[Slokais]

In the hills of central Mallancaland, Sarmana rose the tall spires of the Grand Mosque standing out of the high desert landscape. Sarmana was the traditional winter place of the King of Mallacaland. King Abdin III had spent summers here when he was younger when he still said he was a year and a half. His cousin, Abdin Hussein, better known as King Abdin II has taught him falconry, his later cousin's equipment still resting in some high tower of the Winter Palace. Hassen Abdin had been unable to visit his cousin's gravesite after he was assassinated by one of Azim Shad's agents in New Liverpool last year. This left, King Abdin III unopposed for the role of heir to Mallacaland, royalists had quickly come to his side. Even a few years ago, Hassen Abdin would have been thrilled at the distinction of having such power, but at what cost? His forces had established a few footholds across rural Mallacaland, collecting what little tax was left remaining in a land starved of resources. A wise Arikata monk in Lao Sansong had told Hassen Abdin "to exercise justice upon the people, so they will exercise justice upon you".

Light snow fell upon, the dirt streets of Sarmana covered in a dusting of white. The few out were lined up for the humanitarian rations provided by an underfunded aid organization. A woman was currently pleading with the aid worker for more bread.
"How dare you make a scene like this before the King himself, shame upon you," one of the King's guards said
"No, her cries are warranted, please get this woman enough bread," Hassan Abdin said to the aid worker.
"We wish to King, however, we don't have enough food. The roads are being blockaded"
"Dont punish the women for the cruelty of the government"
"But, my king you are the government," the King's guard said
"No, we need to accept that we can not win this war"
For King Abdin III, he has been doing some deep thinking lately. Eventually, even he would run out of food and resources and either be killed or suffer the agony of starvation. However, if he surrendered he would almost certainly be arrested and the wealth and history of the Kingdom of Mallacaland would be lost. Artifacts had already been looted from the summer palace in Mallacaland City and sold to foreign art collectors. At the back of his mind, King Abdin III knew reaching an agreement was his only form of survival, he knew the country was weak and tired of brutal conflict. Could he force himself to be a negotiator?

Baseball unified a country in conflict in 2021. Ibrahim Kamza leading a team of amateurs and unproven talents to a medal finish. Baseball had become a hope for Mallacans everywhere, kids playing on empty fields hoping the sport would carry them away. Investment had also come as well, with Slokasian baseball clubs looking to the small nation as a source of cheap talent. The team going to the IDU Baseball Classic was made of many of these young talents, some had already made a lifetime of earnings with teams in Slokais, and some were playing in their first true test against foreign talent. Ibrahim Kamza was not only the leader of his team but also of the people of Mallacaland. Over 70% of people approved of him in a recent survey, yet still he couldn't govern his own country. President Shahid had already stalled governance for 8 months, with excuses and arrests slowing down progress. Kamza however had a barging chip, his team. If the Mallacaland team performed well, Shahid would lose his base of patriotic Mallacans and would be going against popular will. If the team did not perform well, Shahid could claim Kamza had abandoned his country and his people, and that he did not want to govern. Could he force himself to be a negotiator?