Mercaw

Mercaw is a wizarding sport played underwater. It is the most popular game among Merfolk.

The object of the game is to have the highest score by the end of the game.

History
Mercaw has its origins as how Merfolk prepared for war. This has greatly dwindled over the years; there has not been a war for the Merfolk in centuries. As a result, the more dangerous aspects of this ancient war training have greatly faded to sport.

Other beings greatly enjoy the sport as well, often employing Gillyweed to play, though the occasional wizard or witch has opted for use of the Bubble-Head Charm instead.

Rules
Mercaw is played by two opposing teams riding giant crabs on the prepared seabed with the objective of riders scoring goals by using a long-handled wide, blunted trident to hit the kelall, which is a small enchanted seaweed ball, through the opposing team's goal, a shimmering mass of bubbles that must pop in order to count. Each team has four riders.

The rules of Mercaw are for the safety of both players and crabs. Games are monitored by arbiters. A glinter is used when an infraction occurs and penalties are awarded, the shimmering, flashing lights and underwater rumbles audible to all nearby.

Crab Clashes are also part of Mercaw. In this case, the crabs and riders must have a small, mock joust to determine who is the victor and thus awarded points. No crab or rider must be seriously harmed; points will be docked and riders can even be removed.

Mercaw is divided into fifteen minute periods, with a fifteen minute halftime and five minute intervals between the first and third quarters. In the event of a Clash, time in the period is suspended until play resumes.