Tix'Klett

Entertainment in Balic takes many forms, one of these being the game of Tix'Klett, or simply Tix. Created two centuries ago, it is a popular pastime in the city and noble houses, and Tix champions are accorded much prestige. Originally, the ball (called a teekay) was made of Thri Kreen stomachs packed with highly flexible, tightly packed weeds which gave the ball the ability to rebound, the balls have since been made with kank organs to not raise the ire of the Kreen.

The game consists of a flat wooden backboard twelve feet high and twelve feet wide and a ground board with identical measures as that of the backboard. The ground board is slightly raised above the ground to accommodate a holes of various diameters. In these holes are cups that contain a small amount of sand, and there are usually between six and ten different holes.

The goal of Tix is to rebound the teekay off of the backboard and land it in one of the holes in the ground piece. Players get points based on how far the holes are from the backboard and how large the holes are. The base points scored are: larger holes are worth one point, smaller holes are worth two, and the smallest holes - just slightly larger than the teekay - are worth three. The smallest sized hole near the backboard is worth the standard three points. One about halfway along the ground board is worth four. A smallest size hole near the far end of the board (closest to the thrower) is worth six points.

To make the game more interesting, the backboard and ground board are covered with small peg holes to hold a variety of obstacles to make the throws more difficult. These obstacles are attached to pegs that can be plugged into the peg holes on the backboard and ground board. Obstacles are normally pieces of wood, hollowed stones, or bones. Players must angle themselves at different spots in the throwing area and use different spins with the teekay to get it into the holes.

There are two basic types of Tix. The first is simply getting to a designated score first, whether it be twenty five points, fifty points, or any other amount. This can be played one player against another (or several others), or teams of rotating player who take alternating throws. An alternative game is that each player has to get the teekay in every hole on the board at least once in order to win.

Several annual tournaments are held, often sponsored by various noble and merchant houses to determine their Tix champion. (There are also literally hundreds of smaller tournaments held buy taverns and independent groups with small cash prizes.) At the end of the year, the various champions of official tournaments and other who pay an entry fee are brought together for a championship. Money, fame, and pride are given to the winner, and contestants are often roomed in secure locations to prevent rival players and sponsors from harming them.

The current champion is Shentallus, a human sponsored by House Stenethes. Last year's competition was very close, with the Rees champion Mhaknessa a close second. Numerous attempts to kidnap several of the contestants were made (all unsuccessfully) and the three merchant Houses met to create tougher security measures and enforcement laws for any such attempts in the future.