Games and sports

Elephant tiles: A game (or cluster of similar games, or a set of standard playing pieces) widely used throughout the world. Each piece is thick tile about the size of a small Matchbox, with either one, two, or three pointy protrusions on the front to denote rank, and a small bowl attached to the left and right (forming ears) that can be used to hold different coloured beads. Originates in Dow, brought to the Nidari Reach by Bamboo Dowo immigrants, and then proliferated by trade as in becomes very popular among Sremic tribes. popular games played with these tiles:

Ferries, where players race to collect beads from a central reserve and return them to their piles.
Blockade, similar to Ferries, where one player must move beads to the far side of a play area whilst the other attempts to stop them.
Elephant's Luck, a family of games where tiles and beads are used to bet on the outcome of various probabilistic events (the most basic of which is drawing beads from a bag).
Trunk and Tusk, a dexterity game about throwing beads onto tiles.
The Attainment of Wisdom, a relatively abstract game where the beads represent the Pride and Wisdom of each piece respectively, and the goal is to place tiles and move beads to attain seven wisdom beads in one tile.
Blackpowder Stand, a more complex wargame involving a circular playing board, irregular zones, multiple types of units, and multiple types of beads to represent bullets (grey), powder (black), wounds (red), and gold(yellow).

Other games:

Tzetutch: also known as Flower Market, this game involves sliding wooden blocks around to collect points. Originated in New Caracar.
game of the Deeps: a sport using fishing equipment, played by the deep-dwellers. a 3x3x6 grid of ropes, suspended between lines hung from bouys is the pitch, with players starting at each end in two teams. they many only travel along the roped lines, clipping and unclipping themselves as they go. are allowed to untie the lines, and to add new lines between points on the grid. objective is to steal balls held in lobster-pots at the 9 points at each end. the team who has collected the most balls at the end of the play-time is the winner.
Pinnacle games: In the Barren Isles there is a once-a-decade competition, the Pinnacle Games, in which various individuals travel to a single island to compete for the glory of their Stand, Family, and themselves. each Stand constructs and obstacle course of bamboo, which are the site of races; a variety of Elephant Tile games offer a more cerebral challenge; there is the game of Cuol, a dexterity game involving tossing stones into sand to enclose and capture the opponent's stones (rules below and flingstick, a team athletics game.
Front: a 2-player strategy game played in The Giteri , about constructing battlelines of cards or hexagonal tiles. Has elements of rock-paper-scissors and luck, and each piece has 2 different types that come into play depending on orientation. These are based on the 5 traditional parts of Giterikin military (which are no longer used in this form): shieldmen, pikemen, cavalry, archers, and griffins/flyers. There are numerous local variations with respect to hand-size, scoring, and the precise nature of different moves. It encourages thinking of the different roles different forces can employ, their relative positioning, and also emphasises luck and fate as important elements of warfare. These reflect Aeroanimist virtues in general, and being a proficient Front player is considered a sign of refinement.
Lerin Wrestling: a common sport practiced at all levels of society in Lerinim, played in arenas of coloured chalk between single opponents or small teams. No weapons are allowed, and the objective is to cover the opponent in as much chalk as possible. Kicking and throwing the chalk is disallowed, as is applying the chalk with the hands; any chalk above the ankles counts. Kicks with the hooves, as well as wrestling the opponent to the ground, are the most common means of victory. Stakes are normally low, with victory seen as making one more prestigious, especially to prospective romantic partners.
Cuol: the last survivor of a family of Dowo throwing games, now near-exclusive to the Barren Isles. In the most common version, 5 neutral stones are placed in a pentagonal arrangement on the sand, with each player having 5 stones of their type. These stones are a round and flattened pebble shape. Players alternate throwing stones from a set distance until all are on the sand. Once all stones are thrown, each cluster of touching stones is checked. The player with the most of their stones in each cluster scores points equal to the number of stones in that cluster. No points are scored for a cluster if no player has a majority. Variants include: thrown neutrals, uneven play surface, poisoned stones, and different numbers of stones and/or players.
Current boards - a traditional solitaire game played in the Deeps of the Nidari Reach. It consists of a board of points in a 6x6 square grid, and a bag full of pointed teardrop tokens. These tokens are divided into two types, based on colour or surface texture (for use in the dark). One type must be placed diagonally, the other orthogonally. They are drawn out of a bag, one at a time, and placed in a continuous chain. The goal is to create the longest chain possible. It is believed to have oracular properties, and a set is traditionally placed on the dead before consignment to the depths to help them pass the time until consumption by Mother Deep. This style of arrangement is also used to create "weather maps" of the Deeps.
Nessego rope game - a padded weight it whirled around on a rope. You get one point for each time you successfully jump over or duck under the rope (you shout them out), no points if you step out of a shield-sized ring on the floor, and your turn ends if you get hit. Take it in turns to whirl or dodge, it can play any number over two. Has a load of strategy and mind-games, with with reading body-language and planning the next several swings out being important elements of high-level play. It is considered to hone physical and mental prowess, encourage a good balance of boldness and caution, as well as bring comrades into closer bonds/understanding - but it also illustrates the fatalism at the heart of the Nessego worldview.
Domains
In the bonelands of Edesenkol , chariot racing is the esteemed sport of young noble warriors - heavy chariots pulled by teams of skull-faced boars, the terror weapons of the Edesenkolic army. The race takes place across a flat area strewn with small fragments of bone, which are shattered and broken under the iron-shod wheels and hooves of the chariots. Five posts, arranged in a cross, define the racecourse, and the racers weave a complex pattern around them. A pattern that, at many points, leads to opposing racers charging head-first at one another in a potentially-lethal game of chicken.
Correspondence games played with pen and paper - on paired pages for the super wealthy, on posted paper or a shared slate for others. Often lexical or numerical in nature, and traditionally high-status. most common in The Giteri.
Flingstick - an opan bwayu game, with several variations, and part of pinnacle games. Four posts make a square a few metres per side, and there are two teams (varies, average 6 people each) that take it in turns to attack and defend. Everyone has a foot long bamboo stick. Attackers must throw the stick through the square (sometimes they have to catch it on the far side) while defenders use their sticks to deflect flying sticks. Once all sticks are in the square, teams swap. Most throws through after some number of rounds wins. Can be played with just a few sticks, or with elaborate sets and pagoda like permanent arenas.