Ssriaf

**Ssriaf** is a string sport played individually, in which players attempt to ball up a 200ft line of fabric as quickly as possible. Each player starts with a small ball of clay, with one end of the line already attached, and the remaining 200ft is randomly spread out across the 'range', often curving around it. Players move around the obstacles and terrain of the range as quickly as possible. Ssriaf games see a number of competitors compete through the same range individually. The fabric is strewn out randomly by the officiator, with all competitors playing the same line pattern. Once all competitors have gone, called a sequence, the slowest time will be eliminated. This continues until only three remain, at which point a final sequence will be run, with the fastest time winning the game.

Ssriaf is played by many races, but Chasa have historically dominated due to both physical and societal advantages over other races. Ssriaf is the most popular sport with the Cat-folk, with the earliest known major tournament being played in ancient Chasan Houses in ME 89. Early rulesets included hazardous traps, 1-on-1 play, and a rolling mechanism for easier balling. It's thought that Ssriaf originated as a children's game, as Chasan children will often play with balls of string and other fabric.

Since ME 264, the game has changed little. This has allowed each aspect of the game to be refined and perfected into a well taught craft. It's incredibly popular across Meridian, especially the Shanorin Dynasty. The Royal Ssriaf Crown is held annually in the Dynasty, and sees a single competitor from each House compete. The Royal Ssriaf League also exists, running over the course of the year. Other leagues exists in Rosia, The Rosian Ssriaf League, and the Montiac Empire, the Montiac Ssriaf Cup. The latter is not nearly as popular due to the sport's association with the Dynasty, as well as the prevalence of Novago.

## Equipment

Part of Ssriaf's appeal for many is the lack of equipment required to play. Beginners need only their hands to start playing. All other equipment is given at the start of a game.

### Yar-ball

The Yar-ball is the ball used by competitors, which they use to ball up the fabric. A yar-ball will usually be made of clay or some other kind of light and smooth material. One end of the fabric will be attached into the ball and will act as the basis for the roll. Balls are made to last only a single game.

### Line

The fabric used to roll is called the Line. Usually it is a very thin fabric, as to keep the final ball from becoming too large. Lower levels of play see less regulation on string size. There is no single fabric used in Ssriaf, though most competitors prefer it to be as soft as possible. Before a match, an ink line is strewn out randomly by the officiator. The first fabric line is then put out, with all competitors subsequently playing the same line pattern. The ink line acts as a guide for the officiator, and can be easily cleaned after a sequence to make a new one.

### Other equipment

Other equipment is up to the competitor, and nothing else is required to play. Most though will elect to have footwear with good grip to allow for more precise movement. Gloves were allowed in the old rules, but were banned in ME 264.

## Manner of play

### Range

Ssriaf is played in an area called the range. Size will vary from range to range, to allow for variety between each. More often than not though, the range will be shaped in a circle. As well, it can be between 80ft and 300ft in diameter. The terrain of the range will vary as well, but is required to have a hard clay surface. Ranges can have various obstacles including elevation change, rocks, trees, and small bodies of water among other things. Around the range sits the stands, where the spectators sit. The range itself is lowered about 10ft into the ground but can still be easily seen. Spectators usually number in the thousands, depending on the game. The ME 346 Crown final saw 34,000 spectators, for example. It's an general expectation that spectators remain quiet during gameplay, but this does not always hold up.

### Play of a single sequence

All competitors draw straws of varying size, with the shortest going first and longest last. Prior to the first sequence, the officiator will randomly lay out an ink line that acts as a guide when the fabric is laid down. As well, competitors get one minute each to survey the range. Once the line of the first competitor is laid, they will ready themselves for their individual runs, called 'classifications'. This is done at the competitor entrance of the arena, an oval-shaped door placed somewhere on the edge of the range. A line sits at the entrance, and the player will usually place themselves as close to the line as possible without crossing, though some prefer a running start. Crossing the line is met with disqualification from the match. The officiator will start the game by throwing the yar-ball into the range, and the player can enter as soon as the ball makes its first touch. The clock starts at this touch, and the player then balls up the fabric as quickly as possible. When they finish, the finished ball is thrown to a catcher, stationed on a ledge on the range's tall side walls, at which point the clock stops. The range will then be reset and the next player will go. This continues until all have gone, at which point the slowest time will be eliminated. A new ink line is then laid out, and the next sequence begins.

### Officiating

There are very few rules to Ssriaf. The player is allowed only to use their hands to ball up the line. Use of any other body part results in disqualification. Should the ball be dropped though, the competitor may use their feet to stop it from rolling. The only other rule is wall running being disallowed. Although not usually giving an advantage, footwear used in Ssriaf would often scuff the walls, and was costly to fix.

Two officials are present at each match; an officiator and a catcher. A small team of judges will usually be watching from the stands as well, in order to assess the decisions and skill of the officials. The officiator sits on top of the range's side walls, slightly in front and below the crowd. The officiator is in charge of presenting straws to draw, laying out the ink and fabric lines, game starting, timekeeping, and overall upholding of rules. The catcher sits on a ledge on the range's tall side walls, usually around 8 feet up. The catcher is responsible for catching the finished ball, at which point the clock stops. Should the catcher fail to hold onto a catch, the clock will stop anyway upon contact with the catcher's hands. The catcher also assists in timekeeping and upholding of rules.

### Techniques

Though it looks relatively simple, Ssriaf requires a great deal of skill and practice to master. Ball rolling is arguably the most important, and hardest, of skills in Ssriaf. Most players start their roll by holding the yar-ball with two fingers, one on each horizontal side, and using a small amount of friction to keep the ball both in their grasp and rotating. The other hand holds the line ahead, keeping it tight enough to roll. This is referred to as a 'stance'. As the ball gets larger, players will switch holds. Many different methods exist, but the most successful sees the player rotate the ball in their palm, while the other continues to hold the line ahead. Once the ball is complete, players must 'drive' the ball into the catcher through a throw. Both accuracy and power is important in driving, and a missed drive can ruin a competitors run, while a good, strong drive can save it.

### Fundamentals

There are four 'fundamentals' of Ssriaf. These are; opening, inside, closing, and driving.

#### Opening

Opening refers to the first ~10 seconds of the game, from the drop of the yar-ball to the first few rotations of the ball. Opening is based around a players ability to gain momentum out of the gates, cleanly scoop the ball into their hands, and get into their stance. Individual classifications are often lost without a good opening.

#### Inside

Ones inside game takes up the bulk of a classification. Inside game is mostly focused on consistency in balling the line and keeping concentration. A single misstep or mistake could cost seconds, and ultimately the game.

#### Closing

Closing begins when a player switches to a 'wide' stance, when the ball is too big to be held with fingers and must instead be palmed. This is usually in the last 50 feet of the line. A good closer has the ability to effortlessly switch from a small to wide stance, and most importantly can do so without losing momentum. Closing finished when the end of the line is balled.

#### Driving

Driving is the most vital skill in Ssriaf. A player can perfect every other skill, but without a good drive will never win. Once the line is balled, the player throws it to the catcher. It's not uncommon for the catcher and finished line to be on opposite sides of the range, and a long drive is more often than not required. Due to the relatively heavy ball compared to competitors strength, early players would attempt to either get closer before driving or drive with both hands. Modern players have gotten around this. Most will use gravity to keep the ball in their driving hand, and swing their body until release to achieve momentum. The record throw is 127ft.

## Competitions

Two forms of competition exist in Ssriaf; leagues and tournaments. Leagues are played year round, with a small off-season usually occurring in the summer months. Leagues use point-based standings, and the player with the most points at the end of a season is crowned champion. Tournaments take place over a set period of time, usually a week to a month, and only occur periodically. Tournaments will use two stages, group and knockout. Groups are played like leagues, using point standings to determine who advances to the knockout stages. Knockouts see an even number of competitors play individual games. These games are played in best-of-three sequences, with the winner advancing. These are only generalizations, with formats changing from tournament to tournament.

### Leauges

Three major Ssriaf leagues exist. The Royal Ssriaf League of the Shanorin Dynasty, the Rosian Ssriaf League in Rosia, and the Montiac Ssriaf Cup in the Montiac Empire.

#### Royal Ssriaf League

The Royal Ssriaf League is the premier Ssriaf league competition. Taking place around the Shanorin Dynasty, it holds most of the sport's best players. 32 matches, one in every major Ssriaf range in the Dynasty, are played from Cappadox to Tirifumox, with a 4-month break in-between seasons. points are given to the top 10 finishers of a match, 10 for first place and 1 for tenth. 30 players enter at the start of the year, with the bottom 6 being forced to play in an elimination group post-season. The four worst finishers in this are then eliminated from the next season and are replaced by the top 4 finishers of the Shanorin Ssriaf League, a minor league held in the Dynasty.

#### Rosian Ssriaf League

The Rosian Ssriaf League takes place in the megacity of Rosia, in central Meridian. Due to the heat of the region, seasons are played from Zavagius to Decimus. Small tournaments are held outside of this period to make up for the lack of play. As teams constantly join and drop out of the league, the number of matches in a season varies every year. In the past, multiple matches have been played in Grolean and Pan tribes. The Rosian Ssriaf League is racially diverse, though Chasans record the highest win percentage.

#### Montiac Ssriaf Cup

The Montiac Ssriaf Cup is the only established league outside of Meridian. 10 matches are held over 9 months, from Thallanium to Ursus. Ssriaf is not nearly as popular in the Montiac Empire, due to the sport's association with the Dynasty, as well as the prevalence of Novago. The lack of Chasan players means Lepus and Nibayr make up the majority, and thus overall quality and interest has dipped.

### Tournaments

There are two major Ssriaf tournaments; the Royal Ssriaf Crown and the Meridian Cup.

#### Royal Ssriaf Cup

The Royal Ssriaf Cup takes place yearly in the Dynasty, during the Royal Ssriaf League's break. The Cup sees a single competitor from each House compete, taking place over 20 days. The group stage is composed of three groups of 4 and one group of 5. Each group plays 3 matches, with the winner of a match taking 9 points, 2nd 6, and third 3. Group games take place over 9 days, followed by a day of rest before the quarterfinals. All group winners and runners-up advance to the quarterfinals. These last four days, with a match a day, and is followed by another day of rest. Semi-finals take place over 2 days, followed by 2 days of rest, and finally the Cup Final.

The Royal Ssriaf Cup is incredibly popular among Ssriaf fans, both for its high level of competition and 'exclusive' nature compared to the League.

#### Meridian Cup

The Meridian Cup is held in Rosia every 2 years. It sees 16 competitors, representing different states and species, compete. The format is the same as the Royal Ssriaf Cup, minus one player. Despite being held outside the Dynasty, the Meridian Cup is still incredibly popular around the continent and regularly matches the Royal Ssriaf Cup in terms of prestige and audience. Historically, Chasan players from the Dynasty have dominated.

## Players

Although it is most popular with Chasans, other species still enjoy and can be skilled at Ssriaf. In the Dynasty Nibayr often play in casual games, though their height and general biological traits puts them at a heavy disadvantage. Despite this, a Nibayr did manage to win the ME 287 Royal Cup. A few Nibayr and Marib will usually compete in the Royal Ssriaf League, mainly making up the bottom of the standings. Lepus are generally quite skilled, but are barred from entering the Dynasty and therefore do not have access to established teachers of the game.

Despite being played for centuries, no player has been able to master the game as well as Almar Enstina. A Chasan, Enstina is widely regarded as the greatest Ssriaf player of all time, having won more individual accolades than any other player.