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Phlish

Created by a Moistener, Albert Phlish, in his childhood after being bullied by one too many Ice Elemenstors which kept on casting Blubber Up on him and then making fat jokes.

The young chubby boy created an underwater sport which only Moisteners could play by using Into the Darkest Depths. However, he swore to everyone he knew that its play was actually achieved by hours of intense breathing practice, leading to the death of many stupid enough to believe him.

Nevertheless, the sport became incredibly popular on Lanumon after Vander Eyemless introduced it there, as the Sylverans are capable of playing it by using their Deepnose breathing aparatus. In addition, playing Phlish is naturally a common past-time for aquatic races, such as the Shushipodians.

Phlish is a full-contact sport, and tackles, punches, kicks are all valid. Substitutions are only allowed during halftime.

Gameplay

The Stadium

The gameplay area consists of a central oval playing area, a Goal on each side, surrounded by a circular area referred to as the Scoring Zone and three poles - one for each team and a neutral one known as Towers set in a triangle.

Balls

The Pearl is a gigantically heavy ball with one hole on the bottom that allows it to fit atop the Towers. It is the goal of each team to be the team with the Pearl on their Tower at the end of the game, as posessing it during the halftime or the final second of the game will net them an extra 30 points. The Pearl is generally heavy enough that no less than three bearers can carry it. If the Pearl is on the Neutral Tower during halftime, both team's scores will be added together and divided by two - giving the team with the lower score a significant advantage and creating a tie for the beginning of the second half.

The Bogeys are two smaller lightweight balls that are the main part of the gameplay. Getting them into the opponent's Goal from the Scoring Area will earn the team one point. Managing to get it in from outside the scoring area via striking it will give the team 3 points.

The Latern appears identical to the Bogeys and can also be used in a similar manner. However, at random intrevals it will electrify itself, deliving a powerful shock that will knock anyone possesing it unconcious and result in a 5 point penalty for the team. The nature of which Bogey is the Lantern is not revealed until it activates.

Positions

There is one Defender on each team. It his his duty to stay within the Scoring Zone and defend the team's goal from being scored upon. The Defender can also chose to help the Turtles guard the Pearl if it is in the Tower, however this usually leaves the goal exposed. This tactic is refered to as the Mock Turtle Gambit

The six Fishers on each team handle the Bogeys and the Lantern, attempting to get them past the defender and into the Goals. They must also wrest the Bogeys away from the opponent's Fishers. Once the Lantern is discovered, a clever Fisher may be able to risk using it offensively against other players. Fishers are not allowed to touch the Pearl, or they will suffer a 5 point penalty. Fishers also experience a 3 point penalty for entering their own team's Scoring Zone.

The Turtles are four players whose job it is to handle the Pearl and ensure it is kept in the team's Tower until the middle and end of the game, respectively. It is also the job of the Turtles to attack the opponent's Turtles and Towers in order to claim the Pearl.