Maraqua's Plea for Help

In the first year of the tournament, Maraqua placed 10th after being defeated by their 1st round opponent, Meridell. Maraqua did improve in their second year, ending in 9th place. It may seem odd that we are using this as our first contention, but, we think that it is best to be honest up front. Our records do not shine for the past two years. But! We do plan for this year to be different, and we are sticking to it. Wouldn’t it be awesome to surprise everyone? Imagine, a 9th placer to appear in the finals! It can happen. Even though our ranks were quite low in the first two years, for a team that was not well supported... and going against teams like Darigan Citadel and Shenkuu with their well funded and thriving realms... we are proud of our achievement.

Our underwater paradise is located just north of Mystery Island and Krawk Island – submerged in salt water. First discovered in Year 2000, this settlement’s sighting also meant the discovery of the ever-so-popular Battledome. However, after King Koi decided not to pay the tax for Pirate’s Protection in 2001, Captain Dread put a curse on the underwater city which, as believed, resulted in a whirlpool of the area for a whole year. Years passed and only the ruins of Maraqua remained known to the surface-dwellers. Though little did we know that King Kelpbeard undertook the task for rebuilding this nation. When Captain Scarblade heard of this, he immediately attacked the city. Fortunately, King Kelpbeard organized armies while he exiled the rebuilt Maraqua from contact with the surface. This resulted in victory of the Maraquans against the Pirates, and trade with the surface-dwellers was then allowed. Since 2005, there have been no new additions to the city of Maraqua. To this day, Maraqua survives through sales of petpets, Battledome items, and exclusive underwater dishes from the Kelp Restaurant. We do hold the monopoly on collectable sea shells. While we remain the only salt water settlement known, we do not have a steady amount of tourists – unless it is to help clean our waters via Underwater Fishing, but then they just take the junk and leave. It gets boring with so few establishments to visit, so our favorite pastime became supporting our local jocks – the Maraquan Altador Cup Team. But we have not done so well the past two years on our own. We need your help; if we win the Cup, surely Maraqua will stand out more.

One of our players, Maraquan Right Forward Elon Hughlis, nicknamed “The Black Hole,” was voted the “Most Selfish Player” during the first year’s Cup. Despite this apparent flaw and evident discontent of his team members, they chose not to let him go. Why, you ask? Well for one, they recognized his talent. Second, they know how to tolerate every personality out there. The current supporters for this team employ much of the same qualities, and more. It does not matter who you are; we will support you, talk with you, give you advice, help you along this year’s Cup and even afterwards. So the media said that Filo Desenz regularly has spats with Elon Hughlis in the lockers? That is all friendly talk, really! It helps them motivate each other – besides, it has no effect on their performance in the field during game time. We also promote the same ideals as Kelby, you know, that one from Jubble Bubble. You HAVE helped this Maraquan Shoyru save his friends, right? And similar to King Kelpbeard, we want to help give Maraqua its deserved and long-anticipated glory. Much like how we won our war against the Pirates, we will persevere and win the Altador Cup. We will not stop fighting. Forget the scores of old; it is a new year, a new day, and a new chance to win – and we will, as long as you join us in supporting the only underwater community in the Neopian world. Past results do not matter – we will play with heart and skill.

Hmm? You are still not convinced? Well, I am truly sorry but that is all that we can say to you. I, personally, used to be one of you surface dwellers. I switched because... I find the community best suited me. And trust me, I thought I was sure about supporting those in the mountains at first. But alas, this team is dedicated, and more united than my previous choice. We all gather at one spot and talk about numerous things; all in perfect harmony, just like the tranquility of our home – the ocean! We have an enormous playing field to practice and play on. Nonetheless, please stick to our honorable ways if you decide to join us and save your fury and attacks for the Altador Cup scoreboards. But enough of that. My experiences are not yours, so I suggest you meet the rest of the Maraquan supporters. We really want you to join and support us; become a Maraquan and be part of our world, a world that is different from the all of the others. Though as always, the choice is up to you to decide whether or not you want to answer our plea for help. Keep in mind, if you just keep swimming... WAM. You will see us. We are Maraqua.

Side Note: WAM, the gathering spot for most Maraquan supporters, is located at the Virtupets Boards at the time this article was written; when the Altador Cup Board opens, we will most likely transfer there. Please visit Bubble_Kay’s petpage for more information about gathered support for Maraqua.