What to wear!

I have spoken at length about what I wear for armour, and what weapons would have been appropriate for my period. I haven't spoken at all about the “soft kit”, garb. Looking good on the battlefield is important, but even at the best events, it's only a small portion of your time. While there is nothing wrong with starting off in pajama pants and a t-tunic, part of what helps build the Dream is working towards improving every aspect of your persona; garb, armour, campsite, etc. My garb has gone through tons of changes over the last 2 years. I started off in borrowed clothes, pajama

pants, and engineer boots. I have moved on, and now even my tunics are being made in period patterns. It took time and research. I am hoping writing this out will help other people get their garb together quicker by putting everything in one spot. This is my head-to-toe norse/rus garb list.

Head

Accessories as a whole are what make an outfit stand out. The difference between being just a generic Viking cosplay, and a solidly researched Rus ulfheðinn is all in how you add details to it. 

I find it is always best to start from the top: hats! I for one am a huge fan of hats, both in the SCA and mundanely. For me, the 4-6 panel Rus fur-lined hat was something that I searched for for a long long time. It was actually the first real accessory that I bought, and even just throwing it on with the terrible garb I had at the time made a big difference. 

From what I have looked into, there are two types of hats that have been found: the panel hat and the conical hat. The first is more commonly seen, a small skull cap made from 4-6 panels, and often trimmed with fur. The conical hat is the “Santa” or cossack hat. My hat was purchased otherwise I would likely have gone with a conical hat. The hats that have been found have been made of wool, which means not only do the look really good, but they also do wonders for keeping you warm. In most cases, unless the weather is really miserable, I can just wear my normal garb and my hat to stay warm. Downside, I really need to make a summerweight hat. One of the conical hat tips found at birka had silk in it, which may be proof of a silk hat. I may make one in the future to see how it feels.

Shoulders

This has been one of the really rough ones on me: cloaks. I have looked around and around, and thus far been unable to find something proving the Norse had hooded cloak, which is sad because they look great. Instead, they used wool rectangles folded through some sort of confusing dark magic into a cloak. I have not yet figured out the trick for this one! Important thing: Norse cloaks were worn pinned at the shoulder to keep the sword arm free. I have found this to be very comfortable. The cloak is held shut with a penannular brooch, also called a celtic brooch. These brooches exist in many different time periods and have many different styles. Mine is made of agry twisted iron. 

Recently, I've found proof for a hood that matches my period (~940CE) pretty closely, found in Skjold Harbour. This is a hooded mantle similar to what we have seen for the liripipe hoods of the later medieval periods. I have been told by many people that these types of hood are great for keeping you warm. I personally haven't seen weather that would force me to add even more warm clothing over the cloak and hat, but the coldest I have ever been at an event is just below 30 degrees fahrenheit. 

Chest

Tunics, tunics, and more tunics, the evidence points to norsemen wearing an under tunic and an over tunic. Personally, due to the absurd heat in Trimaris ", I make it a point to own overtunics with ¾-length sleeves. This is one of those leaps of conjecture. The Norse travelled through all sorts of climates, so I find it mind

boggling to think they never thought of or used shorter sleeves. That being said, all the extant pieces are long sleeved. I currently own several tunics, most of which aren’t based on a period pattern but are done in the “t-tunic” pattern. These are slowly being phased out as my lady graces me with more and more amazing hand-sewn pieces to use. The pattern that she uses is based off of the Birka find, and uses a large rectangle for the front and back of the tunic with 2 gores, 2 gussets, and separate sleeves. I am a simple man, so as of now, the only trim on my tunics is fabric of a contrasting colour. However, her current project has a very decorative and impressive neckline. 

For materials, the extant tunics have been made of wool with a lighter material for the undertunic. However, it's known that the Norse traded extensively and loved to show off their wealth. Wool, silk, and linen are the most common materials in period, and I could see any of them being used by the Northmen in their clothing. I would avoid using cotton, since it would have been rare in period, and the cottons that we have now are quite different. I personally use muslin in my under tunics because it breathes, and my over tunics are a variety of fabrics. As of yet, I do not have a silk tunic. 

Legs

For pants, the ancestors had two styles and they seem to depend heavily on the region. There were slacks, similar to drawstring pants that can be found anywhere, and the Rus pants. Being that my persona is from the area near Holmgård, Rus pants were the way to go. I also find them more comfortable. These pants are pretty straight forward to make, they are essentially two large rectangles of fabric joined to make the top portion. Each one is a side of the pant, and the calf portions are smaller, more fitted rectangles called cannons. The joining of the large rectangle to the cannons gathers the fabric. The pants are topped off with a drawstring to hold them up. These are more or less one-size-fits-all if you buy them made, they are just that huge. Mine, I believe, are 90in around at the waist. I have a pair that I made and they have been very serviceable, but the pairs that my lady bought me for last Yule have a couple of things that I will be incorporating into my next pair. First, a drawstring around the top of the cannons, which allows you to tie them in place so they aren’t slipping down. Second, the drawstring is long, absurdly long, but this keeps me from having to sit there for 15 minutes trying to pull the string out after it disappears into the vast abyss that is the ton of fabric of these pants. For materials, the same rules apply as for the tunics, only in this case I (personally) would never use wool. Keep to the linen. 

Now, onto what I think are one of the most important parts of the properly dressed Norseman: winnegas. These leg wraps finish up the look, and keep you looking good. I have two different pairs: one for fighting and one for looking good. The fighting pair are literally just a set of fleece horse leg wraps in black. I wrap them so the velcro isn't visible, and they pass the ten foot rule without any issues. I haven’t the money to ruin a pair of the nicer ones on the field, so these are the "stunt doubles". They are also the pair I bought first, since they were cheaper. The non-fighting ones are hand-woven wool that my lady purchased for Yule (sensing a pattern? I look good mostly because of her support). The wool ones have a herringbone pattern which would have been common in period, and a copper hook to hold them up. 

Shoes

Shoes are made of leather. This means that they are one of the items that we have some more concrete information on. I use a pair of Viking toggle boots based on the Jorvik finds. The differences between mine and the historical versions are a reinforced heel and a lugged sole. These adaptations don’t detract from the appearance of the shoe and make it more durable for fighting. 

This ran a little longer than expected; I was hoping to be able to get into some extant jewelry, but that will have to wait for a future post. Remember though, the Vikings loved bling! They were wealthy and they liked to show it off. Bright colours, expensive jewelry, furs, anything they could find. 

At some point in the future I will likely go into details about each item, if there is anything item you think I need to do some more research on, let me know in the comments. Also if I got anything wrong let me know! I am still trying to learn.

Edit: It was pointed out to me that in the pictures I still have things that are period accurate. The studded tunic in the first picture is a second hand tunic. There is no proof for this kind of decoration as cool as it looks. In the last picture the belt is thicker than what has been found in period. The tunic has already been replaced, the belt will be replaced when money allows.

Links

Shoes, Belts, and other leather accessories: Viking Leather Crafts

http://www.vikingleathercrafts.com/index.php

Tunic, Pants and the like: Linen Garb

https://www.linengarb.com/

Winnegas, and Clothing: Revival Clothing

http://www.revivalclothing.com/

Bling: Raymonds Quietpress

https://www.quietpress.com/

Patterns:http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/viktunic.html

Pictures:
Last picture: Mildryth Eilesberie
First picture: Beatrice Whitecombe

Warpaint

The time has come for me to go fully into the land of conjecture! I’ve been kicking this topic around for a while and have yet to be able to get anything concrete on it. Warpaint was used by the ancient Norse warriors. It’s a toss-up: some people use texts by al-Tartushi and ibn Fadlan to say “yes they did”, others point to those same texts and say that they are only proof of makeup, not war paint. Both viewpoints have their merits. The documents were written during peaceful meetings, so descriptions of makeup would not be warpaint; but having the technology to make eyeblack means that it’s only a small jump to actually using it at war, especially given contact with people that did use it in war. There is also talk about facial tattoos as markings that never disappear. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to make the leap of conjecture (yes, I know it’s a leap) that the warpaint isn’t mentioned in the sagas because it was normal. Warriors painted their faces to scare their enemies, it wouldn’t be the only thing that the ancestors did to give themselves a psychological advantage. There is evidence of filing teeth and accounts of terrible battle cries. All these things chalk up to a culture in which war paint would not be out of place. 

I’m going to break this down into three parts: what was used elsewhere in period, what might have been used in the North in period, and what I actually use. I’ll start off with what I actually use. Currently, I’m using a type of eyeblack used by athletes to take glare off their eyes. It can be purchased at most sporting goods stores, and the one I have comes in a tube which makes it easy to apply. It’s quite similar to greasepaint, and the texture is probably not too far off from one of the fat- or wax-based versions from history. Once I had found what I was going to use, I started working out different patterns that I could wear, and because it’s barely visible in my helm, I have taken to just using a black bar across my eyes. The end result is the illusion of seeing only the whites of my eyes and black shadows through the eye slits in my helm. When I was at Gulf Wars, I added teeth to the mask for show when waiting between battles. Since there is no evidence or accounts of what might have been used, my design process has been based on things that would have been simple to apply. I am going to start working on a design that represents ulfheðinn, something reminiscent of a wolf. 

On to what was actually used elsewhere in history: I have spoken with several friends in regards to what was used in their areas. One who researches Egyptian culture told me that in ancient Egypt, the make-up consisted of a binding agent such as animal fats or oil, and a pigment. Their pigments were typically made of minerals. To get a good black, they used lead galena which was (at the time) unknown to be toxic. The makeup made from lead was called kohl, and not only used for cosmetic reasons, but practical ones as well, such as to reduce glare and keep insects away from the eyes. 

A little bit closer to my own region, Tacitus makes several mentions of a Germanic tribe, the Harii, blackening their skin to blend into the night and terrify their foes. I was able to find a recipe that is thought to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, and a little closer to my time period. It uses beeswax and oil as the binding agent, and charcoal as the pigment.  All of these ingredients would have been plentiful in the Northlands. Beeswax would have been easy to get, since apiculture was common, and charcoal is everywhere. This second recipe could easily have been traded with a person living in Rus lands.

All in all, the idea of ulfheðinn using facepaint/body paint isn’t that big a leap. Makeup of similar types exist through all regions and most periods of history, which means that the technology was there. An even more direct link is the theory that the Harii, the tribe mentioned by Tacitus, are thought to be an early version of the Odinic Warrior Cult, the same tradition that ulfheðinn represent. Throughout history, warriors have sought to terrify their enemies, to win the battle of the eyes before the lines are ever met. The ancestors would have been no different. In the meantime, while we wait for more proof, the practical reasons of eyeblack are more than enough for me to wear it. 

Do you guys like warpaint? Have you seen evidence for its use or against? Let me know in the comments!

Spring Coronation 2014

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 

Gulf Wars XXIII Conclusion

It is time to finish up my thoughts on war. From the moment I first joined the SCA, I've looked forward to going to Gulf Wars. Her Excellency Countess Rebecca, who first teased me with the idea of a place where being born out of time is not a weirdness but the status quo, told me all about her experiences at war. This just whetted my appetite, made me want it all the more. It took me around 6 years of playing to finally be in a place in mundane life that allowed me to go. It was rough and it took a lot of planning, but with the constant support of my Lady Beatrice, we were able to get ourselves to Lumberton. 

I am going to do this Gulf Wars wrap-up by focusing mostly on what I learned from my first Gulf Wars, which can be broken down into three main areas: scheduling, fighting, and camping. I thought that I'd done a fair bit of all of these so that war wouldn’t be such a huge shock, and while we survived without making a fool of myself, there are tons of places that I could have done much better. Some of my worst mistakes came from thinking that this would be no different than a regular long weekend camping trip. The majority came from wanting to do everything at once. My own lack of organization was the biggest issue as far as setting up the campsite, and scheduling. 

Alright, let's start off with our campsite: Gulf Wars was the most we had ever done with our tent and our campsite. We bought solar powered stake lights to illuminate the area and save people from tripping over the line for our porch, and we had packed more things than usual in anticipation of the tent being our home for a week. Our packing list included survival supplies, more drawers, and more tables. This gave us plenty of “countertop” space to make the tent a functional home. Overall, our internal set up of the tent was really good. It allowed us plenty of space and access to all of our stuff. The only really bad thing was the angle of the hill we were on, and there was nothing that could be done about that. 

My camping lessons came in preparing the campsit, for example making sure the ground isn't full of razor sharp things, and that there is good runoff for water. Next time I camp, I will be sure to check the ground really well to avoid damage to the tent. To aid in this I am going to be buying a brighter lantern and an entrenching tool. These should be good enough for most weekend trips, and for war I will have other things available as needed. 

The current concern is that at Spring Coronation, our tent was destroyed (the retelling of that epic event will be next week's post, so stay tuned!). This means that we will be buying a new tent. After a ton of research, seesawing, budgeting, and thinking, we decided to buy a period tent, which means it's entirely possible that everything I know about tenting to this point will need to relearned. Let's see how it goes!

The next set of lessons came early on: organization. Leading up to war, Beatrice and I had been pouring over the schedule, picking classes we wanted to take, deciding how much time we needed between activities, and trying to figure out when we would see each other. Our choices were tremendously overambitious. We wanted to do 6+ things a day, plus all the other duties, and volunteer. This just wasn’t possible. Once we were on site, we decided our main priority was helping out the Royals with anything they needed. They were a little understaffed, and we were fortunate enough to be able to help. That being said, we picked the classes we wanted to do regardless, and scheduled our volunteer times around them. Still, I feel like we wasted a ton of time, and I know that we missed out on some great opportunities. For next war, the plan will be to pick one class per day that we really want to take, and schedule the rest of the day around it. This will let us take at least 6 classes, and get the chance to really enjoy that aspect of the war.

Now, on to fighting: it's the main thing people think of about war, and yet it was not a huge part of my experience. Now, don't get me wrong: he fighting was great! Plus I only missed one battle; but the thing is that the total experience was really what made the war for me: time spent with Their Majesties, time spent with all my friends, and time spent just wandering the site in awe. Since I didn’t get any real one-on-one time at war, everything I learned was in regards to war fighting. The main lesson that I learned was just in getting acclimated to the different pace of the scenarios. Even when the tactics are similar, each scenario plays very differently. I'm sure they can even feel very different year to year. For example, this year the town battle was a holding action, we pushed the enemy into a position and we held them there. This made the battle one where my main objective was just staying alive, and generally obstructing progress. The ravine battle has a similar idea, we push to where we hold the points and then defend. My job there was to stand in front of the objective, and when enemy forces were looking like they were massing, call for reinforcements or participate in a charge to break them up. It was a much more active battle for me. 

I learned three lessons on equipment, two of them thanks to the ravine battle. While sitting on the line, I had time to look around my feet, and I noticed that there were tons of thrown weapons sitting on the ground. Working with Vikarr, I started picking up the ones that were in reach. The new gauntlets let me switch the axe to the hand that is holding the shield, which left me with one hand free to chuck things. It was pretty helpful being able to make archers duck, or just aggravate spearmen. I don't know that anyone took any of the hits, or even if I connected, but I did see some people duck, and to be honest that's just another way I can aggravate the enemy while on the wall. For next year, my goal is to make at least two thrown axes and get some practice with them, as well as a belt holder, which will keep them accessible. Again, I am not expecting to get a ton of kills with them, but if I can make one archer question the safety of their position, it will keep the spears on my side a little safer. I have heard some disadvantages to thrown weapons, mainly that people don't call the shots and that they can be thrown back. To me, the first sort of counteracts the second. If they are hardly effective, then them being thrown back isn't a huge issue. The second ravine lesson involved daggers. Apparently there is a dagger party in the last five minutes of the ravine battle. This is something I need to be involved in, and towards that end I will be making myself a seax to be sure to be able to jump in next year. My final equipment lesson is the easiest one to take care of: I need a bandana. My hair is terrible: it's not long enough to put in a ponytail or short enough to stay out of my eyes; a bandana should take care of that issue as well as give me a little more padding, which has been an issue in larger battles, as the back of my head starts to hurt once I have been in my helmet for a few hours. 

These were my war lessons. Hopefully I will be able to put them to use and perform better next war. What are your biggest survival war tips? Post them in the comments below!

Pictures by THL Valgardr Gunnarsson