[the phantom]

There is nothing the Noldor love more than a project, and so when the Arda Cup Committee announced that long-abandoned Vinyamar would be a group host, there was much rejoicing among the craftsmen of the Noldor.

Crews upon crews of stone-workers, smiths, and building-planners poured in, and due to time constraints a couple hundred dwarfs were brought in to assist. Half of them set to work repairing streets and lodgings, while the rest tackled the stadium.

There was already an arena built into the slopes of Mount Taras, but it was not large enough to handle an event of this magnitude. Through some creative engineering, such as building up onto the roofs of some of the neighboring buildings, they managed to expand capacity up to a respectable number. It couldn't hold the numbers of the larger Middle-Earth stadiums (Minas Tirith, Misty Mts, etc), but it was marvelously constructed, and boasted beautiful views of the meeting between Mount Taras and the sea.

Due to the fact that Vinyamar is no longer inhabited, the crowds that have arrived to watch the games are less lopsided for the host than in other venues. Vinyamar likely has the edge, but Beleriand has a large contingent as well, and a good number sailed in from Aman in recent days. The smallest representation is from Ithilien- about five thousand or so.

There is very little in the way of security concerns, as none of the four squads contain players with bad blood existing between them and others. To this point the fans have gotten on together as well as could be hoped for, and all are looking forward to the start of the matches, which most think will be defensive gems, given the makeup of this group.