NACL

It's time to nackle!

The North American Crawlers League (NACL) is competitive dungeon crawling (not entirely unlike X-Crawl) in a world like ours, but fantastical. In the Commissioner's words: "think a cross between American Gladiators, Ninja Warrior, and Legends of the Hidden Temple, but with real dragons and limb loss." The idea came up in a thread in March of 2013 with brainstorming about teams and the world that the NACL would be in. Four months, thirty-two teams, and four weeks worth of simulated match synopses later, and the NACL became, if for a moment, a household name among fa/tg/uys.

There was no detailed system for the NACL, but the matches are believed to be run in living dungeons that shifted and changed from season to season, sometimes from match to match, even during the match at times. Two teams consisting of four crawlers each - a warrior, a mage, a healer, and a trapfinder - duke it out in these dungeons to achieve an objective (usually killing a boss, scoring precious loot, or a combination of the two.) The score (as arbitrary as it was during the simulated matches) was determined by each team's performance in the match, as well as their ability to achieve the objective(s). At the end of the season, the two best teams would go to the Four Winds Conclave, the NACL's equivalent of the Super Bowl.

The current DRAFT of the system is HERE!

The World

It has been hinted that the world that the NACL takes place in is one recovering from the ravages of a magical version of World War II, the Seven Nations' War. The conflict was so intense that a large portion of the Great Lakes and the surrounding areas is enveloped in what is called the Long Night. Not much is known about what exactly happens in the Long Night outside of rumor and heresay, but most of the people in the postwar world steer clear of it.

North America isn't the only area with a crawling league, as other outfits would eventually spring up worldwide (some even say their leagues precede the NACL.) While the NACL seems to rely on the "classic" party makeup you'd expect in a fantasy roleplaying game, the other leagues have different makeups depending on the types of dungeons they have, as well as the objectives they establish.

Not much has been spoken about the world at large other than this, but rather of the individual cities that have NACL teams. As the world rebuilds after the war, the fans' devotion to their hometown teams is stronger than ever. Rituals, costumes, pageantry, and just plain ol' smack-talk is the order of the day at a NACL match. And to many of these people, that's really all that matters these days.

The Teams

The Atlantic Seaboard

Capitol Red Scars

(Washington, DC) The Red Scars are a brutal team, known for letting nothing keep them from the dungeon. Even when badly injured, crawlers will risk life and limb to bring glory upon themselves and their team, and asking to be substituted out is seen as a sign of extreme weakness. While costly, the strategy brings results. After a long rough patch, the Red Scars have reemerged as competitors within their division, and could easily win it all if they can keep their roster healthy (or just alive).

Founded: 1932 (as the Capitol Reds)

Stadium: The Blood Bowl

Warrior: Will Trettin [fighter (TWF)]

Mage: Sadie Swansea [sorcerer]

Healer: Clara Novak [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Ray Soto [rogue]

New Amsterdam Genasi

(New York, New York) The New Amsterdam Genasi started their lives as the Amsterdam Genasi, an experiment in trying to establish an international crawling league in the early 1950s, as the world was still recovering from the Seven Nation’s War. This attempt failed spectacularly, but the Genasi didn't fold like the other seven international teams, and instead relocated to New York in the early 60s. For their first years in the Big Apple, they were forced to share a dungeon with the Yorkshire Giant Slayers, an arrangement that led to many conflicts, both on and off the field, and created a fierce resentment between the teams. It wasn't until 1976 that the Genasi got their own venue, a small sewer-based dungeon that sprawls beneath the Bronx. Since then, the Genasi have quietly become one of the best teams at crawling smaller, cramped dungeons, and the tight spaces give them an advantage against West Coast teams, who typically field more physical crawlers. However, the smaller Genasi crawlers don't fare as well away from home, and thus remain a middling team at best.

Founded: 1950 (as the Amsterdam Genasi)

Stadium: Deep Water

Warrior: Melody Cortez [swashbuckler]

Mage: Ash Woodward [sorcerer]

Healer: Kathy Sloan [cleric]

Trapfinder: Theo Abbey [scout]

New Cardon Flytraps

(Charlotte, North Carolina) The Flytraps represent the first wave of the “modern era” teams. When new dungeons began to appear in the mid-90s, there was a scramble to capitalize on the new markets. A long-abandoned Drow torture/pleasure temple became the Flytraps’ home, and the team hit the ground running, trumping the Shineville Gophers (since disbanded) for their first title at the Lone Star Classic. Since then, the team has been up and down, with little consistency year-to-year. The Flytraps are still struggling to find their identity, still basking in the glory of their quick success.

Founded: 1998

Stadium: The Waiting Dark

Warrior: Ian Marsh [fighter (2H)]

Mage: Jan McClure [wizard (enchantment)]

Healer: Joe Gomez [medic]

Trapfinder: Meri Stevenson [trapsmith]

Outlander Gatekeepers

(St. Louis, Missouri) The Outlands, for a very long time, was the town that could not keep a team. Their first team, the Bishops, wasn't popular enough with the fans, or the stadium, and the whole thing folded. Next were the Battering Rams, whose novel attempt at navigating dungeons via brute force "bypass" earned them more inevitable citations in one game than had ever previously been awarded (a record since broken by the Bunker City Defenders), and the stadium took an immediate dislike to them and turned itself into what is generally agreed to be the most hostile arena seen in the modern era. Naturally, their flagrant abuse of their home field eventually caught up with them and an unfortunate fumble of sacramental candles during a binding ritual lead to a hole being ripped in reality, swallowing the entire team, and 70 spectators.

All spectators were recovered. The team was not.

Several years later, the hole still had not closed, leaving a portion of the field (and stadium) on another plane of existence.

The Gatekeepers is the third attempt at a home team for the Outlands. This time, they respect their home field, and see themselves as its guardians.

Founded: 1995

Stadium: The Edge

Warrior: Blanche Reid [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Laura Rodgers [summoner]

Healer: Lotto Kingston [cleric]

Trapfinder: Josh Woodward [rogue]

The Big Empty

Bunker City Defenders

(Colorado Springs, Colorado) When the Bunker City Defenders enter a dungeon, fans know it’s going to get loud. The Defenders specialize in traps and explosives, often blowing, bashing, or simply brute forcing their way through obstacles. However, unlike the ill-fated Outlander Battering Rams, the Defenders’ home dungeon seems to be designed with exactly that style of crawling in mind. While on the road, the Defenders will usually tone it down somewhat, but there’s still plenty of fireworks to enjoy.

Founded: 1958

Stadium: The Bunker

Warrior: Jessica Cain [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: James Graham [wizard (evocation)]

Healer: Marissa Coplen [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Mitchell Branch [trapsmith]

Lost Vegas Dust

(Las Vegas, Nevada) The Lost Vegas Dust is a team in transition. Throughout the mid-century, the Dust was owned by an enormously rich owner, and the club used its wealth to lure star players away from other teams, stacking the Dust's roster and creating a literal dream-team. This obviously wasn't sustainable in the long-term, though, and as contract after contract was paid out, the team saw its funds slowly dry up, and as the stars left, so did the fans. Eight years ago, the Lost Vegas Dust officially became defunct and was dissolved.

Four years ago, though, the League of Crawlers was petitioned to reform the Dust by an unknown party, working through a proxy. The team was quickly reformed, and a roster assembled. However, no longer is the Dust a team of superstars; today it is known as an innovative team, developing roles to work in new ways. Rogues dabble in magic, paladins are often subbed in to fill the fighter slot, and a bard is just as likely to be on the roster as a wizard. This has worked surprisingly well for home crawls, through one of the league's only above-ground dungeons, the ruins of the Las Vegas strip. The Dust's shadowy owner is quickly becoming a respected figure around the Southwestern Conference.

Founded: 1960 (original)/2008 (reestablished)

Stadium: Lost Vegas

Warrior: Lyra Moon [spellsword]

Mage: Bennett Tsukino [bard]

Healer: Ian “Biscuit” Douglas [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Katie Frost [artificer]

River City Kobolds

(Austin, Texas) The Kobolds were an expansion team created to almost no fanfare. River City had never been a big market for the NACL, and the city was seemingly given the franchise on a whim. For the first two decades, the Kobolds had the worst attendance and worst win/loss record in the league, and several times were almost relocated. But then in the 80s, something clicked, and the Kobolds gained a ravenous fanbase almost overnight. Attendance jumped 400% in one season, and continued to rise throughout the 1980s. This fanbase was rewarded when, in 1987, Ted Vump, perhaps one of the greatest rogues to ever enter a dungeon, joined the team. Vump would lead his team to the Four Winds Conclave twice and win once, before retiring, only to be replaced by Ned Coates, who quickly surpassed Vump’s record-setting stint with the team.

However, Coates was not surrounded by the same skill as Vump, and the Kobolds have been much less consistent since Vump’s retirement. While they’ve come close the past two seasons, the Kobolds haven’t won a title in five years, and Coates, entering his 15th year in the league, is running out of time.

Founded: 1960

Stadium: The Greenbelt

Warrior: Zac Humm [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Amily Sparks [sorcerer]

Healer: Rose Dougall [bard]

Trapfinder: Ned Coates [rogue]

Sonora Desert Walkers

(Phoenix, Arizona) One of three surviving founding teams, the Desert Walkers have struggled to find a new home after being forced to relocate by the Long Night. Currently based out of the Phoenix, Arizona, the Desert Walkers are a middling team, competitive but not dominant. They've historically been primal-focused, often leaving them weak at fighter and cleric. The Desert Walker's home dungeon is a sprawling maze of canyons snaking through the Sonoran Desert. Blisteringly hot during the day and freezing cold at night, it is particularly hated by teams that rely on heavy armor and weapons, as they quickly become exhausted.

Founded: 1876 (as the Second City Soldiers)

Stadium: Valley of the Sun

Warrior: Brendan Knapp [ranger (bow)]

Mage: Clair “Acorn” Tillman [druid]

Healer: Paul Slopes [cleric]

Trapfinder: Zach Gibbs [bard]

The Colonies

Monument City Ravenguard

(Baltimore, Maryland) The Ravenguard’s motto is “Nothing Will Hold Us Back”, and the team puts this philosophy on display every time they take the dungeon. A team with over a century of history, the Ravenguard is perhaps best known for the sacrifices the team made during the Seven Nation’s War. To this day, the team wears all-black uniforms on the anniversary of the Twisted Night, to honor and remember those lost to the dark.

Founded: 1902

Stadium: The Rookery

Warrior: Isaac Pickering [ranger (TWF)]

Mage: Mae Dubois [wizard (enchantment)]

Healer: Ray McKnight [cleric]

Trapfinder: Nemo Bryant [scout]

New England Cultists

(Boston, Massachusetts) The New England Cultists are an unorthodox team, to say the least. The club heavily encourages its crawlers to experiment with transformative magic, which the League continues to allow despite complaints from other teams. The longer a crawler stays on the roster, the less human they appear, and apparently the transformation runs deep, as the Cultists typically eschew healers completely from their roster (often filling the slot with an alchemist or backup summoner).

Founded: 1925

Stadium: The Great Abyss

Warrior: Gronk [barbarian]

Mage: Daniel Schoenberger [summoner]

Healer: Evan Ward [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Kim Janssens [rogue]

The Pitt Steel Soldiers

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Watching the Steel Soldiers in action has been described as “watching inevitability itself”. Known for their use of heavy armor (even the mages are outfitted in chainmail), the Steel Soldiers are the definition of a stalwart defense, advancing slowly but surely, never yielding ground. One of the few remaining founding teams, the Steel Soldiers hold more titles than any other team, though recent years has seen them enter a dry spell. But with some promising young talent on their roster, the Steel Soldiers could easily break the drought this year.

Founded: 1876

Stadium: The Foundry

Warrior: Jedd Kozlowski [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Dominic Vie [spellsword]

Healer: Hannah Shore [cleric]

Trapfinder: Suzy Arrington [artificer]

Yorkshire Giant Slayers

(New York, New York) Only three of the original founding teams remain in the NACL, and of the three, the Giant Slayers are probably the most well-known. While they’re only occasionally relevant in today’s league, the team has a storied history that helped shape modern crawling as we know it. Great names such as Justine Ferroux, Travis Redman, and Shevian “Shanks” Thellios all made names for themselves as Giant Slayers.

Today, Yorkshire still fields a team remarkably similar to the one that entered the first dungeon all those years ago: a stout sword-and-board fighter, a control wizard, an armored cleric, and a brutish rogue. The team is not afraid to get stuck in and grind out combat, and while they won’t win many style points, none can doubt the effectiveness.

Founded: 1876

Stadium: Footfall

Warrior: Tessa Sumerlin [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Jazz Ashton [wizard (abjuration)]

Healer: Dalton Perretta [cleric]

Trapfinder: Ian Pellow [rogue]

The Great White North

Great Oak Watchers

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) The Great Oak Watchers are a team that has seen better days. Founded as the Goldwood Owls, members of the Colonial Division, they were a team known for their use of a “core four” lineup (fighter, wizard, cleric, rogue). The team made three appearances at the Four Winds Conclave, and one at the Point Reyes Invitational, but never took home a title. While the team looked poised to make another appearance at a Big Crawl, disaster struck at the end of the Seven Nations’ War, and the spread of the Long Night forced the team to relocate, where they slowly vanished from the public eye. However, in recent years, the Watchers have signed a new coach who places a heavy emphasis on primal power, and the team has slowly begun to evolve a new identity.

Founded: 1932 (as Goldwood Owls)

Stadium: The Split

Warrior: Ella Hudson [ranger (TWF)]

Mage: Daniel Days [sorcerer]

Healer: Dave Cantrell [cleric]

Trapfinder: Marie Kristiansen [artificer]

Lewis and Clark's Last Chancers

(Billings, Montana) If any team can be summed up entirely by one player, it’s the Last Chancers and Stevie “Knuckleduster” Shaw. One of the few monks to ever find success in the NACL, Shaw turned a small-market expansion team into the team you love to hate. With moves he claims he learned on the streets, Shaw led the Last Chancers to a winning record the first two years of their existence (though they failed to win the division both times, beat out by the Barbarians and the Yetis). While he left the team after just four years to compete in the World Warrior martial arts tournament, to many Stevie Shaw still represents the face of the franchise.

Today’s Last Chancers are a middling team, though they have notably made it to the Four Winds Conclave twice in the past 10 years, including one win.

Founded: 1976

Stadium: Big Sky

Warrior: Clark Bell [fighter (2H)]

Mage: Cecilia Hert [bard]

Healer: Mark Schiffer [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Jaxon “Action” Tracy [rogue]

Soda Mine Barbarians

(Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) Known for their rough-and-tumble dungeon loaded with dire frostbats and other chilly threats, their strong dungeon rush tactics, and their rowdy fans, there’s few teams that are more polarizing than the Barbarians.

Even with their empty trophy case, Barbarian fans turn up year after year, faces painted blue with woad and wearing replicas of the famous horned helmet that is ritually passed down from team captain to team captain.

Founded: 1960

Stadium: Lunta’s Mine

Warrior: Neil Nordegraf [barbarian]

Mage: Dana Wisenhunt [warlock]

Healer: Tammy Becker [cleric]

Trapfinder: Dennis “Rusty” Shaw [rogue]

Young Mountain Yetis

(Juneau, Alaska) The Young Mountain Yetis are a small-market team in a division of small-market teams, and yet continue to impress, year after year. Originally formed to increase tourism to the city, the Yetis found surprising success with an unorthodox double-rogue roster, quickly bringing home four titles over a 6-year span, including a win at both the Four Winds Conclave and the Half-Moon Showdown. While the team no longer employs its unique two-rogue set, their current rogue, Laura Hoyster, is one of the best in the league, second only to the River City Kobolds’ Ned Coates. The rest of the team is buoyed by Hoyster’s talent, and the Yetis continue to be a strong contender.

Founded: 1976

Stadium: Bald Mountain

Warrior: Jake Summers [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Thomas Freytag [wizard (evocation)]

Healer: Pete Olson [medic]

Trapfinder: Laura Hoyster [rogue]

The Gulf Coast

Crescent River Martyrs

(New Orleans, Louisiana) A terminally unlucky team, the Martyrs for a long time lived up to their name, suffering devastating losses and injuries for years. Through their early history, the Martyrs were so inept that most other teams considered a trip to the Cypress Gallows as a free win.

But just a few years ago, the Martyrs seemingly found their footing, and came out of nowhere to not only make an appearance at, but ultimately win, the Four Winds Conclave, thanks in part to the dynamic teamwork of Juin Caravane and Trudy Puckett. However, the win isn’t completely free of controversy, as allegations of a long-running program of illegal scrying marred last year’s season. The Martyrs are poised to come back strong, though, and are looking to put a “legitimate” championship in the books.

Founded: 1958

Stadium: The Cypress Gallows

Warrior: Juin Caravane [swashbuckler]

Mage: Junior Barnes [wizard (abjuration)]

Healer: Freddie Thorton [cleric]

Trapfinder: Trudy Puckett [rogue]

Magnolia City Minotaurs

(Houston, Texas) The Minotaurs are still settling in to their new dungeon, having relocated from their previous home in Music City just 10 years ago. Traditionally a rough team with a hard-hitting core, the Minotaurs have slowly been making the transition to a more balanced roster to better compete in their new dungeon, the Labyrinth.

Only his second year in the NACL, JJ Evans, the Minotaurs’ starting warrior, has quickly made a name for himself, after leading the league in disarms and sunders last year.

Founded: 1960 (as the Music City Minotaurs)

Stadium: The Labyrinth

Warrior: JJ Evans [fighter (2H)]

Mage: Jordan Hu [spellsword]

Healer: Ellert Reynaldsson [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Daisy Canon [rogue]

Terminus Devils

(Atlanta, Georgia) Known to straddle the line of sportsmanlike conduct in a way that can’t help but somehow appeal to fans, the Terminus Devils are one of the most cutthroat teams in the league. While most people see them as brutes and bullies, there’s a vicious cunning to their strategy, the ability to tiptoe the line of legal play without (too many) penalties.

Within the division, the Devils have a fierce rivalry with the “upstart” Crescent River Martyrs. The Devils also strongly resent the Steel Soldiers, who have beaten the Devils twice at the Lone Star Classic and once at the Half-Wind Showdown. The Devils finally got revenge a few years ago, though, after eliminating the Steel Soldiers from the Four Winds Conclave.

Founded: 1902

Stadium: The Seventh Level

Warrior: Chuck Vanderkar [fighter (TWF)]

Mage: Lily Button [warlock]

Healer: Louis Calgori [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Dirk Anderson [artificer]

Tidewater Sahuagin

(Miami, Florida) When the NACL began expanding in the late 50s, Florida had no viable dungeons to host a team. And then Tidewater Rock, a spire of the Infinite Kingdom, rose from beneath the waves. An army of sahaugin emerged to wage war on man, but were quickly repulsed in a brief conflict that has come to be known as the Sodden War. Afterwards, Tidewater Rock was adapted to serve as a dungeon, and Florida got their NACL franchise.

The team has seen moderate success, but struggles to stay healthy in a particularly brutal division. The Sahaguin have recently began the transition to a ranged combat-focused team, hoping that the longer standoff distance will allow them to make it through a season relatively unscathed.

Founded: 1958

Stadium: Tidewater Rock

Warrior: Cat Singleton [ranger (bow)]

Mage: Eric Davies [sorcerer]

Healer: Randall McCullough [cleric]

Trapfinder: Jenny Kelly [scout]

New Cascadia

Emerald City Albatrosses

(Seattle, Washington) Known for their cocky attitude both in and out of dungeons, the Albatrosses also have one of the most boisterous fanbases in the league. More than once the Albatrosses have secured victory thanks to their fans distracting rival teams in key moments. While this gives the team a massive advantage at home, in the past, they have struggled in other dungeons, especially when they find themselves in unfamiliar situations. Versatile alchemist Audrey Marble and artificer Ava Dodge help to bring a little more flexibility to the team and reverse this trend.

Founded: 1976

Stadium: The Gas Works

Warrior: Tyson Baird [barbarian]

Mage: Kristopher Cunningham [summoner]

Healer: Audrey Marble [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Ava Dodge [artificer]

Goldenport Marauders

(Oakland, California) Few teams in the league have a reputation for thuggery like the Goldenport Marauders. The team has made a name for itself by recruiting crawlers at the end of their careers and then seeing what they can get away with. Recent rule changes have brought down harsher penalties on such actions, but that doesn’t stop the Marauders from playing “bump and run”, as they call it.

The team also places a heavy emphasis on speed, and currently holds the record for fastest victory at the Lone Star Classic, at 53 seconds.

Founded: 1960

Stadium: Oakport

Warrior: Tank Pryce [fighter (2H)]

Mage: Keeley “Keel” Reinowski [sorcerer]

Healer: Marcia Koch [cleric]

Trapfinder: Doug Fetterman [trapsmith]

New Albion Navigators

(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) A Canadian team with their home in Vancouver, the Navigators were actually founded in San Francisco and were based there for two years, before relocating to Portland for three years, then to Olympia for a year, and finally settling in Vancouver, where they've been for ten years now.

The Navigators boast one of the most modern dungeons in the League, the City of Glass. The dungeon employs many illusion-based traps, and the main threat is glass golems. Many foes underestimate the City of Glass, and the Navigators take advantage of this to remain contenders in their division.

However, the Navigators' fanbase is probably one of the most hypocritical in the league. Every home crawl has been sold out since the team arrived, but the day after a crawl, nearly all the local bards are crying for a mass trade or firing. Some analysts suggest that only a season sweep will placate the fanbase.

Founded: 1960 (as the Fog City Navigators)

Stadium: City of Glass

Warrior: Tyrell Wonderly [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Elizabeth Oshiro [wizard (illusion)]

Healer: Katie Tea [cleric]

Trapfinder: Tybalt Black [rogue]

Taggenton Otters

(Portland, Oregon) The Otters are a largely lovable team that, despite having a decent amount of talent on their roster, and trying very very hard, always seems to come up just heartbreakingly short in key moments. The Taggenton Otters have a long history of accomplishments, but these small victories are overshadowed by their major failures. Among their many impressive shortcomings, the Otters are the only team in the League to have never won any title at all in the League's 150 year history.

Still, never let it be said the Otters don't have a devoted fanbase. Year after year, the Otters sell out home crawls, held at their dungeon, a small array of seaside caves inhabited by giant crabs and sea urchins. Every season, the fans fill the stands, telling themself "this is it, this is our year!" only to have their hearts broken once again.

Founded: 1950

Stadium: The Cliffs

Warrior: Jeremy Fitzgerald [fighter (xbow)]

Mage: Alexis Heap [sorcerer]

Healer: Eleanor Blancheflower [cleric]

Trapfinder: Daniel “Goro” Minami [scout]

The Pacific Rim

Bay City Dwarves

(San Francisco, California) Completely failing to live up to their name, the Dwarves are a large, physical team, one that recruits crawlers that would struggle in the more cramped dungeons often found on the East Coast. While this certainly allows their crawlers to thrive at home, the team occasionally struggles on the road when forced into cramped spaces. This point was driven home when the Dwarves had to forfeit a match against the New Amsterdam Genasi when the entire team became stuck in a particularly small passage. For the most part, though, the team has been dominant in recent years, and looks to be a strong contender again this year.

Founded: 1950

Stadium: The Leading Dark

Warrior: DeSean Levy [fighter (2H)]

Mage: Erin Lamplight [wizard (transmutation)]

Healer: Sarah Zhu [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Erik Kearney [rogue]

Great Basin Crusaders

(Salt Lake City, Utah) The Great Basin Crusaders are a team focused entirely around the divine. Paladins and clerics are obvious members of their roster, but the Crusaders have been known to field inquisitors, divine scholars, and on one notable occasion, a blind oracle.

The Crusaders are unusual in that the entire team is actually a branch of the Church of the One, and the team is funded by the Church. This obviously can color people's opinions on the Crusaders, making them a team you either love or love to hate.

The Crusaders have a fierce rivalry with several teams that goes beyond the dungeon. The Crusaders see the Monterrey Aztec's use of blood magic as heretical, a fact that came to a head two years ago, when the Crusader's paladin, Trevor Greymoore, bled out rather than accept healing from an Aztec medic after becoming separated from his party. The Crusaders claim the incident is the Aztec's fault for not having "approved" healers onsite.

Founded: 1950

Stadium: The Salts

Warrior: Joseph Swan [paladin (2H)]

Mage: Jonah McIntyre [oracle]

Healer: Isabelle Fin [cleric]

Trapfinder: Gordon Wolfe [inquisitor]

Silent Bay Sharks

(Honolulu, Hawaii) A product of the most recent expansion of the NACL, the Silent Bay Sharks have nevertheless made their mark with their stunning and risky style of dungeoneering, often playing things fast and loose. So far this organic strategy has served them well, in part thanks to the enigmatic barbarian Kahuna, who refuses to remove his tiki mask in public, and his synergy with starting sorcerer Jenna Song. The two wade into battle slinging spears and spells with fury that few teams can match.

Still, the team is not without their difficulties, as evidenced by starting rogue and team captain Alex Kanagawa’s devastating surfing injury that kept him sidelined for the entire season last year. With Kanagawa back and healthy, though, things are looking up for the Sharks.

Founded: 2008

Stadium: Mount Ka’ala

Warrior: Kahuna [barbarian]

Mage: Jenna Song [sorcerer]

Healer: May Kuza [alchemist]

Trapfinder: Alex Kanagawa [rogue]

St. Iago's Thunderbolts

(San Diego, California) A terminally unlucky team, known for regularly getting fan's hopes up at the beginning of the Crawling season, only to unravel and disappoint at the midway point. One of their most notable recent failures came during the Half-Moon Showdown last year, when their lead warrior accidentally set off an undetected trap, triggering a chain reaction that wiped two of their star players during what should have been, by all accounts, a cake walk for the team.

Founded: 1958 (as the Angel City Thunderbolts)

Stadium: Torrey Pines

Warrior: Benjamin Slater [fighter (TWF)]

Mage: Lia Brock [wizard (evocation)]

Healer: Mike Bass [bard]

Trapfinder: Rhonda Little [rogue]

The Rio Grande

Fort Worthington Jackalopes

(Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) A dynasty team for a long time, in recent years the Jackalopes have become little more than a bad joke. While the Jackalopes occasionally show flashes of brilliance delving other team's dungeons, they seem uncomfortable in their own home dungeon, a partially collapsed fortress leftover from the Elven Wars, and more recently inhabited by the ancient white dragon Jervinjions. All the pieces are there for the Jackalopes to be a great team, if only they could come together and execute.

Founded: 1958

Stadium: The Fort

Warrior: Tom Justice [paladin (S+B)]

Mage: Zia Tallan [sorcerer]

Healer: Annette Furst [cleric]

Trapfinder: Sam Lee [rogue]

Lastwall Shields

(Kansas City, Missouri) Lastwall is a military town, the last line of defense keeping the horrors of the Long Night in check. The Shields take their inspiration from the stalwart defenses that fill their town, exemplifying the motto “the best offense is a good defense”. The Shields will advance through a dungeon at a steady pace and with exacting precision, confident in the knowledge that their opponents will make a mistake before they do.

This strategy has proven effective throughout the regular season, but the Shields have historically struggled at the Big Crawls. Brasher teams are willing to take risks that the Shields aren’t, and it often pays off, costing the Shields valuable points.

Founded: 1950

Stadium: The Beacon

Warrior: Brent Haywood [fighter (S+B)]

Mage: Alice Tran [wizard (abjuration)]

Healer: Eldon Wells [medic]

Trapfinder: Scott Hardkiss [scout]

Monterrey Aztecs

(Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico) One of only a few NACL teams located outside the US, the Aztecs are a fairly new team, joining the league during the Expansion period that also revived the Lost Vegas Dust and established the Silent Bay Sharks.

The Aztecs are an intimidating team, forgoing the oft-used modern carbon fiber armor in favor of traditional Mesoamerican arms and armor. A strongly aggressive team, they will often attempt attacks on their competitors, which is technically legal but largely frowned upon. They also spark controversy by their use of blood mages in the normal Healer roster spot. While gruesome, none can argue the blood mage's effectiveness, both offensively and defensively.

Founded: 2008

Stadium: Mictlan

Warrior: Victor “Vic” Rivas [barbarian]

Mage: Alyssa Portillo [sorcerer]

Healer: Olivia Bates [blood mage]

Trapfinder: Jonathan Kennison [rogue]

West Mesa Coyotes

(Albuquerque, New Mexico) While they’ve only been around for little more than 20 years, the Coyotes have already carved out an identity for themselves as a team capable of developing raw rookie crawlers into exceptional talent. Since their founding, the Coyotes have had an almost unbroken string of top-tier rangers, and while they’ve yet to make it to a Big Crawl, every year the Coyotes get one step closer.

Founded: 1990

Stadium: Sandia Mountains

Warrior: Johnnie “Horns” Henderson [ranger (bow)]

Mage: Shauna Hernandez [druid]

Healer: Troy Beaman [cleric]

Trapfinder: Markus Spears [rogue]