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Rosie the Quarterback

September 3, 2022 /

from universe - 3 Chinnaka I

Survival for the Rock Island Independents during WWII meant playing exhibition games. The lower-paying game and less dedication to norms set the stage for the story of Marjorie 'Rosie' Aberson. The following story comes from Marjorie's best-selling book, They Call Me Rosie.

After a perfect 1942 season, all eyes were on the Chicago Marauders to continue their dominance. Boston was floundering and both New York teams had nowhere to play home games. With few contenders, hopes ran high for another championship season in Chicago. In Rock Island, however, players were being drafted into service or leaving to play for other professional leagues. The AFA was offering big money and had lured many famous players away from the NAFL. The better pay and more reliable schedule in the AFA made the league attractive to players young and old. Despite this and other obstacles, Coach Holland fielded twenty players for the team, drawing on talent from retired players and nearby college teams.

Chicago, meanwhile, was dealing with their own problems. Two exhibition games had been canceled for various reasons. Without games, income shrank. The front office would claim that Chicago needed at least one game to properly prepare for the season ahead. The truth of the matter was that they were not scheduled for enough games to play the season. The NAFL had set a six game minimum for teams to qualify for the championship game. Big money awaited any team in other pro leagues willing to schedule a game with Chicago. Due to their undefeated season the previous year, no team appeared willing to take them on. Strapped for cash, the Rock Island Independents would agree to a game and a date was set.

Welcome to Moline

Coach Holland had neglected to say that Darby field held only 5000 fans and that he didn't have a full team. With such a small stadium, the ticket receipts wouldn't come close to covering Chicago's costs. If Chicago would win by more than a seventy point margin, the NAFL would declare the game ineligible for the purposes of completing a season. Coach Morris of the Marauders had no other offers for a game. He would later say that he planned to limit his own team to thirty-five points. For Coach Holland, the Independents needed this game to stay in the existence and build a future of his fledgling team. How he convinced Chicago to travel to Moline is an enduring football mystery.

Coach Holland told the lineman to rotate 2 players every quarter to play both offensive and defensive line. Eddie, a fullback, would be the emergency QB. Holland hoped for one more player, but none could be found until that fateful night when he took the biggest gamble of his career.

He asked his wife to call on Marjorie at work the next day. Marjorie was doing factory work while her husband was serving overseas. She and Mrs. Holland worked in the same factory and talked frequently. Coach wanted to offer her money to help the team practice for the Chicago game. Marjorie was keen on the idea and the three of them began to work. Holland introduced her to the team as a placeholder so that the other 20 players could focus on the strategy for the upcoming game. Another assistant served as the center for kicking practice. Marjorie proved effective and consistent. The kicker, Chance Holloway, was a lanky nineteen year old that lied about his age to play football. With him and Marjorie, the team would take the field with twenty-two players, the league minimum for a game.

The team was apprehensive at first with Holland's plans, but they grew in confidence as they became comfortable with a pass-heavy gameplan. Eddie chose to play both fullback and linebacker. The Independents also practiced a few gimmick plays in an attempt to fool the Marauders famous defense. Marjorie would later write that everyone on the team was resolute. "The boys," she wrote, "believed that their victory was as inevitable as the Allied forces."

September 20, 1942

The day of the game came. The radio broadcasters set up. The Marauders gathered their reserve players on the far sideline and Rock Island lined up for the kickoff.

Chicago was surprised by the Independents' tough defense. The Marauders didn't score until late in the 3rd quarter on a 2 yard TD run. This was the first score of the game for either team. After a successful extra point, Chicago took a 7-0 lead.

Early in the 4th quarter, Rock Island answered with a touchdown of their own on a breakaway run by Eddie for a 43 yard TD. The kicking team took the field and the Chicago defense reacted in disbelief. Marjorie would say that she thought that they were gawking at Chance as he weighed 125 pounds soaking-wet. The team lined up for the extra point and Chance was able to split the uprights. All was not well on the field, though, as a Chicago player took it upon himself to teach Marjorie a lesson. After the play, he ran up and knocked her down hard. He chuckled to himself as he left the field.

Marjorie dusted herself off and walked over to him. Staring directly into his eyes she said, “Now that didn't do anything, now did it?”

Before the Chicago player could react, his teammates walked him off the field as the entire Rock Island team rushed on to protect Marjorie. She would later write that the team's support was much appreciated, but was entirely unnecessary.

Late in the 4th quarter, Chicago marched downfield, but had to settle for a field goal, taking a 10-7 lead. The weariness of the Independents was beginning to show as players had begun to shuffle between plays. Chicago had put in fresh players in an attempt to expand their lead. The exhausted Independents battled on.

A fumble on Chicago's next drive gave the ball back to the Independents with enough time to tie the game. With only a minute left, they lined up for a field goal after three failed attempts to make the 2 yard run for a touchdown. Coach Holland pulled Marjorie aside and told her to run the Haymaker. She nodded and trotted in with the Chance.

Chicago fans had made it clear that the Independents would be lucky to walk off the field. It was later revealed that a fan was so upset by Marjorie's presence of the field, that he planned to rush the field with a baseball bat if she returned. Several Rock Island fans pinned the man under the grandstand for the last minute of the game.

Marjorie would write that all she felt in that moment was that she was going to slug a certain Chicago lineman right in the jaw if he tried anything. She wasn't that emotionally involved in the game, she was there for a little extra money to buy a couple chickens for eggs. Still, she had no plans to suffer a fool. As the saying goes, "A fool knows only after he's suffered."

Rock Island's Last Gasp

She wrote in her book that the snap went towards her face. The Chicago nose tackle had gotten the best of the center, causing a terrible trajectory. She stood up to catch the ball, took two steps back and threw a lob just over the defender to Eddie standing alone in the end zone. Rock Island players ran immediately to the sideline to protect Marjorie as she left the field. Now up 13-10, Coach Holland had Rock Island return to line up in a running formation for the extra point. Marjorie wasn't on the field. Beyond these established facts, exactly what happened after that touchdown is disputed to this day. She wrote in her book that she turned to walk off the field only to be met with a celebration of fans and teammates.

By other accounts, there was an unconscious referee, two injured Chicago players, ten fans arrested, and a hoarse radio announcer croaking over and over, “Can you believe it?” At some point in the confusion, a stray dog took the football off the field. Retrieving the ball took about twenty minutes. Ultimately, the point after attempt was not successful and Chicago had 45 seconds to come back for the win. As the Chicago offense steamrolled down the field, it appeared their victory was assured.

One what would be the last play of the game, Rock Island called a desperate blitz. Their gamble paid off as Chicago's quarterback was pinned behind the line of scrimmage. The game ended with a Rock Island victory and the story of Rosie the quarterback was born.

The Rest of the Story

Rock Island made it through the rest of that season finishing with 3-4 record. The Marauders went on to claim another championship.

Marjorie never took the field again. She got the chickens she needed and went back to work the next day. Her husband returned from the war and her experience in professional football was soon forgotten for thirty-seven years. In 1981, Marjorie penned They Call Me Rosie to address the myths that had built up around her and to relay the actual events of the game as she remembered them. The NAFL would honor her in 2020 by inducting her into the Hall of Fame. The league commissioner pledged equity for women in all levels of football.

Marjorie "Rose" Aberson, number 21 for the '42 Rock Island Independents remains the only woman inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Memory of the Pontus Dragon (Sea Dragon)

September 2, 2022 /

as dictated by Arethusa Atticus, Emissary of Nethunus

In my time with walkers, I have learned that what they call fire is very different from my memories. Nethunus gifted us with fire to light our homes and aid with hunting for food. Through us, he generously shared it with walkers. In their darkest times, the flames of Nethunus continue to shine.

I never conceived that a fire existed that consumes everything it covers.

My favorite memory of fire belongs to my father's father. He was traveling with the pod to gather fish. He had not yet been called to serve, so he hunted for his own food as well as food for my relatives. I remember that we happened upon a school of fish and tried to push them close together. They were not thinking of us, but were swimming quickly to escape. Through my father's father's eyes, I saw nothing chasing them. He gathered the others to investigate further. 

Some time later we smelled the sweetness that only comes from fire, the fire that I know. Sensing ahead, we could make out the unfamiliar shape of a great creature. It was the size of a small whale, its head triangular in shape. There were two great eyes facing forward, a small mouth, and gills to either side of its neck. It had wide fins that spread three lengths and a span[thirty-five feet] with a coiling body. It had not sensed us, yet.

My father's father remembers that this great beast soon spewed fire over a coral reef, filling the sea with a great light. Fish hiding amongst the anemones and the crevasses darted out, each one shining brightly. Disoriented by the light, the fish could not see the sharks swimming towards them. Copying our techniques, the sharks swirled around the fish drawing them into a tighter and tighter formation. The light from the fish shimmered throughout the water in mesmerizing patterns. As they drew close to each other, a ball of light shone from the center, brighter than the fullest moon.

At exactly the right time, sharks dove through the light, feasting on the hapless fish. They closed their eyes as they swam through, thus immune to the blinding light around them as they ate.

We had the numbers to match the sharks, but the addition of the great beast was more than enough to give us pause. Upon returning to the city, a great circle was formed to share memories. As the thoughts swirled together, an ancient herald (an emissary that returned home after his time with the walkers) shared a memory of the Draco Pontus.

The Draco Pontus swam with Nethunus, but it did not have the form it wears now. Was it a brother? Nethunus would not say. All that was shared was that there came a great conflict. While they fought, Nethunus transformed his foe into the Draco Pontus. From that day to this, the Draco Pontus consorts with our mortal enemies.

Questions rushed in. Is there only one? Is this the same ancient creature that swam with our ocean-father eons ago?

At that time, my father's father's city did not know the answers. Since that time, I have my own memories to share. At the right time, I will share them.

Directory of Universes

August 31, 2022 /

There are a few universes that I want to list here and describe in more detail as well as provide more examples of how universes are named.

Disclaimer

I use Elminster as an example, I claim no rights to Forgotten Realms created by Ed Greenwood. Many gamers know of the Forgotten Realms, so this is merely an illustration. If requested, I will take down this post and rework this example with Abraham Lincoln. It's just that I like D&D and this was the first thing that came to mind. Elminster's unique and detailed history lends itself to a full description of the naming system.

Forgotten Realms as an Example

3 Elminster IV - This universe is the Forgotten Realms in 1357 DR. This is the Forgotten Realms at the end of its 1st edition run before the gods were forced to the mortal world. The year is determined by when, in his world, Elminster was discovered by the Compendium. Using pithanoton particles, this was the fourth version of Elminster encountered. The time of the discovery of Elminster is set as a reference point to talk about dimensions four and five more easily.

Referencing events in the past or future of the Forgotten Realms would be 4 Elminster IV. The change from 3 to 4 represents a change in time. Time is relative, so there is no set time. Researchers may add a detail like 4 Elminster IV in DR 1385 (This would represent the beginning of the Spellplague.) or 4 Elminster IV in -2207 DR to represent a time during the golden age of Netheril. Both are 4 Elminster IV because it is a different point in time than 1357 DR.

Referencing alternate events of that world would be 5 Elminster IV. This would include a universe where the Blue Age lasted longer because Dendar didn't eat the sun or the events of the Spellplague never happened. For clarity, all fifth dimensional universe names include references to a year and at least one point of divergence from its third dimensional parent. Fifth dimensional universes are uniquely identified by their pithanoton signature. More on those below.

Pithanoton Particles

Everything has a pithanoton signature that helps Compendium researchers determine the dimensional origin of a specific person, place, or thing. It is also used to distinguish between two or more identical objects and to determine possible relationships between two or more objects. Specifically, this would help determine the difference between Elminster I and Elminster IV. Elminster I belongs to a universe that was created in a slightly different way than Elminster IV. In the Sycarion Continuum, Elminster I's world was created similar to our world, the creation mythology is different, and magic doesn't exist. The Compendium encountered this Elminster as a mathematician and theoretical physicist working in a particle accelerator facility. References to this world would be 3 Elminster I (which is around 2017 CE), 4 Elminster I (any time outside of 2017CE), or 5 Elminster I (an alternate reality where Elminster becomes an English teacher).

Remember that this system is about identifying universes, not individuals. As such, there is a 3 Dendar I where Elminster exists, but he is not the Elminster of any other universe. He has a unique pithanoton signature. The universe is named Dendar because he was the first object from that dimension encountered. Researchers do not trace every individual throughout the multiverse, even the most interesting ones.

There can be mistakes like the false discovery of 3 Elmara I. Elmara was encountered by the researcher, but the pithanoton signature quickly determined that Elminster and Elmara were the same person and that she was in an already discovered universe. Since this was around 232 DR, 3 Elmara I was reclassified as 4 Elminster IV, since it was a different relative time of 3 Elminster IV.

I don't plan to post anything about Forgotten Realms, it's not my world. I hope this serves as a helpful reference that is a bit more fun that using a former president.

Universes that I Will Write About

3 ? ?? XIV - Over 120 iterations of Lu Yùn Sh? have made contact with the Compendium. In this universe, metahumans emerged during their American Civil War. Metahumans feature prominently in their 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Other notable events are the rise of the Axum nation, a substance called Ball Iron, and 19th century planetary exploration.

3 Mordenkainen V - This is the universe of 5th edition D&D rules as written.

3 Ommtala IV is the universe of my family's fifth edition D&D game. It is also where Arethusa Atticus, the awakened dolphin psionic paladin lives. He is a character played by our beloved stuffed toy dolphin.

5 Ommtala IV is the universe of my playing through The Adventurer by James Chip. It is journal writing game for a single player. My progress is kept on Github, but soon to be published here as well.

3 Sanderson II is the real world as we experience it. If I talk about real life, it will be tagged with this as a sort of in-house joke.

5 Sanderson II is the world where the narrator (the in-fiction author of all the posts) lived before working for and moving to 10 Compendium I

1 Inanitas I - This universe is also known as Solitude. Universes in the first dimension are either occupied by a singular being or an inert non-living point of matter. Some tourists visit dimensions like Solitude to find the ultimate sensory deprivation chamber only to discover a cacophony of noise and energy from other tourists. Others visit to discover the ultimate private chat room where nothing exists save for the visitors that meet there and an imperceptible point of unknown matter.

1 Omnis I consists of a singular point perceived as a line. There are an infinite number of 1 Omnis dimensions, but they differ only in the sequence of thoughts of their repetitive sole entities. The Compendium considers this odd effect of perceiving a point as a line to be the origin of the phrase "line of thinking".

Employing protective energy or magic has created a cottage industry for tourists to listen to the thoughts of a creature that has no known capacity to conceive of anything outside of itself. Many in the Compendium consider these tourists as extreme voyeurs.

2 Lotus XVII - This is the dimension that is home to Lotus. Sixteen other iterations of Lotus have made contact, but only this one maintains contact with the Compendium and other dimensions. Hailing from an advanced civilization, Lotus discovered pithanotons to allow travel to outer dimensions. Discovering magic in their travels, they travel by magical means.

Lotus is insatiably curious and enjoys sharing what they know. They hope to make contact with entities in 1 Omnis dimensions. They are the foremost authority on multidimensional travel. They possess a keen mind able to think in dimensions that they cannot perceive naturally. Lotus loves chess and ranks with an estimated ELO of 3600.

6 Phlisihu I - This is the home world of the celestial being, Phlisihu. Specifically, he is a Corrupter, a group of being that appear to enjoy antagonizing creatures in other universes. His favorite targets are elite magic users. He currently resides on a moon in 3 Ommtala IV where he is antagonizing Galen, a salt mage.

Other Universes

There are other universes still awaiting classification, but those will be detailed in other posts. If you made it this far, congratulations. More to come that is actual content, not blah, blah, blah explanation of how things are named.

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