Quenyss - A Game of Skill and Concentration (in progress)

Edited version: Reorganized to scheme, a few more details added, still needs a few numbers / dates. Any history specialists out there wanna give a hand with this?

Game Name:

Quenyss. Also known as Quenniz or more rarely, Quenyzz / Queniss. Pronounced 'KWEN-iss', with a faint sibilance on the last syllable.

History:

Quenyss has been played for over a thousand years in Santharia. Although in its current form the game is credited to the half-human/half gnome craftsman Yazzel Thuneky, the simple tossing of a ball between two paddles worn on the hands seems to have been popular in the time of XXX and even during the reign of YYY. Carvings on copyists' desksfrom 0000 b.S. show two players scratched in active poses, wearing the distinctive Quenpats, and the ball being passed between them. The idea of the grounds and the various Quenyssfoils
seems to be a relatively modern concept; we find a literary reference to "Quenniz foilers" in the writings of VVV, 0000 a.S. Yazzel, in 14xx a.S, invented and added the court with its gimbals and screens, thus making many more foils possible.

Diagram
Provide a picture/description of game board, playing field, or special equipment piece (yes, yes, this part is coming too!)

Equipment

The Quenyss playing field is made up of three main parts.
The first part is referred to as 'the grounds' - a large circular or oval space, generally grassed-over, and surrounded by either hedges or some sort of sturdy fencing, often post-and-rail, to demarcate the space.
Within the grounds sits the 'court', a carefully-constructed octagonal edifice, made mostly of wood and set on gimbals.
It resembles a small pavilion with four open sides and four lattice-screened sides. Spectators are seated around the court on stepped benches, or 'ledges', which go upwards and back from each of the open sides, allowing almost everyone a good view.

Quenyss is played with a Quen ball (small tough animal's bladder stuffed with sawis wool, then painted)
and Quenpats, glovepaddles which attach over the hands (like fingerless gloves of leather, with a thin wooden plate attached to the palm).
The Quen is tossed into the air and batted back and forth by the players in an attempt to keep it in the air as long as possible.
It is a cooperative game, and skilled players should theoretically be able to keep the ball aloft indefinitely, at least until physically exhausted -
so the game is made far more challenging for the players and exciting for the spectators by the deliberate random interference of various Quenyssfoils (distractors). Betting is encouraged, not only upon the two Quenysts (Quenyss players) but on all the additional factors,
such as which round will eliminate a certain Quenyst, how many butterflies will escape (see Round Four), whether any injuries will be recorded, and so on.

Game Setup

The audience is allowed into the grounds up to two hours before the match, depending on how many spectators are waiting or expected.
Early versions of the game allowed spectators to find their seats at any time before the match began, but this was abused first by determined fans monopolizing huge blocks of seats so that supporters of the other Quenyst could barely find a spot, then, after tickets were instituted for the game, equally patient people holding and reselling more desirable seats. Also, when gambling on the game became extensive, losers were easily able to exit the grounds, which were relatively open. Nowadays, the grounds are bounded by hedges or fences to discourage these various difficulties, and as a result the groundskeepers/ticketeers can choose when to open the gates to the audience.

The various foils (see below), where possible, are usually brought in just before the match and shown to spectators - again, a relatively new ritual, aimed at discouraging various cheats (see below!) but also now considered part of the entertainment. The butterflies should be active, not groggy, and the Flittermouse (Morjual, or bat) should be groomed and alert. The Papermen and Quenkies (yes, again, see below) who are participating and organizing the match often enter just after the Showing of the Foils and take their reserved places at regularly-spaced stations in the front rows of the ledges. They serve as semi-official announcers and referees, though at this point there is no one way to resolve disputes other than the traditional one of argument, high words, and possibly a well-timed cuff. Again, this is all potentially part of the entertainment for the audience.

Finally, to cheers, jeers, and the occasional blown kiss, the two Quenysts enter - the players themselves, dressed in their easily identifiable costumes of grey linen: snug knee-length breeches over stockings, sanded leather buskins for the feet, and a loose blouse with cropped sleeves tied off at the elbow. A sleeveless tunic belted at the waist goes over top of all that grey, in the colours of the player - usually bright and contrasting, and which are matched by the ribbons at knee and elbow. Supporters crave these ribbons, which are sold off after the match, and wear them proudly (authentic or not) to show their support for a specific popular Quenyst hero.

Rules

Rounds are timed, and named. There are six unique rounds, each one named for the type of foil that is released.
After the sixth, the Quenyssfoils are combined in random order, making betting even more complex, as the interaction of the various foils are unpredictable. Each round should last four minutes, as closely as possible. A hobbit-watch is the preferred timing device, but calibrated waterclocks have been used, and sandglasses are still quite common in most of the smaller towns which can boast a Quenyss ground.

The first round is known as "the Groth Round", and depending on the weather can be one of the easiest or one of the hardest.
Windy days make it very vexing, but calm days effectively offer no interference whatsoever.

Round Two is the 'Shuffle Round', in which spectators enjoy participating by making noise in any way possible except with their voices. They may stamp on the ledges, clap their hands at inopportune times, slap their thighs, and so on. In one famous match, a spectator deliberately tipped off his seat and rolled down the empty ledges in front of him to thunderous effect, quite thoroughly distracting both players and completely upsetting the betting.

In Round Three, known as 'Petals', a panel in the ceiling is randomly opened to allow dried leaves, flower petals or bright bits of paper, cloth, tinsel and the like - depending on the season - flutter down on the players from above, obscuring their view.

Round Four - "The Flittertwitch Round", named after the insane butterflies, a boxful of which is released at the beginning of the round to flap
wildly about the court, crash off players and spectators, and generally cause distraction, annoyance, and hiliarity.

Round Five - "Flittermouse Round" - yes, a tame Flittermouse is allowed to chase and devour the remaining (those which haven't gotten out of the open sides) butterflies.

Round Six - "At Sea". Here the gimbals beneath the court, which are powered by a treadmill, are employed, causing the entire pavilion to roll and heave slowly. The mechanics are complicated, but there are checks and balances to ensure that no matter how enthusiastic the treadmill servants become, the court does not pitch any more violently. These mechanical stoppages were added to the game in XXXX, when it became obvious that some enterprising gamblers had been regularly bribing the treadmillers in order to secure their desired results...

Round Seven, assuming the Quenysts have gotten this far, as most skilled players will have, and subsequent rounds up to Seventeen, are various combinations of Foils Two through Six. As one might imagine, a Four-Six Round (with both butterflies and moving court) is one of the most complicated, while a Three-Five always evokes laughter as the poor confused Flittermouse attempts to determine what, if any, of the small fluttering objects are actually edible... and so on.

While it is not common for players to get past twelve rounds, it has happened. Should the game go past seventeen, there are two schools of belief as to what should happen. One states that the game is decidedly over, and consider it a praiseworthy draw, as both players have succeeded in keeping the ball aloft for more than an hour with the numerous distractions. The other simply insists that there must be a winner and a loser, and begin to use three different Foils at a time - the Shuffle, At Sea, and the Petals in combination being considered a certain way to ensure someone's defeat!

Betting:

While the game, as you can imagine, is most entertaining for the spectators, there are those who are never happy unless there are some additional elements of risk (for the spectators, that is, as the players are most definitely incurring various hazards...). For such people, gambling on the outcomes of the match provides that little extra frisson, so 'Papermen' and 'Quenkies' are always about, ready to take their money and record the bets.

Papermen, also known as 'bookies', confine themselves to writing and calculating, running the numbers and balancing the odds. Quenkies, or promoters, represent the various players - talking up their virtues, spreading rumours, attracting attention, and so on. It is not unknown for vast sums of money to be placed and withdrawn depending upon the gossip and back-stand tidbits of information provided by Quenkies.

Here, for a bit of local colour, is a transcript of what you might hear at a match in Marcogg, with a Quenkie in full blast happily commenting on the action:

"..... Both players have made it through the first five rounds with a display of supreme talent and seeming ease. Surely in the sixth Miés'efér Lytherá, The Quenpat Slugger, will pull away with the victory. And it begins! The Quen is in the air, the Slugger steps back......whak....I can't believe it, Miés'efér has taken a fall! Ha ha ha, his bottom will be sore tomorrow.... Well, that puts paid to the game for tonight! We bid you farewell and a safe trip home. Bets can be collected - AND paid - at the front gate. We'll be happy to unlock your carriages, horses, litters, and the like when you show your betting slip! Remember folks, you and your horses won't be the only ones travelling tonight, so please be courteous to your fellow fans. I'm Tom the Terrific Quenkie here with silent Ary, and we'll catch you all next time the Quen hits the air. "

And of course, there is always the possibility to attempt to influence the outcome. Fans have bribed household staff to provide an exceptionally heavy (or stimulating) menu, challenged popular Quenysts to duels, and even hired players' mistresses to make an extra effort to 'fatigue' them the night before a match! We have already mentioned the suborning of the treadmill servants, but serious gamblers have also been able to substitute dried insects for petals, have the floor of the court oiled, substitute players' footwear (for better or worse results) and, it is claimed, hire a weather mage to create a gust of wind at just the most inopportune time. This last, naturally, has never actually been proven, but the old canard keeps coming up every time a match is won or lost due to the vicissitudes of weather.