Now onto the second half of Gulf Wars XXIII!
Thursday
When the sun rose on Thursday, our tent was covered in frost, which to a native Miami boy is a strange thing to see, so I ran and grabbed pictures of it. Once the shock had worn off, Beatrice and I kissed and went our separate ways. She headed off to find the Queen, and I was off to fight in the field battle.
I was quite eager to get onto the field. Fenris had given me a smaller axe to replace my parrying axe as my main weapon. It was shorter, lighter, and quite a bit faster, so I was just chomping at the bit to bring it out and see what happened. In my eagerness, I arrived to the field about 20 minutes before muster. Silver lining? I got to see the last portion of the mounted combat, and Sgt Caitriona’s valiant stand against 4 opponents. She maneuvered her horse skillfully to keep her opponents from being able to corner her, and was able to stave off their attacks for 5 minutes before they cornered her.
Once the mounted combat was done and the field was cleaned up, I was able to make my way to the top of the field and look ever what was going on. Ansteorra had already formed up on the other side of the field, they had the advantage of setting up while the combat was still going. They looked really impressive, black and gold lined up, siege weapons ready to be deployed. When the Trimarians began to arrive, I actually found myself a little disappointed in the lack of togetherness we had in our appearance. Whereas Ansteorra had a feel of uniformity to it, we were more mismatched within ourselves. Luckily, there are some larger groups that really put it together: Clan Ross, the Trimarian Legion, House Arnhalla, and the Moose Lodge to name a few. Our appearance doesn’t take away from the fighting ability, though! I have always likened Trimaris to the Highlands: a place of powerful clans ruled by mighty warlords. When the time comes to fight a mutual enemy, we band together and do really well, but still remain very individual. Honestly, we just like fighting and are just as happy fighting each other as anything else.
When at last both sides were lined up, it seemed that even though Trimaris had secured more allies than Ansteorra, the sides were roughly even in numbers. Which is good, to paraphrase the King of Meridies: the best fights are the ones where everyone is having a good time. That's made easier when neither side has a huge advantage. Trimaris formed the center of our line with Calontir to one side and Mid Realm to the other. This gave us what seemed to be a very strong battle line. We were assigned to be reinforcements as needed so we watched as the march forward began. Soon after lay on was called, the siege weapons and archers opened up. Cries of "rock!" began to be heard through the line as we attempted to maintain cohesion while not getting clobbered by the incoming fire from the artillery.
When the lines finally crashed together, our flank was hit very hard and was taken apart. This was where we filled in to try and plug the gaps. The first couple of minutes of the battle looked very hairy for the Trimarian forces, but we were able to get things back together after a few strong pushes. I was able to stay in the fight nearly until the end where I was killed in one of the counter charges to keep the opponents off balance.
In the next round, Ansteorra took a refused flank formation and was able to destroy us rather quickly. I was killed early on in the push when they did a column charge and destroyed our right flank. Third round saw Trimaris win again, with our lines forming up in such a way as to repel the charges more efficiently. I think Ansteorra had more seige weapons, but we had more archers. This made the odd numbered rounds tilt in our favour. Tons of respect to the Trimarian archers, their aim is deadly. In the third and fifth rounds, I was assigned to be a mobile pavise for Luthor Dross, a crossbowman attached to Sgt von Hessen, and a long time friend of mine. Other archers, seeing that I was staying back and playing rear line defense, started to guide me and stay behind where I was so they could shoot a little bit safer. In the third round, I was taken out by a breakthrough about halfway through the fight, and in the fifth round I lasted nearly to the end working with Luthor. It wasn’t until things got good and mixed up that I was killed by an archer to the back of the head. This was a mistake on my part, it seems, since I was later told you didn’t have to take missile shots to the head that weren’t to the face. Still it was a good time, and I had fun working with my friend to make sure he could rain death on our foemen.
When the points were looked at, Trimaris won the first, third, fourth, and fifth round, giving us the warpoint for the field battle. It was very hard fought, and in each round right up to the end it could have gone either way.
From the field, I was able to meet up again with my Lady, and we got ready to attend the King and Queen at the Champion’s Tourney. As tiny as that little parasol is, I will say that I would much rather hold a shield up, than hold the parasol outstretched. It gets really heavy, really quick. That being said, their Royal Majesties are really low maintenance: the harder part is reminding them they need to eat/drink, rather than running around doing errands. This meant that we were able to watch the Tourney from a good vantage point, while performing our duties. The fights themselves ranged from over-too-quick to masterful plays of strategy. The match between Don Mattias vs. Don Robert comes to mind as a great example of the interplay that goes on in fencing as they try and find an opening. Ansteorra came out ahead in both of the disciplines, receiving two war points and making the war a very close race.
After the Tourney, it was time for court. Normally, Trimarian courts are held in standard outdoor pavillions, the type with poured concrete floors and a tin roof. These are nice structures, but there is a lot to be said for a court held in the middle of an encampment of Trimarians. It was different, I still haven’t decided better or
worse, but different. It felt more real, there was less to detract from the experience, even with the camp chairs and other mundane items. The only major negative I saw was that it was a little more difficult to hear the announcements because it was out in the open.
The court opened with statements of Gratitude from the crown, and then a reminder about the Codex of War: a journal that keeps the name of every Trimarian who fights at war, regardless of discipline. In the scope of the Kingdom, it is a new tradition: only 3 years old, but I think it is a good one. Hopefully it will continue to be upheld, since it is a great piece of history for us to be able to look back on. Once the codex was announced and people were given a moment to sign it, the King and Queen called up two wonderful ladies who had travelled all the way from the Kingdom of the East to lend their services as retainers. We spent a ton of time with these lovely ladies, and they were absolute pleasures to talk to. They were also a ton of help in keeping things going. Sadly, I am terrible with names, and I cannot remember theirs. They received awards of gratitude from Their Majesties for all that they did. A new friend, Joiha Bugg, received her AOA. Also in this court were two newly minted Lords from Southkeep. Both Augustine von Kleve and Vikarr Bjornsson received their AOAs. They truly deserved it, and I was overjoyed to be present for my friends receiving such an honour.
The most impressive moments of the court to me, though, were the awardings of the Lion D’Or. Two were given out, one to Sgt. Caitriona for her bravery and skill on the equestrian field, and one to Fenris Swordbreaker. I already mentioned Caitriona’s actions, but Fenris’ I didn’t get to witness first hand; the story was told to me later. The tale as I have heard it:
Fenris was given direct orders to protect the Queen at all costs during the rapier ravine battle. This meant that wherever she was, he was right behind her. Several times, this meant sprinting to res point himself to get back to her, or following her to res point even though he was still alive. He took his duty to protect his Queen very seriously, and woe be to the foeman who tried to bring her harm. At some point during the battle, they had made their way to the center and were fighting with the Mid Realm troops, when suddenly
She spoke to the Mid Realmers, and vowed to correct this dishonour done to their Queen. As soon as lay on was called, she led by example. Howling a battle cry, she threw herself down the slope into the enemy. The Mid Realmers inspired by her bravery charged down behind her. She struck the enemy lines and fought bravely, but was felled. Already, the marshalls had called no more resurrections, the battle had only 5 more minutes. It didn’t last that long: between the shadow of death that Fenris had become, and the inspired forces of the Mid Realmers, they rolled the enemy line and won the field.
Due to her actions, the King and Queen of Mid Realm opened a court right there on the field, and presented Queen Jung Mie with the highest fighting award in the Mid Realm, the Dragon’s Tooth. Well deserved to our Warrior Queen! Vivat!
His part in this tale and his loyal service to Her Royal Majesty earned Fenris his Lion D’Or, a rare Trimarian fighting award of great prestige, each one earned through heroic deeds in battle.
The rest of the night was spent celebrating with our friends, and then off to bed. The battle continued the next day.
Friday
Friday was my big concern, from the first time I looked at the schedule. There were two chivalric fights scheduled, including the one I'd been told was the worst meat grinder of the war: the ravine battle. Before I could get to that particular bag of worms, I had to survive the bridge battle. Now the bridge battle seems pretty simple and straightforward: three bridges, no resurrection, no fording, 5 rounds, with archery on the odd rounds, last man standing wins. The tough part comes in the bottlenecks. The fighting is fierce because it's condensed over such a small space. For the bridge scenarios, since Sven and Fenris are assault troops, we were assigned once more as reserve forces ready to be deployed at a weak point, either to break through or to shore up our own weaknesses.
Almost from the jump, it became obvious that Ansteorra had our number in this scenario. For whatever
reason, we were unable to counter their tactics, and spent all five rounds on the back foot. We did manage to hold off from a clean sweep by winning the second and fifth rounds. This was a straight grinder: a shields-up, push-on fight. My favourite moment on the bridges was watching the Moose Lodge place a hard charge onto a bridge where we were losing badly. Their charge was so effective that it turned the tide on that bridge. I also had the opportunity to follow in and do a little damage, until I was violently ejected from the bridge.
After the bridge battles, we took a rest while getting ready for the ravine battle. Conveniently, while the other
When I arrived at the ravine, both sides were pretty much ready. Trimaris was still getting their pavises and additional ammo ready. This was going to be a long battle, a test of endurance. To make it easier on the archers, thousands of bolts and arrows are placed in stashes near our deployment zone so they can be quickly retrieved when you res. The ravine battle has a pretty chaotic feel to it, so my orders were to find a commander after each res and go where I was told rather than trying to link up with my unit. This meant that my task would be shoring up the line whenever the commanders spotted a weakness or charging into the enemy to disperse any forces they are building up.
That would all have to wait until after my first objective. Jarl Ari looks at me and he says “When lay on is called, I want you to run full tilt towards the center objective.” Luckily he wasn’t expecting me to go alone and Shawn, a new fighter from Seamarch, was also on the mission. The goal was to get there and claim it a step or two ahead of the enemy, which would make it difficult for them to claim it back. As we are getting ready for what will surely end in a beatdown when the enemy army hits us, we are joined by three other fighters: Sir Takamatsu, Sir Subadai, and Sgt Caitriona. What was a suicide mission suddenly seemed like it might have a chance to do some damage. They gave us some advice on the best running down the ravine as well as picking a good path.
The horn sounds and we're running pell mell. Shawn is the fastest in the group, followed less than a step behind by Sir Takamatsu. I have never seen a samurai run so fast! Shawn hit the point and put his shield up. Taka took up attack position behind him. I was a step behind Taka, and as soon as I caught up, I locked shields with Shawn. It was impressive to see the enemy army charge down at us. When they saw the small unit defending, they slowed for only a step or two, unsure. That hesitation was all we needed: the rest of Trimaris and her allies arrived, and that was the closest we allowed them to the flags for the rest of the battle.
To me, the ravine was the most fun I had at war. The battle was hard and it always felt like we were playing against the clock. Even though we had the advantage early on and held it, there was always a moment between resses when I would look out and check on the status of the flags. This led to a sense of urgency in everything that was done. Add this overall sense of the battle to the fact that I spent the majority of it shield-linked with Vikarr, and it leads to a damn good time. We stood shield to shield a few feet ahead of the middle flag. Other shield men came and went on either side of us, and at one point his other side was defended by a tree, but we stayed strong. Everytime they charged we would hunker down, and push back. Our spears and glaives in the second rank made sure that we just had to hold a moment before the attackers were dead. This kept us alive a long long time. We stayed on the line so long that towards the end of the battle, Sir Subadai relieved us to go get water and rest. We took a few moments to get hydrated and then came back to it. Soon after that, I was called to help on the left flank. The left flank was mostly spear duelling, but it did give me a chance to see Augustine, Jarl Ari, and Duke Mittion laying into the enemy with spears and hammers.
When no more resses were called, many of the fighters had spread word that the fight would be ended as a dagger fight. Due to lack of dagger, I didn’t get to participate, but next year this will be remedied.
As I was coming off the field, I was told that my lady had retired to the tent, she was feeling ill. I made my way to her to check in with her. She let me know that she was uncertain if she could stay another two days at war due to a cold. We made the choice that we would see how she was doing in the morning, and that if she was not up to it, we would break camp and head home early.
Friday night was the Known World Party, and we were on retainer duty. The decorations were great, so much fire and a sight to see. This was the most people I had ever seen in one place in garb. Everywhere you looked, different periods were getting together and having a good time. Even beyond the time travelling aspect of things, the Known World Party showed that it was just a large group of friends. Everyone there enjoying their hobby and then partying with friends that they only get to see once a year. Everywhere you wandered through the party, there was the rhythm of drums and the sounds of happy conversation. I would say it was the most fun I had at war, but the truth was that it was after the party had dispersed and we went to the Green Dragon that I had the most fun. Sitting inside, like I said last week, is to be outside of time. I
was relaxing there with one eye on His Royal Majesty in case he needed anything, and looking at my Lady. She was a vision. I had initially been worried about her being uncomfortable in the later period garb, but it fit her like a second skin. We stayed at the Green Dragon well into the night, until last call was given and we had emptied our cups. Then, Countess Sibilla, my Lady, and I escorted His Royal Majesty back to his cabin, and then went ourselves to turn in and rest.
Saturday
When we woke up Saturday, Beatrice was suffering, so we broke camp and headed home. I greatly regret not being able to take part in the fort battle. That siege is what I wanted to fight in the most. The good thing about leaving early was that we avoided the hazardous driving conditions that seemed to pop up on Sunday. Apparently, someone replaced the asphalt on I-10 with ice: there were dozens of accidents and bad weather. This made the drive home very difficult and treacherous for our friends heading home. My lady is still sick as of the writing of this, which makes me sure of our choice to leave camp early. She needed the rest.
That's my recounting of Gulf Wars XXIII. Because this post ran so long, I will be doing a sort of after-action report in my next one. I want to write about the things I learned, and just as importantly, the shopping list of things I want to be sure we have for next war. If you have any suggestions for things everybody needs at war, help a couple newbies out and let me know down in the comments!
Pictures by:
1, 2 Lady Ennelyne von Hessen
3,7 Viscountess Elashava bas Riva
4 THL Valgard Gunnarsson
5 Viscountess Danielle de la Roche from Kingdom of Gleann Abhann (http://kungaloosh.smugmug.com/Gulf-Wars/Gulf-Wars-2014/)
6 Vasilissa of Meridies
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