Willow

Willow/Wyllow, or colloquially Wym, is a sport that descents from the ancient hunting practices of the early Camleric peoples.

The sport consists of two teams of 7 players:

- 3 Offenders who attempt to steal the Wym from the opposing team. Offenders also set traps for the opposing Wymcaller or Defenders. Offenders who take a Wym from the opposing team become their team's new Wymcaller.

- 3 Defenders who lead the Wymcaller back to their goal and protect the Wymcaller from opposing Offenders. They also remove traps in the Wymcaller's way. If a defender touches the Wym, their team instantly loses that round (and somes the entire tournament).

- 1 Wymcaller who is the only player allowed to transport the Wym from the Center back to their respective goal. If a Wymcaller loses their Wym, they can either become an Offender or Defender **BUT NEVER** a Lurker

** OR**

- 1 Lurker who can traverse the forest steathily. The Lurker is a special kind of Offender who is allowed to use invisibility potions or travel in the tops of trees. A Lurker is allowed to steal the Wym, and once they do, their team can no longer have a Wym for that round.

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The two teams are competing for ownership of the Wym, often a polished ball made from some high quality wood. The playing field is split into two halves for each respective team. In the center lies a circle called the "Center" where the Wym is placed at the start of each new round. When the round begins (often once a horn is blown or a gong is hit) the two teams must dash towards the Wym and attempt to bring it back to their respective goal.

The game often takes place in a dense forest with creaks and streams. Depending on the league, playing fields can either be small, as big as several houses, or massive, encompassing tons of acres of forest.

The difficulty lies in traversing the forest. The initial dash towards the Wym is easy; however, offenders may lie hiding in the trees to pounce on the Wymcaller and steal the Wym.

Offenders and lurkers also carry bows, usually tipped with arrows that stun an opponent for a few seconds. More ridiculous leagues often play with live arrows or with blunt arrows that knock players down for significant amounts of time.

If an offender or lurker takes the Wym from the opposing Wymcaller, they instantly become their teams Wymcaller.

Once a team loses a lurker, they can never have another until the next round.

The game is often played until 15 points or *Wymwins*.

Galics play a similar game called "Vaervi" which has two perminant lurkers and one dedicated wymcaller.