Highlights from an excellent war
I don't normally write up war reports, but GWW was worth remembering. The last couple months at work have been a gargantuan ball o' stress, culminating in my new vacuum chamber at work imploding and showering the lab in glass, five minutes before I was supposed to leave for war. On top of that, my lady and I (well, mostly her) have been desperately burning the other end of the candle to finish a portable bed for war. So we were a little twitchy when we finally got on the road Wednesday afternoon. So without further ado, the highlights:
Wednesday: Made good time to site. A war without traffic between me and it is rare and very welcome. Found a soft, grassy campsite, just the size for Isles, right off the main road, within stumbling distance of the Spade. We even got both pavilions mostly up before the sun set over the lake. Very pretty. Turned into pumpkins early, broke open our tasty meat pies, and caught up a little on sleep.
Thursday: Ah, a lazy day at war. We finished setting up, volunteered a couple shifts, played some board games at gate and the spade, and generally lazed about. Enid brought our leather masks (and frying pan, and eight or nine other things) for the masquerade party... by the time we arrived, the party itself had degenerated into standing around without masks and watching the belly dancers, but I think it's a cool idea... we might have to do it properly sometime.
Friday: Allow me call blessings upon the wise rapiercrats who saw fit to start the melees at 1pm. This was wonderful, and very convenient when Rachel's back locked up and after some running about, we persuaded Mercy to make several camp calls to make it all better. Two thumbs up for Mercy of the Healing Hands... Anyway, the rapier melees were fantastic. There were a dozen last man standing melees through an interesting castle, with little time wasted between scenarios, and simple rules that could be quickly explained so we could get back on the field. It was 2+ hours of pure stabby joy. I spent most of the time roguing, and managed to channel the Hero in a couple melees: once when I killed at least half the other team, and once where it took half of their team to corner & kill me. Finally, in the last two melees, Mora and I volunteered to block a doorway by ourselves (theoretically leaving a dozen teammates to take the other three), and both times we stood side-by-side against superior numbers... until the enemy broke the other doorways and came to stab us in the back. But very cool to stand with my lady against all comers.
Next was the Uberelf tourney, for yet more fight-till-you-drop action. Nytshaed, Blayde, Alex K, and I (with the unfortunate Arye and Lorenz) were drawn into the group of death, with matches of wits, skill, and speed on nearly every touch. Blayde got the better of me in the pivotal buckler vs case round, handed me my ass from there, and went on to win the tourney. I'll say here (LOUDLY) that it may not have been pretty to watch, but his aggressive closes were skilfully done, and less dangerous than they looked. Then I finished with an exhausting 6-6 tie against Don Alexander, proving for the 93rd time that we are too damn well matched.
Friday night was quieter than I expected, with a tasty dinner and walks, talks, and hugs along the lakeshore with Mora and Enid. It seems that even with the Spade hosting, Known World rapier parties are going the way of the dodo. I think we'll have to organize candlesnuffing and a buckler waiter race to spice them up again...
Saturday: We again thoroughly enjoyed sleeping to 11 without missing rapier, and stumbled on down to the field. Melees had a little less flow (Less Talking! More Fighting!) but ended in a nice res battle around two ertwhile haybale ships. I had good fun holding off Blayde and the Tigers, before the melee ended (an hour before court!?), and so had time for some pickups. Black Zack of the Tigers fought me tooth, nail, tail, and spleen for fifteen minutes of exhausting buckler vs. case action. We finished the last point with me diving to me knees to deliver a stomach thrust just barely under two shots to my head. Then I had the pleasure of some very elegant, clean, Italianish single-sword play with Tsura. Cool stuff, want to fight with both of them s'more.
We were camped right next to court, so I wandered back and forth between starting dinner, chatting with & being fed by the neighbors in House Straight Arrow, and mostly missing the main awards at court. Congrats to Don Colwyn & Maestra Arabella... Next was dinner and dancing in the court pavilion. So hard to choose whether to dance with Mora and Eleanora... they're both such graceful flirts :) Also made friends with the musician (what was his name?) and his lady...
Evening at the Spade was excellent... it really felt like a tavern atmosphere. Taught a couple people to play Backgammon & a couple tables variants, wagered drinks on the outcome, had a long chat with Sybil (who's getting her PhD in SCA folklore & history), and lounged by the fire. Was disappointed to find out it was already 2am, and I'd have to go to sleep at some point. Most of Isles had already "gone to bed", by which I mean, made a snuggle and philosophy pile on the floor of our pavilion. Being a public post, I will simply appreciate Enid & Eleanora's soft snuggliness, and leave it at that.
Sunday: Noon is a good time to sleep till. Then there was a migration of ladies to the bodice maker, where I was consulted as a somewhat impartial judge. About then, Phelix wandered by with nachos. Given the junk food deprivation that occurs at war, these were almost as good as the bodice fittings. With the exception of Eleanora. Wow. Somewhere around 3pm we realized we only had an hour to see merchants (which we greatly exceeded), then a race to pack before the sun set. Which we mostly won. And finally, we closed the war with goodbyes, a light dinner with White Star, a few songs, and a shortish drive home. Wheee....
Wednesday: Made good time to site. A war without traffic between me and it is rare and very welcome. Found a soft, grassy campsite, just the size for Isles, right off the main road, within stumbling distance of the Spade. We even got both pavilions mostly up before the sun set over the lake. Very pretty. Turned into pumpkins early, broke open our tasty meat pies, and caught up a little on sleep.
Thursday: Ah, a lazy day at war. We finished setting up, volunteered a couple shifts, played some board games at gate and the spade, and generally lazed about. Enid brought our leather masks (and frying pan, and eight or nine other things) for the masquerade party... by the time we arrived, the party itself had degenerated into standing around without masks and watching the belly dancers, but I think it's a cool idea... we might have to do it properly sometime.
Friday: Allow me call blessings upon the wise rapiercrats who saw fit to start the melees at 1pm. This was wonderful, and very convenient when Rachel's back locked up and after some running about, we persuaded Mercy to make several camp calls to make it all better. Two thumbs up for Mercy of the Healing Hands... Anyway, the rapier melees were fantastic. There were a dozen last man standing melees through an interesting castle, with little time wasted between scenarios, and simple rules that could be quickly explained so we could get back on the field. It was 2+ hours of pure stabby joy. I spent most of the time roguing, and managed to channel the Hero in a couple melees: once when I killed at least half the other team, and once where it took half of their team to corner & kill me. Finally, in the last two melees, Mora and I volunteered to block a doorway by ourselves (theoretically leaving a dozen teammates to take the other three), and both times we stood side-by-side against superior numbers... until the enemy broke the other doorways and came to stab us in the back. But very cool to stand with my lady against all comers.
Next was the Uberelf tourney, for yet more fight-till-you-drop action. Nytshaed, Blayde, Alex K, and I (with the unfortunate Arye and Lorenz) were drawn into the group of death, with matches of wits, skill, and speed on nearly every touch. Blayde got the better of me in the pivotal buckler vs case round, handed me my ass from there, and went on to win the tourney. I'll say here (LOUDLY) that it may not have been pretty to watch, but his aggressive closes were skilfully done, and less dangerous than they looked. Then I finished with an exhausting 6-6 tie against Don Alexander, proving for the 93rd time that we are too damn well matched.
Friday night was quieter than I expected, with a tasty dinner and walks, talks, and hugs along the lakeshore with Mora and Enid. It seems that even with the Spade hosting, Known World rapier parties are going the way of the dodo. I think we'll have to organize candlesnuffing and a buckler waiter race to spice them up again...
Saturday: We again thoroughly enjoyed sleeping to 11 without missing rapier, and stumbled on down to the field. Melees had a little less flow (Less Talking! More Fighting!) but ended in a nice res battle around two ertwhile haybale ships. I had good fun holding off Blayde and the Tigers, before the melee ended (an hour before court!?), and so had time for some pickups. Black Zack of the Tigers fought me tooth, nail, tail, and spleen for fifteen minutes of exhausting buckler vs. case action. We finished the last point with me diving to me knees to deliver a stomach thrust just barely under two shots to my head. Then I had the pleasure of some very elegant, clean, Italianish single-sword play with Tsura. Cool stuff, want to fight with both of them s'more.
We were camped right next to court, so I wandered back and forth between starting dinner, chatting with & being fed by the neighbors in House Straight Arrow, and mostly missing the main awards at court. Congrats to Don Colwyn & Maestra Arabella... Next was dinner and dancing in the court pavilion. So hard to choose whether to dance with Mora and Eleanora... they're both such graceful flirts :) Also made friends with the musician (what was his name?) and his lady...
Evening at the Spade was excellent... it really felt like a tavern atmosphere. Taught a couple people to play Backgammon & a couple tables variants, wagered drinks on the outcome, had a long chat with Sybil (who's getting her PhD in SCA folklore & history), and lounged by the fire. Was disappointed to find out it was already 2am, and I'd have to go to sleep at some point. Most of Isles had already "gone to bed", by which I mean, made a snuggle and philosophy pile on the floor of our pavilion. Being a public post, I will simply appreciate Enid & Eleanora's soft snuggliness, and leave it at that.
Sunday: Noon is a good time to sleep till. Then there was a migration of ladies to the bodice maker, where I was consulted as a somewhat impartial judge. About then, Phelix wandered by with nachos. Given the junk food deprivation that occurs at war, these were almost as good as the bodice fittings. With the exception of Eleanora. Wow. Somewhere around 3pm we realized we only had an hour to see merchants (which we greatly exceeded), then a race to pack before the sun set. Which we mostly won. And finally, we closed the war with goodbyes, a light dinner with White Star, a few songs, and a shortish drive home. Wheee....