Bannerment

Bannerment likely began centuries ago amongst the peasantry. Children would play at "capturing the enemy" while their parents were away at war, mimicking reality. At some point, the tradition began to include actual nobility, who took to the "general" position naturally.   In 400 AE, the first National League was established, codifying the rules to the game and unifying the nation's love for the sport. Every five years the Erminster Cup is held, where each fiefdom sends their best team to compete against all the other fiefs for the prize and honor. For rival fiefdoms or for fiefs at war, these official games can sometimes get violent and bloody.

Bannerment is played by two teams of seven. On a team, six players serve as "soldiers," and one as the "captain." Each soldier is given a "shield" to hold (though it can be anywhere from a full wooden shield to a simple wooden stick). The game is played on a narrow field a hundred feet long and fifteen in width. On either side sits a banner.   There are seven rounds to a game, each lasting a maximum of ten minutes. During a round, a team scores when the captain captures the opposing team's banner. For every uninterrupted minute the captain holds the other team's banner, they score a point. If the captain can retrieve the flag and fully return it to their own side of the field without their own banner being captured, the round immediately ends and their team gains 10 points. Only a captain can retrieve and replace their previously captured flag back to its starting point.   A soldier is considered "out" if they drop their shield at any point, or if they are fully forced out of the bounds of the field. When out, a soldier must wait until the next round to return to play. Captains cannot be touched by another player unless they are currently holding a banner, either their own or the opponent's. If an officer is ever forced out of bounds, they must also wait until the next round to return to play.   At the end of seven rounds, the team with the most amount of points wins. Ties are rare but possible.   During officially sanctioned games, the soldiers must all be of the peasantry, while the captain must be of the nobility. Additionally, three referees oversee the game to ensure the rules are enforced correctly and fairly.

Bannerment is incredibly popular across Faloriand. Children may play in the streets or in fields. City communities will often have courts built in parks around town, where the local community have their own teams and the neighborhood will come out to watch.   Each town typically has their own professional team. In the years between the Erminster Cup, they compete to see who will be sent by the fiefdom. The fields used for these typically feature viewing stands for nobles and peasants alike to watch the competition. The fields for the Erminster Cup sit thousands of fan who come from all over the nation.