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

Gulf Wars XXIII pt 2

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

there was a hold called, and all the two handed swords were told to get off the field. This included Her Royal Majesty of the Mid Realm. Naturally, all of the Mid Realmers followed their sovereign off the field. Our Queen went up the ravine to speak with her Royal cousin, but not before letting Fenris know of her displeasure. “When the lay on is called take them out, all of them” I heard it said were her words.

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

battles had been on the other end of the campsite from our camp, the ravine was only a short walk. This let me get back to camp and get some repairs done, and still have enough time to rest.

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

Gulf Wars XXIII pt 1

Gulf Wars: if you are from Trimaris, it's the big one. It took me six years to get things right to be able to go, and it was totally worth it. From the moment I stepped on camp, I was surrounded by a new experience. The tents lining up in all directions, the walls that were put up by individual camps, people in garb everywhere you looked, each and everyone of these things adding to the atmosphere, helping create the illusion that you had left the mundane world behind. With the veil dropping, there was business to attend to: war had come to these lands, and it was going to be hard fought. Gulf Wars, though, is so much more than just the fighting. There are dozens of classes, scores of merchants, and more parties than you could attend even if there were three of you. I'm going to write my Gulf Wars experience; sadly, this won’t include many aspects of the war. I completely failed to check out the Art/Sci competition, and I was only able to attend two classes. What I did get to do was fight in every one of the chivalric battles, and learn what it was like to be a retainer. 

Even with everything that I missed, I had an amazing time. The fighting was rough, and both sides fought very hard. This marks the most I have ever seen on the field at one time, and it was impressive to see. Hundreds lining on up on each side to defend their kingdom, or that of their allies. Trimaris was fortunate this year that many of the other kingdoms chose to ally with us, and it was quite impressive to see Calontir and their scutums lined up along the blue and white of the legion. The fighting itself was split into six scenarios: Town, Field, Bridge, Ravine, Fort, and Capture the Flag. Sadly, I was unable to participate in the last two. My lady got sick and we left site Saturday. 

When I wasn’t fighting, I was helping out with retaining duties. This was a learning experience. I had never realized exactly how much running around a sitting Crown has to do. I was happy to be of service, but my feet were killing me by the end of war. I can only imagine what it's like for people who wear less comfortable clothes and footwear. Their Royal Majesties, Yoan Moon Yang and Jung Mie made it a point to be everywhere, greeting the populace and participating in everything that they could. Each of them made it a point to be in all the battles, both rapier and chivalric, as well as teach one class each. I was awestruck by their endurance, and the efficient way that their schedule was managed by their Chatelaine and Chief Lady in Waiting.

Sunday

We arrived rather late on Sunday night due mostly to my lack of understanding of Daylight Savings Time and the change in time zones. I was convinced that we had already missed our chance to arrive before sunset, so I didn’t rush from New Orleans to Lumberton, which left me once again setting up in the dark. This was a learning experience! While our campsites here in Trimaris are pretty safe and easy to deal with for tents, King’s Arrow Ranch is not so much, at least not where we ended up. We were fortunate enough to be guests of Sgt. Daniel Von Hessen and his lady, Lady Ennelynne Von Hessen. They had already sectioned off a portion of their land for our tent and so that part was easy. The bad thing I didn’t notice until the tent was already up was the angry, sharp, evil branch things underneath the tent poking at the floor. For the most part

, I was able to take care of them and flatten them out through the tent floor, but this is not the ideal way to do it. Normally you check your area before you set down your tent, but since it was dark and I didn’t know the ground was going to try and eat my tent, I was not careful. The only spot that had problems was our front room, and the tent did get damaged there. Nothing major, just two small holes that I will be fixing when I set up the tent next with duct tape. It was frustrating, but not nearly bad enough to ruin the elation at being at war for the first time. 

Once my lovely lady had finished decorating our tent and making the space a home for the next week, we changed into our garb at the insistence of our friends, and were introduced to the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon throughout the week was the place where the veil was the thinnest, the decorations and the atmosphere were amazing. It really felt like we had stepped through time, and we were sitting in a tavern enjoying beer with people from throughout history. 

Sunday night at the tavern, it was also revealed to me that a friend I had fought alongside several times and a person I feel I have a lot to learn from, THL Fenris Swordbreaker, followed the path of the Ulfheðinn.  Brew flowed freely as he spoke to me about the path he had taken and how he had come to terms with the wolf inside. He was even so good as to offer to help guide me along my own path. I was all too happy to take him up on the offer. This meant for the rest of the war I was his tail, when he was stuck in, I was alongside him and when he needed a shield I was there. 

The night ended when at last we just couldn’t hold up anymore, we went to bed to prepare for things to really start the next day.

Monday

From what I understand Monday at war is called Boat Day. No one explained why, just that this was the day before things really got rolling, and that it was a day to meet up with friends and enjoy yourself. My lady and I were volunteering to retain for HRM at the Queen’s Tea. It was really awesome to see all of the Queens and Princesses that had made the trek to war all hanging out. It was a good reminder that while

we're all there to fight for glory, it was a war without enemies. 

We spent the rest of the day enjoying ourselves, until that evening when I was set to act as a retainer for His Royal Majesty and my lady was set to act as a retainer for Her Royal Majesty. I was off to attend to his needs during the Commander’s meeting. I would like to thank the Moose Lodge for their great hospitality, and for allowing me to stay after the meeting and see how they handle their lodge meeting. It was a lot to take in to see a household that has spread so far and touched so many people. 

Monday night was the last “warm” night of war, after this it just got colder and colder.

Tuesday

Tuesday marks the start of the war itself. We woke up early and were told to get ready so we could march

with the populace for the opening ceremonies. It was a misty morning, so the chill was already starting to creep in, but it was a good time to see the assembled kingdoms before the fort, each Royal pair stepping out to make their allegiance for the war known. TRM of Atlantia made a particularly rousing speech, they spoke of old debts and family ties. Finally when all was said and done, their troops sided with Trimaris. 

Once the opening ceremonies were done, we ran back to our camp to get ready to attend His Royal Majesty's lampworking class. I actually attended in armour and ready to fight, since immediately following the class both the King had to run to the field for the town battle. The class was actually really informative. Lampworking was one of those skills that was on my periphery as something I wanted to learn, but hadn’t put thought into it, mainly because I thought it took a ton of supplies, equipment, and space. I don’t have space for it in my current apartment, but it really isn’t that terrible: just a workspace, a torch, and a bucket to cool the beads you are making. His Majesty focused on basic techniques to get you started on bead work, things like adding texture and different colours to the basic shapes of beads. 

The class ended, and a quick kiss to my lady as we once again split. She was off to work with Her Majesty, and I was off to the town battle. By the time we reached the field, the rain had started in earnest and it only got worse as the day progressed. The scenario was pretty straightforward: there is a “town” with six buildings, a river with two bridges, and a castle. It would be played out in two 45 minute rounds. Every 15 minutes, the control of the buildings would be noted, each building is worth 1 point and the castle is worth 2.

The river was set up to be fordable by knights. In the first round, Trimaris was set up as the attacker and in the second as the defender. Our plan was simple: on the attack, take the bridges quickly and make sure that we controlled the area outside of the castle. 

From the moment lay on was called, the heavy shields charged forward and began to push both bridges hard. The unit I was attached to stayed on one side of the river to make sure that no knights from the other side could flank us. The Ansteorran forces could not hold the bridges for long with their flankers engaged, and soon we had pushed them into the fort. Then it became a matter of preventing the sally forth. We set up shield walls at all the breaches and gates, and our spearmen watched over the crenelations. Because of the way this played out, most of my time was spent harassing people: either on the river bank blocking spear shots, or near a window hooking spears with my axe and making people vulnerable to the attacks of the spearmen on my side. 

When we switched sides, the plan was more or less the same. Take the bridges and hold them back. This time though, Trimaris was faster and (not counting a small contingent defending one of the buildings) we took the bridges quickly. For the attack, I was fighting alongside a pack brother of Fenris, Sven, and he helped guide me to where I was needed.  We were able to sneak around the back end of the building and kill people that were attempting to hold off our knights from completing the flanking maneuver. Once the bridges were taken, our shields were too strong for the enemy forces to break through. Trimaris held the line and took the field. 

For the entirety of the battle, my job was to be a speedbump and aggravation to the enemy. While this wasn’t a glorious position to be in, it certainly was a fun time. I was able to see some different tactics at work and see the small unit side of things. 

With battle done, it was time to meet with my lady and eat. The rest of the night was spent amongst friends and trying not to freeze to death. 

Wednesday

Wednesday was a day of rest for heavy fighters.The only thing we had scheduled was the Trimarian/Meridian party, so the day was ours to enjoy.  We did what any other person would do, shopping! 

There were nearly 200 merchants at war, and nearly all of them had something that we wanted. Sadly, there wasn’t enough money to buy everything. We each had about $150 to spend on things. I knew that my budget was going to be eaten up nearly entirely by the purchase of new gauntlets. I was not overly upset about this, my current ones just never worked well for me and being able to physically try them on before buying meant I could buy something that fit and was comfortable. I already had an idea that I was going to buy from Bokalo’s Armoury, but I still shopped around to make sure there wasn’t something that worked better for me in my price range. There were tons of great options, but they were either not right for me

(finger gauntlets) or way out of my price range. Bokalo is an armourer who lives in Northern Trimaris, and I have always sent any new fighters his way, since I know his gear is safe. The down side to it is that it isn’t always pretty gear, the starter stuff is exactly that. I went with a pair of his clamshell gauntlets in aluminum satin finish. They fit well and were easy to strap up, so much so in fact that I was using them by Friday. 

My lady was more conservative with her money. She shopped around and made purchases as they struck her fancy or as she felt they were needed. It was good to see her get the things she really needed to finish up her outfit. She has always been of the opinion that it's the accessories that really make something stand out as finished, and ancestors above was she right. While she always looked good in her later period garb, it wasn’t until she added her snood and belt that it really seemed that she stepped out of a portrait. 

The Trimaris/Meridies party was a great time. We got to see friends that we normally only get a few moments with at Kingdom events. We turned in early though, because it was an early day on Thursday for us. The night was freezing... so much so that ,come morning, we had almost made the choice to move into someone else’s tent to share body warmth. In the end we just added more blankets to our pile, but bedding was definitely on the list of things that needed to be improved for next year.

So this got long quick! I will be continuing the recounting of GW XXIII next week. Let me know your war stories in the comments below!

Pictures 1 and 5 by Lady Beatrice Whitcombe

Picture 4 by THL Valgard Gunnarsson

Pictures 2, 3 and 6 by Viscountess  Elashava bas Riva

Adventures in shield making

Shields are one of the most important pieces of equipment an ancient warrior could have. In many cases, it is the difference between life and death. Many of the depictions of the ulfheðinn show them with shield and spear.  All of these things weighed heavily on me as I considered all the options that lay before me when it came to picking the right shield. Initially, I wanted to go with a fully period shield set-up. This would mean two shields: one for tourneys, and one for melees and war. Both of these would have been rounds, the smaller being 28in and the larger sitting close to the 40in mark. After speaking with more experienced fighters and discussing at length the pros and cons of both, I made the decision that my war shield would be a 2x4 rectangle. The reasons are, as I understand them, that while rounds work well with a dedicated unit all using the same style and trained to fight together, the rectangle works better with mixed shield units. I don't know many people that use round war shields, and I am certainly not training with them, as most of them are too far away. This means it is better for me to use something that will allow me to function within the army at my best. I will still be using a round for my tourney shield, where my choice of shield is more personal. 

With the choice finally made, and the necessity of having a shield for war with my round warshield broken, I decided to start work on the rectangle shield. I did some research on what to do and how best to do it. The project was to create a 2x4 curved rectangle shield lined in a fashion that is not obtrusively modern. For the strapping, my goal was to not have a basket and use my gauntlet in the shield. This would let me switch quickly between shield and anything else without sacrificing protection.

Materials

• 2x4 ½ in Plywood
• Enough leather to edge the shield
• Contact Cement
• Garden Stones
• Weight (I used roof shingles)
• Ratchet Tie Downs
• Artificial Sinew
• Drill
• Belt-grade Leather
• 2x buckles
• Leather Needle
• Masking Tape
• White Spray Paint

Without time to build a proper shield press before war, and dire lack of thick trees in this area of the world, I made the choice to try and use garden stones and weight and get some curve on, laying the shield blank out between the stacks of garden stones, adding weight onto it, and securing the weight with tie downs. This would have been left overnight to allow the bend to form. Sadly, I had no idea how to use the tie-downs and ended up not being able to secure it properly. This forced me to just lay the weight across the whole thing, instead of centering it, which allowed the weight to be distributed in a fashion that would not make the bend come out. I left the weight on it all night to see what happens. The shield ended with only the slightest hint of a curve. What I now know is that (and this should have been obvious) you need to wet the blank before trying to curve it. Even this option would have been lost to me (since I live in a tiny apartment with no space for anything) if Lord Ardan O Raghailligh hadn’t offered his home and knowledge to cater to my insane needs to try new things two weeks out from war

The next step was painting the blank and attaching the lining. The shield is going to be undecorated for now, so to paint it, I just taped off the edge and sprayed the whole thing white. Taping off the edge was necessary, so that the paint wouldn't interfere with the glue when it came time to attach the edging, which was made out of a very thin leather. The whole process was taught to me by Lord Kjartan Kolgrimsson. He has been really helpful in getting me situated overall since he came to Miami. For the shield edging, he showed me how to cut the strips to twice the width I wanted, then fold them to center: this gave two layers throughout and the clean appearance of a rolled edge. The second step was to mark the center line, and then cover the inside with contact cement. After waiting for the cement to become tacky, we then folded both sides to the middle. This whole process was decently painless, even wit

h my inability to cut a fully straight line! Once all four strips were ready, the shield was again taped off in such a way that glue wouldn’t get on the shield except for where it would be covered with leather. This was done to give it a nice clean appearance, and it worked. The edging, when it was all done, came out really really nice. I can’t wait to ruin it at war!

Lastly, I needed to get all the strapping done for the shield. This was really straight forward: I cut two straps at 3 inches thick. The first one was 20in long for the forearm strap, and the second was 12in long  to become my handle. To get the measurements right, I put on my vambrace and gauntlet and found the right sizing for the straps, then drilled the holes for the bolts. With the handle I went one step further: in the place that would become the grip, I rolled the leather over itself so that it would be less wide and a little more comfortable to hold. 

All in all, it was a huge learning experience for me to make and line this shield. I now know the right way to curve a shield (at least in theory), and when I get back from war, I'll be putting a curve on this one. For the next one I make, I will also be sure to have more time allotted to it so I can make sure it comes out nice.  For now, this first attempt is going to be put through its paces next week at Gulf Wars. Since I will be away, there will be no blog post, but expect a full breakdown of war when I get back. Hope to see you guys at war, doesn’t matter the side. The more the merrier!

Scots Welsh War

Six years ago, I got the chance to attend Scots Welsh War for the first time, and it proved to be my favourite event. It was a slew of poor choices and misadventures, but that had nothing to do with the event itself. The journey to get there was a pain, but finally getting in armour and being a part of large formations as they slammed into each other was the missing piece in my “the Dream”. That’s it: I was sold. This would be a part of my life for as long as I could keep it.

Due to mundane issues, I was forced to move away first from Trimaris and then from the SCA as a whole for several years. I never stopped trying to get back into the SCA, but it just didn’t work out. After getting back to Trimaris, I was able to begin playing again. My first camp away back was again Scots Welsh, and what a disaster that was: broken down vehicles, failed authorizations, and general misery abounded. Finally, a year later at my third Scots Welsh, the tradition broke: the journey was smooth, I was able to authorize, and even got some decent fighting in. I was on my way to being an actual heavy fighter.This year marks my fourth Scots Welsh, and one year since my authorization as a Heavy fighter. In that time, I have fought at every event I have attended with only one exception. It's been a hard path so far, but I have learned a ton. 

Due to logistical issues this year,Scots Welsh War Practice was combined with An Crosaire’s St Valentines Massacre, making it a very activity-packed event. There were amazing classes and a strong Art Sci competition. Due to the amount of fighting, I was unable to participate in any of them. I would still like to extend thanks to Randy Asplund for coming down to Trimaris to teach a day of classes. I wish I had gotten the chance to attend one or two.

The fighting was broken into two different parts: War Practice, and the Baronial Champion Tourney. The baronial champion tourney was held first. Now, I am still a pretty new fighter, so my ability to do well in a tourney is directly related to the luck of the draw in which opponents I get.  I always make it a point to try and learn from every match, but if I draw a person who has 3-4 times the fighting experience I have, it's going to be a rough time for me. The format used was a speed tournament to try and save time. Basically, you line up the fighters and pair the first with the last to go fight their match, continuing to pair everyone so that the fights in each round happen more or less at the same time. After the first round, there is a loser line and a winner line. These lines are paired off in the same way. After any fighter has lost twice, he is eliminated. This continues until there is one fighter left. 

In the first round, I drew Lord Valentin. I had never met him before, but I knew that he was a squire. We squared off, and he killed me in a single shot. My stance left my head wide open. He saw the gap and took clean advantage of it. This is a disadvantage of spending some time out of armour, stupid little mistakes like this are costly. In the second round, I drew Baron Killian Bruce: it's not a lucky day for me when I get someone that good out of the loser line. I took my stance, went very defensive so I could watch what was going on. The first thing I saw was that he was a lefty. Thankfully, our local squire Kjartan had given me some tips for my defense against lefties. I was able to survive a few passes with the Baron before he ended the tourney for me with a strong wrap to the back of my head. The rest of the tourney, I watched from the sidelines. It ended with a match between Sir Subadai Baavgai and Lord Joshue le Charmonte. Joshue put a brave attempt, but Sir Subadai is just too deadly with his glaive and took the day. 

Now onto my favourite part! War practice! This Gulf Wars will be the first I'll be able to attend, so Scots Welsh was important for me to get some idea of what I needed to be doing while at war. For the day, I would be fighting with Jarl Ari Tyrbrandr and his house. Vikarr Bjornsson would also be with us. Jarl Ari assigned John Reinhardt to sort of guide us on the field since he is an experienced shield man, so we linked shields and stayed with him the whole day. The goal of war practice is to run through as many of the war scenarios as possible. This practice we ran field battles, breach drills, bridge battles, and a resurrection battle to test endurance. 

For the field battles, John was given the primus position with myself and Vikarr supporting him. I am sorry to say that I did not really meet the rest of my line when we were actually in line. Too many people, and I was a little hyper focused on what was going on. Many strategies were used to display what we would be doing while at war. It went very well for the blue team, and we actually managed to come out victorious in all the field scenarios except one. The most fun I had during the field battles was during an exercise to help the crap-ton of new combat archers that we had get used to ranging and firing from behind the shield lines. It was good practice for the shield guys in holding up a line and being aware of targets. It also taught me communication with the back ranks. Vikarr and I had an archer directly behind us that was vocal and asking for targets, which made for a very good team.

Next came breach drills. We managed to hold the line when it came to not letting our enemies into the fort. On the flip side we also failed to make the breach into the fort. It is very rough being in that tight press of shields. Both on the attack and the defense it was amazing to me how much damage the archers and spearmen attacking through the windows can do. I only fell victim to it once, but it reminded me very clearly that you need to be aware of your surroundings even in a push. As I was supporting the line against the breach, the shieldman that had been watching the wall had been killed by ballistae fire. This allowed a spearman to walk up and just start murdering everyone within reach before we noticed he was there. When it was our turn to assault the breach, we managed to push through and make a hole, but lost shield cohesion. This allowed a properly placed spearman to kill each warrior as he came through the gap. All in all, this is a tough way to get into a castle when the defenders have nothing else occupying their attention.

The bridge battles are where I feel I learned the most. By this time I had broken the handle on my round war shield and was being loaned one by the gracious Baron of Oldenfeld, Miklos von Baeker. This shield was a tall heater shape and handled a little bit differently. It had flat sides, which made it lock into place with my shield brothers much more easily. For the majority of the bridge battles, blue ran over the white team. The main strength of the white team as it got divided that morning was not in their shields, but their polearms. This meant that with a solid push, we could get through to them. It also appeared to me that the blue team worked better as a unit, protecting ourselves and allowing our limited poles to do their job. During one push, I fell forward over the enemy shields and was grounded. My shield was stuck and I was completely surrounded by people. I got onto my knees, my arm still in my shield and started trying to support my side. I don’t know how effective I was, but I tried. Once the push was over, I released my shield and fought single sword for the remainder of that scenario. I was then informed that: 1. I shouldn’t leave my shield behind, and 2. if I am going to drop my shield in a melee, just putting my hand behind my back isn’t enough: it needs a gauntlet. Two mistakes I will not make again! Halfway through the bridge scenarios, Jarl Ari and I were transferred to the white team. This allowed me to learn what it felt like to get hit by a superior mass of shields. Needless to say, I was not enough to turn the tide. I did get to practice dying defensively though!

After a short break to hydrate and rest, we were called together for the instructions for resurrection battle. There would be a single building in the center of the field, both sides would have unlimited resurrections, there would be archers on both sides, and it would last until half of one side dropped out. This was gearing up to be an exhausting fight. John was injured in the bridge battles, so he sat this one out. He gave me his shield so I could try yet another type of shield and get a feel for other things. His was a shorter heater, and it performed really well for a res battle. Something heavier, like my round, would have certainly not been ideal.

It would have just ended up tiring me out faster. The res battle is fast paced with a ton of things going on, so I can’t comment on everything. What I will say is that in a battle where the entire victory condition is endurance, the main thing is to prevent your guys from walking back to res point as often as possible. Which meant switching out who was calling reinforcements, so different people could rest up, and making sure that support was applied where it was needed. I even got an opportunity to direct traffic. Lesson learned there: speak up! Between the sound of battle and the deafening effect of helms, you need to scream to be heard. I would love to say that I lasted until the end of the res battle, but I dropped out close to the end. I just didn’t have anymore to give. Now I know I need to keep building my endurance to last for those longer fights.

The day's battles done, I got the chance to sit down and talk to Jarl Ari to see how I performed. He was kind in his assessment, saying I can follow orders. I know that I have plenty to learn as far as fighting is concerned, but I'm grateful for all the guidance I can get. Southkeep’s fighters went North and showed them that we weren’t just laying around down here. We are starting to build an army. It was very good, a fine day of fighting.

I learned a lot, but the thing that really stuck out to me was the discussion about shield shape and tactics. I was told that round shields are good, but they work best when you have a unit trained to fight together and all using the same type of shield. The rectangles that are more common in the SCA are easier to link with the strange shapes that you might find. With this new information, and a broken war shield, I will be making myself a rectangle shield. Hopefully it will be done in time for war. This is going to be one of those times where I am putting SCA combat style ahead of historical accuracy. My reason for that is that I believe the ancestors would have fought with whatever worked best to get the job done. While most of my gear is set up to honour them and the way they fought, I can’t work as a team if I am not taking the advice of my commander. Now I just need to figure out how to curve a 2x4 sheet of plywood pine…

I would like to thank the Barony of An Crosaire for an amazing event. I had a really good time. Lately, I'd found myself talking a lot about switching to being an assault trooper in war. That was the talk of someone who had lost their way. The fighting at this event was amazing, and it reminded me why I had a shield in the first place. There's very little that is more fun than repelling a charge, arm in arm with your shield-brothers. I am back now. Let's do this!

Photos by: THL Tristum de Kerjean