380 TS
Inventor(s)	Nathaniel Reston, Pamela Bestmore, Jefferson Anselary
Popularity	High
Difficulty	High
# Players	7 per team

Society & Culture

Featured Articles Society & Culture (Main) The Races of Mendala History of Spirituality Education