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Finally!
Need to know how my otters did

>>26197524
I've got bad news for you, bro...

lgtss
>the city of coyotes

C'mon Martyrs! We need a win after losing last week!

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>Magnolia City Minotaurs @ Lewis & Clark’s Last Chancers

Dungeon: Big Sky
Roster:
MAG - JJ Evans [fighter (2H)] / Jordan Hu [spellsword] / Mic Rowl [cleric] / Daisy Canon [rogue]
LC - Clark Bell [fighter (2H)] / Cecelia Hert [bard] / Mark Schiffer [alchemist] / Jaxon "Action" Tracy [rogue]

Big Sky’s newest resident, a red dragon by the name of Del’roth, has been the focus of crawls so far this season, and this week is no different. A cult of dragonophs, or dragon-worshippers, has set up around the dungeon, seeking to awaken Del’roth from his current slumber. To prevent this, the teams’ objective was to sabotage three shrines to the dragon, before the dragonophs could complete their rituals.

Of course, before either team could do this, they’d have to ascend the mountain. Between the mountain trolls, narrow ledges, and frequent rockslides, Big Sky is a treacherous dungeon even with Del’roth hibernating. But either the dungeon was having an off day, or both teams were seriously on point. The Minotaurs quickly ascended the mountain, with Evans leading his party slashing his way through trolls and cultists alike. When faced with howling winds and narrow ledges, Hu and backup healer Rowl were there for support, and Canon more than pulled her weight, disabling landslide traps and deadfalls alike. The Last Chancers were no slouches either, performing almost identically to the Minotaurs. In particular, Bell and Schiffer delivered a stunning one-two punch to an unusually large troll blocking a narrow pass.

>>26198463
Upon reaching the area the cultists were camped in, both teams did something almost never seen in the NACL (though more common in the Oceanic Crawler’s Leagues and International Crawler’s League of Asia): split the party. Each team member went in a different direction to find and sabotage the shrines. “Action” Tracy was the first to find one, but the Minotaurs tied it up when Evans smashed the second shrine. Another ten minutes passed of sporadic combat between cultists (and the opposing teams) before Hert found the last shrine and smashed the ceremonial goblet.
FINAL SCORE
Minotaurs - 14
Last Chancers - 15
Crawler of the Match - JJ Evans, fighter, Magnolia City Minotaurs

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>Monument City Ravenguard @ Young Mountain Yetis

Dungeon: Bald Mountain
Roster:
MON - Isaac Pickering [ranger (TWF)] / Mae Dubois [wizard (enchantment)] / Ray McKnight [cleric] / Nemo Bryant [scout]
YM - Jake Summers [fighter (S+B)] / Thom Freytag [wizard (evocation)] / Pete Olson [medic] / Laura Hoyster [rogue]

Thanks to their latent magical field, dungeons are mutable, and are expected to change between matches, while generally sticking to a common theme. The dungeon that greeted the teams today was nothing like the Bald Mountain seen in the past. A vast cavern had opened into the side of the mountain, and inside, the teams were greeted not by the frost giants and avalanches expected of the dungeon, but by insidious puzzles and screaming undead, the likes of which have never been seen before.

The Ravenguard, not a strong puzzle-solving team on a good day, were caught completely off guard by the development, and despite the best efforts of Bryant and Dubois, spent most of the crawl dodging traps set off as they failed to solve puzzle after puzzle. Eventually the team tried to bypass a puzzle completely, resulting in the petrification of Dubois and removing her from the remainder of the crawl. Even future hall-of-famer Hoyster struggled with the devilish puzzles, eventually solving them but not before suffering a number of setbacks.

As the teams traveled deeper into the mysterious cave, the screeching undead increased their intensity, throwing themselves at both parties. The Ravenguard’s Pickering was a whirlwind of blades, holding back the press of undead, while the Yetis relied on the teamwork of Summers and Freytag to keep the creatures at bay. With no apparent objective, both teams could do little but press further into the darkness.

>>26198625
Despite the Ravenguard’s earlier troubles, the teams reached the center at the same time, and their objective quickly became apparent. Surrounded by an army of writhing animated corpses, a necromancer stood ready to destroy the heart of the dungeon, an event that would release untold destruction for hundreds of miles around. Both teams set their differences aside and charged the wizard, Pickering, McKnight, and Hoyster scything through the undead horde, while Summers, Freytag, and Bryant attacked the mage. It was a brief but brutal struggle, as the clash of spells and swords echoed around the monolithic chamber, and after only a few minutes, the necromancer was laid low, struck down thanks to the teamwork of both parties.
FINAL SCORE
Ravenguard - 10
Yetis - 13
Crawler of the Match - N/A

>>26198471
WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING?!?! YOU NEVER FUCKING SPLIT THE TEAM!!

Dumbasses lucky they didn't get killed.

>Capitol Red Scars @ New England Cultists

Dungeon: The Great Abyss
Roster:
CAP - Will Trettin [fighter (TWF)] / Sadie Swansea [sorcerer] / Clara Novak [alchemist] / Ray Soto [rogue]
NE - Rob Glennon [fighter (TWF)] / Daniel Schoenberger [summoner] / Evan Ward [alchemist] / Lexi Grimes [rogue]

It’s only week four, and the Cultists are hurting something fierce. They go into the crawl today with two substitutes (Glennon and Grimes), and Schoenberger was listed as questionable after taking a brutal hit to the knee last week. Meanwhile, the Red Scars look as healthy as ever, with Trettin off to an excellent start in his sophomore campaign.

But The Great Abyss has a reputation for being a brutal dungeon, and the Cultists are used to encountering a few bumps as the season progresses. With a strong second-string roster (and very “adaptable” crawlers), the Cultists usually pick up as the season progresses and make strong late-season runs.

However, today didn’t end up being a brilliant crawl for either team. Once again the teams entered the impossible darkness of The Great Abyss, this week with the objective of freeing slaves being held in the Night Prison. The prison is protected by devious traps and puzzles, and guarded by the night gaunts, both formidable challenges that slowed the teams. Unsurprisingly, the Red Scars slashed right past the gaunts, but when faced with a puzzle door covered in unreadable runes, trapfinder Soto failed to correctly decipher them, dropping the entire team into a pit of mysterious black ooze. The rest of his party manage to escape, but Soto was slowly, inevitably pulled under.

>>26198736
The Cultists also blasted past the night gaunt guardians, thanks to the offensive firepower of Glennon and Schoenberger’s summoned allies, but they too were stopped by a puzzle door covered in those same inexplicable runes. Schoenberger and Grimes quickly began work on a solution, only to find, when they attempted to open the door, that something had clearly gone wrong. Grasping hands of darkness reached out from the portal, dragging Schoenberger away from his horrified teammates.

With both teams down a man, judges debated calling the crawl, but then the Red Scars stumbled upon the cells of the Night Prison. Within were the slaves, as well as the lost crawlers, but they were clearly in a poor state. As the crawl came to an end, both Schoenberger and Soto were escorted out of the dungeon by on-site medics, and both will likely be out at least a week.
FINAL SCORE
Red Scars - 8
Cultists - 9
Crawler of the Match - Will Trettin, fighter, Capitol Red Scars

>Great Oak Watchers @ The Pitt Steel Soldiers

Dungeon: The Foundry
Roster:
GO - Ella Hudson [ranger (TWF)] / Daniel Days [druid] / Dave Cantrell [cleric] / Marie Kristiansen [scout]
PITT - Jedd Kozlowski [fighter (S+B)] / Dominic Vie [spellsword] / Hannah Shore [cleric] / Suzy Arrington [artificer]

It’s always an interesting crawl when one team is crawling way out of their element, and the Watchers, who have recently made the switch to a primal-focused roster, are crawling this week in one of the most industrialized dungeons in the league. The Steel Soldiers couldn’t have asked for a crawl more stacked in their favor.

Even for the home team, The Foundry is a hostile dungeon, and as the crawl began, both teams were feeling the heat. The rivers of molten steel running under the latticework walkways can really heat things up, and while Days and Shore tried to do their best for their respective teams, both were clearly moving slower than usual as they attempted to solve The Foundry’s complicated puzzles. Kristiansen found an elaborate weight-based puzzle blocking the Watchers’ path, as she tried to balance the team’s weight on platforms crossing a pit of spinning gears. Though eventually successful, the crossing took painfully long. Luckily, at the same time, the Steel Soldiers were held up as Arrington attempted to lead her party across a room as pistons fired seemingly randomly. Arrington took a few nasty blows, but also overcame the obstacle.

>>26198885
As the teams progressed, they kept a close eye out for The Foundry’s native golems. Their objective was to smash as many as they could and collect the gyro-cores inside. The first team to retrieve five would win valuable points that could easily decide the crawl. Hudson and Kristiansen took up the hunt for the Watchers, while Vie and Arrington set off for the Steel Soldiers. The poor golems didn’t have a chance, and before long, Arrington had a pocketful of gyro-cores for her team.
FINAL SCORE
Watchers - 12
Steel Soldiers - 13
Crawler of the Match - Suzy Arrington, artificer, The Pitt Steel Soldiers

>New Cardon Flytraps @ Yorkshire Giant Slayers

Dungeon: Footfall
Roster:
NCAR - Nathan O'Toole [fighter (xbow)] / Jan McClure [wizard (enchantment)] / Joe Gomez [medic] / Meri Stevenson [trapsmith]
YORK - Tessa Sumerlin [fighter (S+B)] / Jazz Ashton [wizard (abjuration)] / Dalton Perretta [cleric] / Ian Pellow [rogue]

Crawling with a second-string rookie fighter isn’t easy in the best of times, but with the Flytraps heading into the surprisingly dangerous Footfall against the undefeated Giant Slayers, you can bet New Cardon wishes it had starter Ian Marsh healthy.

Footfall is known for two things: dire crocodiles (the ancestors of long-since flushed pets) and oozes, and both were out in force today. Specifically, each team’s objective was to destroy the three ooze spawning pits before being overwhelmed by the slimes. But first they had to get there, crossing the crocodile-infested ruins between the start of the dungeon and the objective. O’Toole and Stevenson teamed up to clear a path for the Flytraps, but O’Toole showed his inexperience early and often, and Stevenson struggled to pick up the slack. Gomez did his best to keep the two fighting, but after a particularly vicious struggle against three of the overgrown gators, Stevenson was visibly favoring her right arm, and wasn’t nearly as effective for the rest of the crawl.

On the other hand, the Giant Slayers were having no such troubles. Sumerlin and Perretta pushed right through the swarming crocs with the rest of the team close behind, and located the spawning pits while the Flytraps were still fighting through the crocodiles. Sumerlin and Ashton unleashed on the quivering pools, and by the time the Flytraps finally arrived, there was nothing left but smoking craters and sticky splatter marks.
FINAL SCORE
Flytraps - 9
Giant Slayers - 15
Crawler of the Match - Tessa Sumerlin, fighter, Yorkshire Giant Slayers

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>Crescent River Martyrs @ New Amsterdam Genasi

Dungeon: Deep Water
Roster:
CR - Juin Caravane [swashbuckler] / Junior Barnes [wizard (abjuration)] / Freddie Thorton [cleric] / Trudy Puckett [rogue]
NAM - Melody Cortez [swashbuckler] / Ash Woodward [sorcerer] / Kathy Sloan [cleric] / Theo Abbey [scout]

Two teams with surprisingly similar styles but shaped by very different circumstances met in Deep Water today: small, dexterous crawlers with a focus on precision and speed. The Martyrs have come to favor this style after shaping other team’s scraps into starters for years, while the Genasi utilize the smaller crawlers out of necessity in their cramped home dungeon, deep beneath the streets of the city. Both teams have also gotten off to a surprisingly successful start this season, as the Genasi enter the crawl with a perfect 3-0 record and the Martyrs at 2-1 with their only loss being a very close match.

The tight tunnels of Deep Water are patrolled by the sandhogs, mutants forced underground as the city expanded above, and they are always eager to take a bit of a crawler home with them. Neither Caravane nor Cortez was going to make it easy for them, as every advance of the sandhogs was met with precise jabs and slashes. The sandhogs weren’t the only threat, and after only a few minutes in the dungeon, the water level had risen noticeably. The objective, then, was to shut down valves in various parts of the dungeon before Deep Water was completely flooded.

>>26199025
Of course, it wouldn’t be as simple as just walking to the valves, as Deep Water through trap after trap at the teams to slow them down. While Puckett narrowly saved the Martyrs from a flooding room, Abbey performed similarly for the Genasi, until he missed a critical pressure plate, dropping his entire team into a drowning pit. The trap door snapped shut and for a while it looked like the whole team had been lost, until suddenly the doors sprung open again, Abbey having performed an amazing job of lockpicking both underwater and in pitch darkness. Abbey continued to redeem himself when, after the soaking wet Genasi dragged themselves out of the trap, he discovered the valves, shutting down the flooding water while it was only a few feet high.
FINAL SCORE
Martyrs - 12
Genasi - 13
Crawler of the Match - Theo Abbey, scout, New Amsterdam Genasi

>>26198959

Ugggh! You do NOT take a crossbow fighter to kill oozes! Gah, the Flytraps can't win for losing this season.

>>26199025
>>26199037
2-2 now!? Aw hell naw!

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>Terminus Devils @ Outlander Gatekeepers

Dungeon: The Edge
Roster:
TERM - Chuck Vanderkar [fighter (TWF)] / Lily Button [warlock] / Louis Calgori [alchemist] / Dirk Andersen [rogue]
OUT - Arrah Fern [fighter (S+B)] / Tina Gomez [summoner] / Lotto Dodger [cleric] / Josh Woodward [rogue]

The Edge is a wildcard dungeon, one that can change radically week-to-week. This makes the Gatekeepers a very versatile team out of necessity, but “home field advantage” isn’t really something they get to take advantage of in the Outlands.

This week The Edge had taken the form of a giant, perfectly smooth and hollow sphere, and when the teams entered the dungeon, they found that the gravity inside was (in the words of Vanderkar) “right fucked up!” More specifically, in one hemisphere of the dungeon crawlers experienced near-weightlessness, while in the other half, gravity seemed to be several orders of magnitude stronger. And their objective? Simply to fix it.

Both team’s mages set to work attempting to solve the problem in their own ways, but with neither team fielding a generalist wizard, it was tough going, especially since both teams still had a crawl to complete. The shadows that inhabit The Edge, creatures that have bled in from the Long Night, didn’t seem to be an issue for either team, with Vanderkar and Calgori fending them off for the Devils, and second-string fighter Fern teaming up with Dodger to protect the Gatekeepers. However, The Edge’s trademark exploding runes soon began to wreak havoc on the teams after Woodward botched a disarm, and set off a chain reaction that took him out of the crawl. The explosions continued sporadically through the rest of the crawl, and at various times left both Calgori and Dodger scrambling to patch up teammates.

>>26199142
The lack of gravity certainly didn’t help things, and the two distinct hemispheres were separated by nothing at all, much to the surprise of Calgori as he drifted, weightless, into the other half of the dungeon. He immediately was pulled to the ground by the heightened gravity, landing with a sickening thud. At this point, both teams had spent three hours in the orb, alternatively floating aimlessly or trudging under the oppressive weight, and Button, after seeing her teammate crumpled on the ground, began to wildly cast dispels out of sheer frustration. This strategy, surprisingly, worked, leaving both teams to end the crawl slightly bitter that they hadn’t tried this simple solution earlier.
FINAL SCORE
Devils - 7
Gatekeepers - 8
Crawler of the Match - Lily Button, warlock, Terminus Devils

>Soda Mine Barbarians @ Tidewater Sahuagin

Dungeon: Tidewater Rock
Roster:
SODA - Neil Nordegraf [barbarian] / Dana Wisenhunt [warlock] / Tammy Becker [cleric] / Dennis "Rusty" Shaw [rogue]
TIDE - Cat Singleton [ranger (bow)] / Eric Davies [sorcerer] / Randall McCullough [cleric] / Jenny Kelly [scout]

It’s difficult to imagine two teams with a more different approach to crawling. The Barbarians specialize in getting up into the dungeon’s metaphorical face and punching it, while the Sahuagin focus on ranged precision and efficiency.

Tidewater Rock is a twisting spire of rock rising from the ocean, a former fortress for the sahuagin during the Sodden Wars (and still occasional staging point for raiding parties). Today, the teams were tasked with descending deep within the tower, to the flooded lower levels, and slaying the dire shark that has taken up residence. Nordegraf, clearly ready to get the crawl started, led his team headlong into the handful of sahuagin that had gathered to harass the crawlers, and with a mighty bellow, the Barbarians’ barbarian literally sent the monsters flying. From that point on, the sahuagin kept their distance from the teams, and only the natural hazards of the dungeon stood between the parties and victory.

Unfortunately, natural hazards is not an area where Tidewater Rock is lacking, as the constant rising and falling tides create powerful currents leading straight out to the open sea, and dense seaweed can entangle and drown crawlers surprisingly easy. The Sahuagin, innately familiar with these dangers, easily bypassed the threats, but the visiting Barbarians quickly found themselves in trouble when Becker became wrapped in thick curtains of seaweed. While attempting to free her, “Rusty” Shaw found himself nearly swept out into the ocean, only just managing to save himself after being bashed against the jagged rocks.

>>26199225
Though hurting, the Barbarians surprisingly managed to beat the Sahuagin to the dire shark’s den, and Nordegraf once again eagerly leapt into action, the offseason reattachment of his arm clearly not a hindrance at all anymore. Before long, the entire room was a swirling mass of blades, teeth, and blood as Nordegraf (with a little help from Wisenhunt) wrestled with the giant shark. Eventually the beast succumbed to Nordegraf’s assault, and the barbarian took one of the creature’s monstrous teeth as a trophy of his accomplishment.
FINAL SCORE
Barbarians - 12
Sahuagin - 11
Crawler of the Match - Neil Nordegraf, barbarian, Soda Mine Barbarians

>Goldenport Marauders @ Lastwall Shields

Dungeon: Sanctum
Roster:
GOLD - Tank Pryce [fighter (2H)] / Keeley "Keel" Reinowski [sorcerer] / Marcia Koch [cleric] / Doug Fetterman [trapsmith]
LAST - Brent Haywood [fighter (S+B)] / Alice Tran [wizard (abjuration)] / Eldon Wells [medic] / Scott Hardkiss [scout]

The overwhelming offense of the Marauders is up against the Shields’’ staunch defense in this week’s crawl in Sanctum. But neither a strong offense nor defense will help if the team’s can’t overcome the dungeon’s infamous puzzles.

The objective today was to ascend Sanctum and activate the beacon atop the ivory tower before Nightfall descends over the surrounding lands. The will-o-wisps posed almost no threat to either team, as both Pryce and Haywood bashed the ghostly lights, and surprisingly, Sanctum’s puzzles didn’t slow either team down either. While Reinowski and Fetterman easily led the Marauders through a room of illusions and temptations, Tran and Hardkiss steered the Shields through the Room of Sorrows without missing a beat. Even the dungeon’s rarely-seen sliding staircases didn’t prove to be an obstacle for either team as they neared the top. Unfortunately, once again, the Shields’ slow-but-steady crawling style cost them, as the Marauders reached the beacon first and Reinowski activated it, just as the first tendrils of darkness were beginning to creep across the land.
FINAL SCORE
Marauders - 14
Shields - 13
Crawler of the Match - Keeley Reinowski, sorcerer, Goldenport Marauders

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>Bunker City Defenders @ West Mesa Coyotes

Dungeon: Sandia Mountains
Roster:
BUNK - Jessica Cain [fighter (S+B)] / James Graham [wizard (evocation)] / Marissa Coplen [alchemist] / Mitchell Branch [trapsmith]
WEST - Johnnie "Horns" Henderson [ranger (bow)] / Randall "One Shoe" Dennis [sorcerer] / Troy Beaman [cleric] / Markus Spears [rogue]

The Coyotes are a team that can’t seem to get going this year. After having three starters go down in their first two crawls, they suffered another crushing defeat last week, crawling with three backups. This week, druid Shauna Hernandez, their starting mage, is still out, but the rest of the roster is, at the very least, healthy enough for this week’s crawl, hosting the Defenders in the Sandia Mountains.

The crawl began on the banks of the Rio Grande, with each team equipped with a large raft, and tasked with riding the white water rapids that occur throughout this portion of the river. Both teams set off, trading blows until the fast-moving water separated the two rafts, the teams too preoccupied with staying upright anyway.

The Defenders, not usually a team to crawl well in outdoor dungeons, took to the water surprisingly well. Graham and Coplen stood at the head of the raft, blowing up rocks, the occasional creature, and any other obstacles that blocked the team’s path, while Cain did her best to keep the craft on course.

>>26199388
The Coyotes weren’t having as easy of a time, clearly missing the familiarity of Hernandez. Dennis did his best, but communication completely broke down on several occasions. Henderson struggled to control the raft, and Beaman and Spears were left without much to do besides shout out advice and directions. Inevitably, the raft eventually flipped over, dumping the entire party into the swirling waters. Amazingly, even as they were slammed against jagged rocks and pulled under by swirling currents, Henderson and Spears managed to right the raft and pull Dennis back aboard, but Beaman had been swept away (in fact, he wasn’t recovered until after the crawl, miles down river and badly injured). Surprisingly, Beaman’s crossing of the finish line, even unconscious and separated from his team, counted as the Coyotes completing the objective, though it wasn’t nearly enough to secure them a win.
FINAL SCORE
Defenders - 14
Coyotes - 7
Crawler of the Match - James Graham, wizard, Bunker City Defenders

>Bay City Dwarves @ Lost Vegas Dust

Dungeon: Lost Vegas
Roster:
BAY - DeSean Levy [fighter (2H)] / Erin Lamplight [wizard (transmutation)] / Sarah Zhu [alchemist] / Erik Kearney [rogue]
LV - Lyra Moon [spellsword] / Bennett Tsukino [bard] / Ian "Biscuit" Douglas [alchemist] / Katie Frost [artificer]

Everything about Lost Vegas is unusual, from the dungeon to the team. The Dwarves are a very straightforward team, but will that straightforwardness work in Lost Vegas, a place that sometimes seems more like an amusement park than a dungeon?

Even before the crawl began, the haunting howls of the husks that inhabit Lost Vegas echoed through the abandoned city blocks, and once the match began, the creatures immediately assaulted both teams, dozens of them emerging from every building and dark alley. Levy went to work right away, quickly cleaving a path through the husks, as his team advanced behind him. The Dust, on the other hand, clambered atop the abandoned ruins, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as they proceeded through the dungeon.

The objective today was to collect ingredients from the deserted casinos and mix a drink for the Taster, a gluttonous creature that makes its home within the dungeon. The Dust continued their rooftop strategy, descending through skylights to the darkened buildings below and scavenging for key ingredients, while the Dwarves stuck to the ground, kicking in doors and rummaging through dust-covered bars. The husks had retreated in the face of Levy’s scything blade, and the only sounds were the occasional crash as the ruined buildings collapsed, triggered by narrowly-avoided traps.

>>26199419
The Dust were the first team to gather their ingredients, and rushed towards the Taster’s home as Douglas whipped up an improvised Moscow Mule, but the Dwarves weren’t far behind, sprinting down the street as Lamplight attempted to mix a Bloody Mary. Both teams arrived at roughly the same time, and were greeted by the massive Taster, a creature resembling a giant humanoid toad more than anything. It sampled both drinks and, after a long minute of consideration, declared the Dust’s Moscow Mule the better drink.
FINAL SCORE
Dwarves - 12
Dust - 13
Crawler of the Match - Ian Douglas, alchemist, Lost Vegas Dust

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>Fort Worthington Jackalopes @ River City Kobolds

Dungeon: The Greenbelt
Roster:
FTW - Tom Justice [paladin (S+B)] / Zia Tallan [sorcerer] / Annette Furst [cleric] / Sam Lee [rogue]
RVR - Zac Humm [fighter (S+B)] / Amily Sparks [sorcerer] / Rose Dougall [bard] / Ned Coates [rogue]

It’s Texas vs. Texas as the Jackalopes and the Kobolds meet up in the Greenbelt. But after the rains started last week and didn’t stop, you’d never guess these teams are crawling in the Lone Star state in the middle of summer, as the Greenbelt has transformed from a bone-dry riverbed into a swift-moving river flanked by lush plantlife.

The monsoon that began at the end of last week’s crawl continues during today’s, with pouring rain drenching each team as they hack their way through the overgrown plantlife. Also with the rains comes dire salamanders, giant and aggressive amphibians found only in River City. As the Jackalopes made their way along the muddy riverbank, one of the giant creatures appeared, lunging at Justice, who had taken point. The salamander clamped down hard on his shield arm, shattering both the shield and the arm, but giving Justice time to swing his sword around and cleanly decapitate the beast. Hindered without the use of his left arm, Justice nevertheless continued to lead the Jackalopes, refusing to slow so Furst could treat it.

>>26199470
The river, already swollen with rain, continued to rise, soon lapping over its banks as it flooded the surrounding lands. The Kobolds soon found themselves knee-deep in fast-moving water as the path they had been following suddenly became submerged. They continued on despite the fast-rising water, and, before long, were waist deep, the current strong enough to cause Sparks to lose her footing and almost be swept away (saved only by the fast reactions of Humm). The Kobolds had no time to catch their breath, as a salamander emerged from the water, clearly looking to make a snack out of the team. But Humm and Coates moved like well-oiled machines, quickly flanking the beast and slaying it before it could scarf down any of the tastier-looking Kobolds.

The objective today was to find the Lenses of Revealing, a magical artifact (pic related) lost somewhere within the Greenbelt. Only with the Lenses of Revealing would a team be able to find the exit from the dungeon, and so the search was on, as the waters continued to rise and threaten to submerge the entire Greenbelt. It was, of course, Coates’s well-trained eyes that spotted the Lenses, nabbing the Kobolds some valuable points and ending the crawl.
FINAL SCORE
Jackalopes - 10
Kobolds - 11
Crawler of the Match - Ned Coates, rogue, River City Kobolds

>Silent Bay Sharks @ Sonora Desert Walkers

Dungeon: Valley of the Sun
Roster:
SLNT - Kahuna [barbarian] / Jenna Song [sorcerer] / May Kuza [alchemist] / Alex Kanagawa [rogue]
SONO - Brendan Knapp [ranger (bow)] / Clair "Acorn" Tillman [druid] / Paul Slopes [cleric] / Troy Hernandez [scout]

The Sharks are a team well out of their comfort zone today, as temperatures in the Valley of the Sun are well over 110 degrees. Even the Desert Walkers, whose strategy revolves around outlasting opponents in the punishing heat, were visibly uncomfortable as the crawl began.

The dungeon continued to show a sadistic streak, as once again the objective was to simply survive a full day and night within the Valley of the Sun. With resignation, both teams marched into the wilderness, the sun viciously beating down on the already-suffering teams. While Tillman and Slopes did their best to keep the Desert Walkers cool through various spells, the Sharks had to rely on the much less versatile combination of Song and Kuza, along with basic survival skills, to keep from overheating.

Of course, the heat wasn’t the only thing the teams had to worry about. While looking for shelter, the Sharks inadvertently stumbled into a nest of giant scorpions, leading to a lively fight as Kahuna and Song played rearguard and the rest of the team scrambled back into the baking heat.

The Desert Walkers, meanwhile, found themselves battling an overgrown gila monster they had disturbed. Knapp and second-stringer Hernandez peppered the creature from a distance while Tillman’s summoned wolf companion went jaw-to-jaw with the venomous lizard. After a long, exhausting fight, the beast was finally brought down, but the Desert Walkers were clearly spent. As darkness began to fall, both teams settled down for a restless night’s sleep.

>>26199519
The morning found Slopes incapacitated, suffering from the effects of a bite he received during the earlier fight against the gila monster, and the Desert Walkers were forced to carry on without him. The Sharks didn’t escape unscathed either, when Kuza was bitten by a snake hiding in her boot as she got dressed. Both teams were now facing the rest of the crawl without their healer.

Surprisingly, this didn’t seem to hinder either party. The blistering heat continued, as did attacks by various desert-dwelling monsters, but compared to the previous day, it was practically a cake walk. Perhaps the dungeon was being sympathetic, or perhaps the teams truly had put the worst behind them. Either way, the last eight hours passed relatively uneventfully.
FINAL SCORE
Sharks - 7
Desert Walkers - 8
Crawler of the Match - Clair Tillman, druid, Sonora Desert Walkers

>Emerald City Albatrosses @ Great Basin Crusaders

Dungeon: The Salts
Roster:
EMLD - Tyson Baird [barbarian] / Kristopher Cunningham [summoner] / Audrey Marble [alchemist] / Ava Dodge [artificer]
GB - Joseph Swan [paladin (2H)] / Jonah McIntyre [oracle] / Isabelle Fin [cleric] / Gordon Wolfe [inquisitor]

The Crusaders are unusual, in that the team is sponsored entirely by the Church of the One, as is their home dungeon. This can lead to odd objectives such as today’s, when teams were assigned to locate and excavate a buried tablet lost somewhere in the salt flats, and bring it back to the Church.

Finding the tablet would be no easy task, as The Salts can literally suck the life out of a crawler through its cursed zones of dehydration, or the desiccating touch of the salt elementals that inhabit the dungeon. Surprisingly, it was neither of these obstacles that gave the Albatrosses trouble, but mundane traps, pitfalls scattered about the salt flats. While keeping an eye out for any signs of the tablet, Dodge stepped on one of the pitfalls, plummeting through the thin salt crust into a pool of briny water below. Despite being quickly rescued, Dodge quickly became dehydrated, and despite Marble’s best efforts, her thirst could not be sated.

The Crusaders were having a much more eventful crawl, the team practically under siege by the salt elementals. Swan, continuing his impressive rookie campaign, kept the elementals at bay through a combination of martial prowess and defensive magic, nobly putting his life on the line as he took blow after blow from the monsters, attacks aimed at his teammates. After the fight was over, it was only through the combined efforts of McIntyre and Fin that Swan managed to stay in the crawl and not succumb to the desiccating sickness.

>>26199554
Only an hour into the crawl, as the Albatrosses battled a pair of elementals of their own, an explosion from one of Marble’s bombs uncovered the corner of a massive smooth slate. After dispatching the elementals, Dodge immediately set to work extracting the object from the salty ground, revealing a lost piece of the Lexicon of Voids, and awarding the Albatrosses critical objective points.
FINAL SCORE
Albatrosses - 12
Crusaders - 10
Crawler of the Match - Joseph Swan, paladin, Great Basin Crusaders

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>New Albion Navigators @ St. Iago’s Thunderbolts

Dungeon: Torrey Pines
Roster:
ALB - Tyrell Wonderly [fighter (S+B)] / Elizabeth Oshiro [wizard (illusion)] / Katie Tea [cleric] / Tybalt Black [rogue]
IAGO - Benjamin Slater [fighter (TWF)] / Lia Brock [wizard (evocation)] / Mike Bass [bard] / Rhonda Little [rogue]

This was a week for unusual objectives, and the trend kept up here in Torrey Pines. The teams each had to choose one member of their roster, and the two then played nine rounds of golf. The rest of the team was not allowed to directly interfere with the golfer or the ball, but could assist however else they were able. The Navigators chose rogue Tybalt Black, while the Thunderbolts picked Mike Bass, bard.

>>26199639
The first few holes proceeded normally enough, with the nonplayers on both teams puzzling over how to make themselves effective, but around the fifth hole, things began to get absurd. As Black teed off, a sudden (and extremely brief) sleet storm erupted (while Lia Brock did her best to look innocent), grounding his ball far short of the green. Bass missed a very short putt, only to find that the hole he had been aiming at was an illusion cast by Oshiro. On the next hole, wildlife herded onto the green by Slater and Little impeded Black’s short game, and a celestial hawk summoned by Tea plucked Bass’s ball out of the air and dropped it into a water hazard. While teeing off on the eighth hole, Black’s ball perplexingly ricochet right back at him, having struck a wall of force cast not two feet in front of Black. As Bass putted on the green, the ground slowly turned into a sucking pit of mud, the ball rolling only a few inches after each futile putt. On the ninth hole, both teams pulled every trick they could: Bass teed off while being attacked by a swarm of bees, Black fought off a summoned shark in a water hazard, and both players had to endure a sizable earthquake on the green. The final score of the round of golf ended with absurd scores, with Black at 109 and Bass at 122 (and some nasty stings).
FINAL SCORE
Navigators - 13
Thunderbolts - 11
Crawler of the Match - Tybalt Black, rogue, New Albion Navigators

>>26199419
>>26199427
Come on Dwarves, are you kidding me!?

You let Lamplight mix the drink!?!

Zhu has her bartender's license and you let LAMPLIGHT mix it!?

>Monterrey Aztecs @ Taggenton Otters

Dungeon: Willamette River
Roster:
MRY - Victor "Vic" Rivas [barbarian] / Alyssa Portillo [sorcerer] / Olivia Bates [blood mage] / Jonathan Kennison [rogue]
TAGG - Jeremy Fitzgerald [fighter (xbow)] / Alexis Heap [sorcerer] / Eleanor Blancheflower [cleric] / Daniel "Goro" Minami [scout]

The last time the Otters crawled at home, they destroyed the bridges crossing the Willamette River. This week, the teams were tasked with crossing the river, without using the bridges.

Portillo immediately got to work for the Aztecs, summoning blocks of metal and wood to be shaped into a raft, while the Otters instead scoured the riverbank for natural resources to build their raft. Blancheflower and Minami, sent to find suitable trees, ran headlong into a giant lamprey thrashing about the riverbank. As the two set upon the monster, the Aztecs’ Kennison, sent on a “scouting” mission, emerged from the undergrowth and attacked the Otters, stabbing Blancheflower twice before fleeing when Minami gave chase through the undergrowth. The two fought briefly before the arrival of “Vic” Rivas forced Minami to retreat, injured but still upright. The same couldn’t be said for Blancheflower, and she’ll likely be out at least a week recovering from her injuries.

While the Otters were attempting to deal with Kennison, the Aztecs had quickly put together a sizable raft, and once Kennison and Rivas returned, the team set off across the river. The Otters, meanwhile, had managed to fell one tree, and, panicking when they saw the Aztecs in the water, rolled it into the river and attempted to stay atop the improvised raft. Predictably, this was a futile effort, and soon the Aztecs were on the opposite bank.
FINAL SCORE
Aztecs - 14
Otters - 8
Crawler of the Match - Jonathan Kennison, rogue, Monterrey Aztecs

>>26199682
> As the two set upon the monster, the Aztecs’ Kennison, sent on a “scouting” mission, emerged from the undergrowth and attacked the Otters, stabbing Blancheflower twice

THOSE FUCKERS

>>26199682
HAhaha get fucked Otters

CURRENT DIVISIONAL STANDINGS
>Great White North
YM: 3-1
GO: 2-2
LC: 2-2
SODA: 2-2
>The Colonies
YORK: 4-0
MON: 2-2
PITT: 2-2
NE: 1-3
>Atlantic Seaboard
NAM: 4-0
CAP: 2-2
OUT: 2-2
NCAR: 0-4
>Gulf Coast
CR: 2-2
TERM: 2-2
MAG: 1-3
TIDE: 1-3
>Rio Grande
MRY: 3-1
FTW: 2-2
LAST: 2-2
WEST: 0-4
>The Big Empty
BUNK: 3-1
RVR: 3-1
LV: 2-2
SONO: 2-2
>Pacific Rim
SLNT: 3-1
GB: 2-2
IAGO: 1-3
BAY: 0-4
>New Cascadia
EMLD: 3-1
GOLD: 3-1
ALB: 2-2
TAGG: 1-3

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>>26199682
>mfw someone shanks an otter and gets crawler of the match for it

>>26199824
At least Terminus still lost. Barely on top of the division.

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>>26199650
FUCK

BASS

This is the third week he's lost a crawl for us.

>>26199824
both undefeated teams are from NYC

what up 212?

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>>26199874

>>26199091
Don't be too sad, you lost to this season's champions this week! It's only what's to be expected!

>>26200283
It's only week four, bucko. Just wait until you get your ass handed to you by some no-name team. Watch ESPN lose their shit over it!

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Week 5's crawls. Realistically there is no reason we shouldn't be back to normal scheduling this week, so Sunday Night NACL should kick off as normal.

I still need to do a few big announcements too, dunno if I'll create a midweek news thread or just do it an hour or two before crawls kick off on Sunday.

>Lastwall Shield gets the job done right, only loses on speed

We're the best technical team in the league, we're just too methodical ;_;

OP, what do the uniforms look like? I remember there being an archived thread about it but they were all American football kits and I think that's not what they use

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>>26200878
I made some prototypes, but didn't have time to make it in all the team colors.

>>26200878
MartyrsFag made us sweet sketches of the actual uniform: >>26200953

But yeah, here's all the color schemes: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/25162265/

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>otterfags think they've got it rough
>mfw I'm a CoyoteBro and an otter was lamenting their season near me.

Why is it always the teams from the Pacific Northwest

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>>26202316
GUESS WHO PLAYS WHO NEXT WEEK

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>>26202316
>>26202702

>>26202702
>>26203068
>fans bemoan fact their team is terrible
>act like dicks toward another team when their season is going terribly and they think they have a chance to win against a crippled team

Otterfags in an oystershell

>>26198899
First the Yetis and now the Soldiers? This is what I hate about signing rookies like Days, they get full of themselves after a few wins and start to slack off.

And we are against the Genasi next week? They have been destroying this season! All hope is lost!

>>26199671

Ya know? Dust might be 2-2 and unhopeful at this point, but damn does it feel good to beat the Bay City Yellow Cards.

>>26199682

And that puts us at... 1-3! WHOO GO FUCK YOURSELVES YA RIVER RATS

>>26200519

DUST DUST DUST

>mix drinks
>play golf

what the fuck was going on this week

>>26199539
god fucking damn

pull it together desert walkers, you should be crushing these guys on your home turf!!

I could last twenty days in those deserts easily

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>>26203456
3-1 you mean

>>26203401
It could definitely be worse. 2-2 is nothing to sneeze at, especially with how mangled so many teams have been so early in the season. Better to take a few lumps early and play it safe than take a big fall near the end.

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Who yetis here?

I don't know which fans are worse, Otters or Marauders.

>>26203802
Nobody unless they're bandwagoners.
>>26203855
Marauders are just thugs. At least Otters delusions are somewhat amusing.

>>26203698

Dust to Dust, even the Last Wall will Fall.

Love the "mood pics" with some of the crawls these past two weeks, but they're still kind of generic. We should get a drawfag to sketch up one of the more unusual dungeons (Lost Vegas or Gas Works or one of the ones bordering the Long Night)

>>26203802
Yeti scumbag, you cheat.

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>>26204185
Gas Works Park is a real place. I'm assuming in the NACL world it's still operational/much bigger.

>>26200519
>Aztecs @ Marauders

Maybe the two teams will kill each other off.

>>26199519
>>26199539

First loss to Silent Bay... But Kahuna's always fun to watch!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzEHsLiLxEI
>last chancer's theme song back in the Knuckleduster Shaw days

Those were good times. Why are there no monks/brawlers in the league today?

>>26205138
Warriors are relied on too much to tank in the NACL. Maybe in a striker-heavy league like Oceania or South Asia. Could possibly work as a trapfinder here in the states, but they'd (obviously) need to be able to disarm traps too, and be pretty stealthy.

>>26205276
You described a ninja, not a monk.

>>26205397
Yet it is the only way would could ever really get a brawler type in with the current NACL meta-game. Our best chance of ever seeing a real Monk again would be if a team did an overhaul of its roster like the Watchers new primal focus or if a foreign team moved to NA and joined NACL like we have seen in the past.

The later of the two would be interesting as it might shake up current meta. It would be great seeing teams with Ninjas, Monks, and Samurai as subs.

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>>26205138
>>26205276
>>26205397
>>26205863
Fun Fact: Sahuagin and Sharks actually both have a monk on their 2nd string.

>>26206004
Let's hope for injuries!

>>26206016
>hoping Big Kahuna gets injured

plz no

>>26206004
Is second string only an injury thing or can we expect coaches to remove players who are just performing under par? Or maybe if a team is on a losing streak will we see coaches swapping out a few players?

>>26205138

Fun fact: Minami's kid brother is a monk in the ICLA. He was pivotal in their last tengu hunt.

>>26205863
There's always the World Championships, too.
>>26206559
We haven't seen any non-injury substitutions so far, but I suppose it wouldn't be impossible

Sure can't wait for the International Crawler's League to start up again.
I got a feeling that the Arkhangelsk Hakeashars are going to faceroll everyone else quite cleanly this year.

>>26207124
>Dmitri not kicked off the team yet
Fuck no

>>26198463
And again we do great, but fall short in the end. I see a pattern here...
At least Mic Rowl didn't embarrass himself again.

GOGO MINOTAURS

>>26207911

Gonna be my team versus yours next week. Good luck to ya.

With a pair like Evans and Hu, I'm seriously worried.

>>26208465
Good luck to ya, too.
Can't wait to see Nordegraf and JJ fight it out. Fight of the Year

>>26199554
>>26199824
ALBATROSS! ALBATROSS! ALBATROSS!

CAAAAW

>>26200519

Otters are hosting again
>mfw i have no face

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>>26210782

>>26200519
Cultists playing Flytraps and Coyotoes playing Otters? The battle for last place has truly begun.

Oh, and here's (more or less) the top 5 at each position. This can obviously change pretty significantly week-to-week, due to injuries and whatnot.
>Warrior
1) DeSean Levy [fighter (2H)], Bay City Dwarves
2) Tank Pryce [fighter (2H)], Goldenport Marauders
3) JJ Evans [fighter (2H)], Magnolia City Minotaurs
4) Joseph Swan [paladin (2H)], Great Basin Crusaders
5) Neil Nordegraf [barbarian], Soda Mine Barbarians

>Mage
1) Elizabeth Oshiro [wizard (illusion)], New Albion Navigators
2) Alice Tran [wizard (abjuration)], Lastwall Shields
3) Daniel Days [druid], Great Oak Watchers
4) Clair "Acorn" Tillman [druid], Sonora Desert Walkers
5) Jazz Ashton [wizard (abjuration)], Yorkshire Giant Slayers

>Healer
1) Ian "Biscuit" Douglas [alchemist], Lost Vegas Dust
2) Isabelle Fin [cleric], Great Basin Crusaders
3) Olivia Bates [blood mage], Monterrey Aztecs
4) Marissa Coplen [alchemist], Bunker City Defenders
5) Mike Bass [bard], St. Iago's Thunderbolts

>Trapfinder
1) Ned Coates [rogue], River City Kobolds
2) Laura Hoyster [rogue], Young Mountain Yetis
3) Suzy Arrington [artificer], The Pitt Steel Soldiers
4) Daisy Canon [rogue], Magnolia City Minotaurs
5) Ava Dodge [artificer], Emerald City Albatrosses

>>26213125
Surprised not to see Clark Bell up there

>>26213385
Bell's okay, but he's not THAT great. That said, if he wins a few more crawls...

>>26213385
The warrior position is extremely top-heavy. There's a good number of other players (Red Scars' Trettin, Coyotes' Henderson, Cultists' Toren Atkinson (if he was healthy), Sharks' Kahuna, and Bell) that could have easily cracked the top 5.

>>26213125
>Mike Bass the 5th best healer in the league

commish plz

>>26213125
How is Tybalt Black not one of the top trapfinders? He has been carrying the Navigators so hard.

>>26214513
Hey he won that one crawl for you

>>26199025
Always good to watch Crescent River lose.

>>26199338
Bittersweet victory. I like both teams, but I've been a fan of Tank since he came up from the little league's. So here's to Goldenport!

>>26199682
>Otters lose
>Again
>whatelseisnew.jpg.

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>>26200519
Aztecs at Goldenport?

This should be good.

>naming your organization after salt

Lay the fuck off Bass, guys! You'll see, he will be the one to rally the bolts to back-to-back streaks.

>Go Thunderbolts!

Are fluff spots still open?

After my bit for the Navigators became canon, I feel compelled to write more about my teams.

>>26226632
posting anyway!

>However, the Navigators' fanbase is probably one of the most hypocritical in the league. Every home crawl has been sold out since the team arrived, but the day after a crawl, nearly all the local bards are crying for a mass trade or firing. Some analysts suggest that only a season sweep will placate the fanbase.
The City Of Glass, It’s often stated that it’s a good thing the Arenas are so attention craved that they so often overlook “minor” infractions. Because every year, and every playoff elimination for the past decade, the doors open to all comers, who almost gleefully oblige. Wannabe crawlers and diehards from as far back as the short-lived Fog City days, one and all pour into the city to rechristen it “The City of Shards”
For this reason, the off season is unusually quiet, comparing to the rest of the league.
>Great Oak Watchers
No matter where you go in this world, if the NACL is in play, you’re guaranteed to find at least one Watcher. And where there’s one, there is often a chapter of The Watch, the name of the fan club. Easily spotted, they carry the mantra “We watch the watchers” to go with the team’s slogan “Always watching”

>>26199639
>>26199650
This was fucking beautiful commish.