Ancestors, the Gulf Wars posts have me a week behind on my schedule, so this week I will be talking about Spring Coronation. Next week I will get back to being useful and talking about things I am doing, rather than events we've attended.
Spring Coronation last year was my Lady’s second kingdom event, and only her third camp away. I was really surprised she wanted to go, because it falls on her birthday weekend. She sacrificed a big party down in Miami to go enjoy the event. This year she wanted the best of both, and so I was tasked with getting as many of our friends to the event as possible so that we could celebrate her birthday there. Her requests were simple: cake, friends, and fun. I managed to succeed on all counts, and I even gave her the bonus of TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. This event had the worst rain and wind of any event that I had been to. It was so terrible, that out of all the tents in our campsite, five ended up in the trash by the end of the event, and most of our friends were invited to share cabins with other people for the sake of having a dry place to sleep. Even with the natural disasters, this was one of the most fun events I have had in a long while.
We started off really well: the van was packed and everything was right on schedule. Our arrival on site was early enough that we had plenty of sunlight to set everything up, but not enough time to be ready for evening court, which we came to regret when Lord Highgate came calling to inform us that we were required to attend Their Majesties immediately (thanks for coming to get us!). We rushed off to court, and found ourselves a spot in the back so we didn't interrupt. Soon after, Their Majesties called forward both Beatrice and myself. They had chosen to honour us with their thanks for the service we rendered at Gulf Wars. Beatrice, for always being at the Queen’s side and ensuring that she was feeling well enough to fulfill all of her commitments, was welcomed into the Order of the Emerald Seas. I was awarded the Crown’s Order of Gratitude for my services. We were so happy to serve that it seemed almost unfair that we were being given awards for it. We're humbled by Jung Mie and Yoan's gratitude, and we look forward to serving them again as friends and retainers. Their Majesties treated us so well at war, and it was just our pleasure to help out wherever we could. After court, a beautiful temple was set up in the area that would become the lyst field the next day. The lovely Thalassia Hellenis was going to be elevated the next day to the Order of the Pelican, and she had chosen to sit a vigil to hear the wisdom and kind words of her friends. So much care was taken in how everything was set up. The decorations were beautiful and the food was so good.
Friday night heralded the storms, and while our tent stayed dry, our good friend Grimault was not so fortunate. Around 3 in the morning he finally gave up, and to avoid the huffing and puffing of the weather, the first little pig moved into our tent. The rest of the night passed without incident and we were all ready for the morning.
When we woke up, we realized that maybe we should have looked at the weather reports. Other Trimarians with more sense had probably done this. The site was nearly empty. In our own group of tents, in addition to Grimault’s tent leaking like a sieve, John’s tent had also sprung many leaks. These were the first two casualties of the weather. Not putting too much thought into it, we carried on with our day and went to breakfast, followed by morning court.
As we sat in court and listened to Their Royal Majesties proceed through the business of the day, a fog crept up and we could no longer see the thrones. A disembodied voice called out “Thus ends the court of Yoan Moon Yang and Jung Mie”, and as the fog cleared, the Thrones sat empty, the crowns laid upon them, and before us were two beautiful cranes. They began to fly out of the court and dance in the fields. Again the voice came “Their Majesties have ascended to heaven, the Thrones sit empty”. At this announcement, the Barons and Baronesses began to discuss the proper course of action. The Kingdom is always under threat for its beauty and resources, the Thrones can not remain empty. Each Barony extolled its virtues, experience, youth, dance, and the conversation became heated. So much so that they did not hear the drums. An army approached.
The horns and drums heralded the approach of Gunnar Oxnamegin, Prince of Trimaris, rightful heir to the kingdom. They chanted the strength of their armies, and the fate of any who opposed true and proper succession. His Highness came to the Baronies, and they were cowed by his strength, each saying that they had intended only to hold the seat until he came forward. Omce order was restored, St Martin came forward to anoint the Royal Successor, he kneeled a prince and rose a King. Calling forward his lady, he elevated her to his side, Queen Bryndis the Flower of Trimaris. The Kingdom secured, Their Majesties called forth the peerages each in turn to swear fealty. Finally when the populace is called forward everyone present came forth to swear before the new Crowns of Trimaris. Thus ended the first court of our new Majesties. 
Immediately following court, the warriors of Trimaris were called to the field. Today, as is the tradition in our fair kingdom, a tournament would be held to determine the Champion of Trimaris. In addition to the prestige of being the Champion, the winner of the tournament is given the honour of keeping and protecting a relic of our kingdom for as long as he holds the title. The helm of a true hero, the helm of Champions. Engraved upon the helm are the following words, a memoriam to a fallen friend, brother, and warrior:
“This Helmet of Champions was made and fought in by Sergeant 1st Class Paul Ray Smith Brother to Duke Solomon Spite. Best friend of Earl Gregory Ahearne. Compatriot to many. Paul gave his life April 4th, 2003 saving the lives of over 100 of his troops in Baghdad in the War on terror, the truest embodiment of a Hero. On April 4th, 2005, Paul received the highest honor awarded in our nation, the Medal of Honor. Let this helmet inspire your tour as Champion of Trimaris. Let no dishonor ever befall it.”
This is the second time I fought in this tournament. The importance of it was lost on me the first time, as I didn’t know the story of the helm. This time, I made it a point to fight harder than ever to respect the people that had come before me. The format this year was set up to be a speed tourney, we were racing against the weather. In the first round, I drew THL Valgardr Gunnarsson, the same gentle who is always so kind to let me use his pictures. This was the first time we had met on the field of combat, and I was a little worried since he is squired to Sir Killian, who had beaten me so soundly at Scots Welsh. It was hard fought, but I think that my unusual fighting style is what gave me the advantage. I was able to defeat him after taking his legs. My second fight was against Baron Garan Halftrelson. We had met at Gulf Wars and I knew him to be a good person, but I also knew he was injured. This led me to make the always fatal mistake of underestimating my opponent. The only good thing is he didn’t make me pay for long. A quick slot shot through my defenses and I was done. The fight that eliminated me was against Lord Logan Ó Ech Dubh. I had wanted to fight Lord Logan for sometime, he is a very fast fighter and I wanted to see how I would fare against him. From the moment the fight started, I knew that it was going to be one that is determined by a small mistake. I was able to keep him somewhat tangled up with my axes, but couldn’t find a break in his defence. We would attack and then separate; on the third pass, my defences didn’t come up quite fast enough and he was able to land a solid shot to my helm. The tournament proceeded at pace, and while I didn’t see the final round, I was later informed that Sir Takamatsu Sadamitsu no kami Tadayoshi was the new Champion.
Almost as soon as I was eliminated, the skies opened up and the storm started in full force. The tournament was moved indoors, and I went to make sure that my Lady and Grimault were ok. Once we were all safe in the feast hall, we enjoyed our lunch. No sooner had I sat down to eat than the weather got even worse. What had started as just a heavy rain now had terrible gusts and a tornado warning. I ran out to our tent to tie it down and make sure it was secured, getting terribly soaked in the process. I thought I had been pretty successful and sat back down to enjoy my lunch. Then I heard a call ring out from Vikarr “ Rurik, your tent just flew away!”. Running back out, I saw that my tent had been pushed 30ft by the gusts shattering many of the plastic joints and tearing the fabric. To my enormous embarrassment, it was also pushed onto our friends, Mildryth Eilesberie and Edward Mandeville's tent, collapsing one side of it. Rushing to make the best of the
situation, Edward and I collapsed the poles of my tent while Grimault helped get things to the dry areas. It wasn’t until later that we noticed that the position of my tent flooded theirs. Vikarr and Kjartan’s tent had also begun to leak terribly so they emptied it to save their stuff. It wasn’t staked down, so soon after it was emptied, it was flipped over, also causing damage to the poles and fabric. No sooner had the elements finished ravaging our camp than the storm stopped. Ruined tents all around, we started the process of getting everything taken care of. Our friends in house Stormborn showed up, and between us all we tore through the fabric of our tent and unloaded it into the van. Luckily most of the stuff was dry, and so it wasn’t a total loss. Jarl Ari extended a kind invitation to stay the night in their cabin, and so all the issues were taken care of for the time being. Replacing the tent would be a problem for another time. So, the rest of the little pigs moved into the house of brick.
Dealing with all the issues of the tent meant that we nearly missed the evening court. Luckily, we arrived in time to see our beloved friend Finnguala inghean Alister be sung Happy Birthday by the whole court, and then in a correction of what can only have been an oversight, she was elevated to the Order of the Pelican, rightly deserved for all of her service to the Kingdom. Mama Finn was one of the first people I met in the society at Seamarch Anniversary 7 years ago, she always made it a point to make me feel welcome. When I returned to Trimaris, she was again overwhelmingly kind both to me and to my Lady. I can never thank her enough for the guidance she has given us, and I am so happy that I was able to be there to see her honoured in this way. It seems that the gods were being kind to us, because after the rough weather we were able to see first Mama Finn be elevated and then another wonderful friend, THL Milesenda de Bourges announced to join the Order of the Laurel. It was a very good court.
Afterwards, we retreated to the feast hall. Feast was a delicious parade of meat! It started with poached hake, and continued to feed us every flavour of protein. My personal favourite was either the roast beef with the berry sauce, or the kettle worms. Kettle worms, I came to learn (despite the slightly off-putting name) are a delicious type of sausage. My Lady favoured the bacon wrapped chicken and the greens that came with the hake. Throughout feast, we were treated to bardic entertainment, two of which stood out very strongly. Brennan the Misguided had returned to Trimaris on a visit, and he graced us by singing Trimarian Blood. This is one of my favourite songs ever, but even this treat couldn’t compare to the haunting melody that was the last singer of feast. I don't know her name, and I think the song was called “Some Gave All”, but she sang of the sacrifice of soldiers and the honour of those who would put the freedom and safety of the rest of us. The hall was absolutely silent as her voice filled the air with her song. It was truly moving.
When feast was done, I went into the kitchen to get the surprise cake that I had brought up for my lady. Then we went to the cabin, where we spent the rest of the night eating cake surrounded by friends and trading stories of battles fought. In the midst of all this, I was given two tasks: one from Fenris and one from Jarl Ari. These tasks are going to be the topic of future blog posts as I try to get them accomplished.
That was Spring Coronation for us. Terrible weather, mass destruction, but an amazing time shared with friends. No amount of rain could dampen the fun that we had. What's the worst weather you have ever had to deal with at event? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you know the name of the singer or her song please let me know, I would like to credit her properly.
Photos by:
1,6 Lady Beatrice Whitecombe
3,7 THL Tristum de Kerjean
2 Edward Mandeville
5 Margery O'hAirt
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