12th Night - 2009 version

Went to 12th Night for the 8th or 9th straight year.  You'd think I liked this event or something.  It wasn't much different than every other year. Lots of fun and fighting, as usual.

A new fighter was thinking about going up with me, but decided to spend time with his girlfriend instead.  Sheesh!  Where is his priorities? (as I remain single)  So I went up to Omaha alone.  Not a bad trip.  Tried to keep myself entertained.  For the second straight year, I hit some wicked dense fog for at least half the trip.  Very wierd.  When I got there, it started to drizzle.  This would become an issue later when I was to leave as it froze and the roads were ice covered.

I started later than I wanted, but I was tired and thought driving tired, alone was not a good choice.  When I arrived a little before noon, the tournament had already started.  Since it's a bearpit, I didn't need to be there right when it started.  It would last another 4 hours.  I had time.

I changed into my garb.  Put on armor and fought.  And fought.  And fought.  And fought some more.  I had a really great time.  I was trying to think of the last time I fought that wasn't fighter practice or a demo.  It's been awhile.  Maybe Valor in September?  Anyway, I was just wanting to knock some rust off and I did better than I even imagined.  I did better than I have ever done at 12th Night, and I wasn't really worried about it.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to overthink things and psyche myself out.  When I go out to have fun and don't think about it, I do much better.  I knew I hadn't fought in months, and I knew I was going to get beat.  I just wanted to get the rust knocked off and have some fun.  Well, I did.  At the end of the day, I checked with the list table and I had 16 wins.   I think my best prior was 12, I think.  And I know I didn't loose 16, so I had a winning record.  Yay!

At the end of the tournament, they announced they had 764 total fights (not including double-kills) in the four plus hour tournament.  I'd guess there were 30 or so fighters there.  And the winner, Ashir, won by over 10% with 91 wins.  91 wins?!  That's awesome!  I didn't even fight 91 times in that timeframe!  Good job Ashir!

I was able to see Toen, Isabeau, Shawn, and Allison.  It is always good to see them.  It's been awhile since we've all been together.  Actually.  Now that I think about it.  I dont think there was a time at 12th Night we were all together in the same place.  Funny.  What a dysfunctional family.

I sat for court.  Talked to Her Majesty Maerwynn.  Talked to quite a few people I haven't seen or been out of the loop with.  It was all good.

The event seemed smaller than normal.  I don't know if it's loosing popularity, or if it was because of the weather.  Or it could of just been my imagination.  Regardless, still a lot of fun.  Lots of good fighting.  I will be back next year.  I just wish we had a bigger Crescent Moon contigent on the field.  Kind of makes me sad.  But that is how this Shire is.  Maybe next year.  But for now, I'll try to get people to go to Winter War Maneuvers.

Take one Lilies and call me in the morning... part II

... where was I?

Ah yes.... the Hus & Chiv versus the world. Much fun was had by all and the quarreling guilds were quelled quickly, (yes, I'm good) and now there is peace in the Kingdom.

Immediately after this, there was one last battle for the day, and basically the war. It was a Valhalla Bridge Battle. In a nutshell, you fight on a bridge. When you die, you resurrect on the other side. You keep doing this until you can't swing a stick anymore. And that's basically what I did. I had a ball. And I had a ball dying, which happened more than not. But I had fun, and more fun than I've had in awhile.

Later, I was asked to fight for Annalies in the Water Bearer's Tournament. That was fun. I went out two-stick for the first time in a LONG time. I kind of hit the ground running. Took a little bit, but it started to come back to me how to use those things. I didn't do too badly, and I think I did ok for my lack of activity recently. But again, I enjoyed myself, and didn't have a problem with any of the fights.

Before the fights, I sat down and talked with Bjarnulf the Gleamer (sorry if I misspelled your name dude) for a bit. He's a good man. Good fighter, and just a good man. You know those guys who would help you move into a new place even if you just met him? Yeah, that's him. Well, we sat and talked for quite a bit. He is getting into a Japanese persona and we just sat around and talked shop for a while. It was a good time.

Also before the fights, Mor found me. I haven't seen or talked to Mor in probably over a year. When the tournament started, Mor, Bjarnulf, Annalies and I just sat under the Royal Shadefly (yeah, I didn't realize it until it was too late) and just talked, and watched the fighting. Just catching up and telling stories.

After the tournament, I was done fighting for the day. I had my fill. The Phoenix Household, which Bjarnulf is a member, invited me to dinner with them that evening. Since I didn't have any other plans, I accepted. Besides, they were having steak. How can I turn down steak? So I stripped off my armor and headed to the Phoenix encampment with Mor.

As usual at SCA events, you can't go from point A to point 2 without running into people and talk to them. I had to stop a couple of times to see people I haven't seen in awhile, and catch-up. Talked to Rhodri a bit about his 40 fights at 40. He did 35 fighters I believe. All of them best 2-out-of-3. Awesome! I couldn't do that right now. He rocks. Also he informed me that the Fyrd fundraiser of selling snow cones one day at a quarter each raised over $150!!! Over $150 in quaters! Epic win!

At one point, I saw Sir Ivan and Sir Gilligan walking around, getting ready for the party. I yelled over at him, "If Ivan is dead, I want his shit!" They laughed, but Gilligan yelled back, "I've tried that, he's taking it with him to Valhalla!"

Speaking of Ivan's shit... Nazir talked with Ivan and acquired Ivan's polearm that he's used for many years. Ivan is known for his polearm work. He is a polearm god! Anyway, Nazir talked to Ivan and he agreed to allow Nazir to cut up his polearm into bits and give them to people who may want a piece of Ivan's good ju-ju. I so want one! I'm going to have to contact Nazir about it. That'd be sweet.

Eventually got to the Phoenix encampment, and they had already begun eating. My bad. Let me tell you, if you do not know people in the Phoenix House, you need to introduce yourselves to them. They are a great bunch of people. Everyone is so kind and generous. Wiliiam, their grand pooba (sorry William, I forgot your title), is the best. He made sure I was fed and had enough to drink.

I squired to Sir Toen at Lilies a few years ago. Every year since then, at Lilies, we smoke a cigar to comemerate that day, and to just hang out. This year, Toen was not at Lilies when I was. But that didn't stop me from continuing the tradition. One of the feasters at dinner, Evan, had several nice cigars he was gracious enough to share. So a few of us sat back with our bellies full of steak, we sat back and smoked our cigars and had some really good conversations.

Last year, after wandering around, I ended up in the Phoenix camp one night. I sat down and just chewed the fat with William and anyone else who'd walk up. We laughed, joked, told stories, and discussed some deep philosophical shit through evening. So this year, we thought we'd tackle that again. So I think we are starting a new tradition of having a good talk with William at Lilies. The cigars and steak are definately a bonus.

Time slipped by and it was getting late and I had to head home. I said my farewells, packed up my stuff and headed home.

Earlier in the week, I had thought I would just skip Lilies. I was getting burned out on the SCA, and with people, with my priorities, and with everything. I don't know what changed my mind, but I decided to go, and I'm glad I did. It was only one day, but it was one of the best Lilies I have ever had.

I'm feeling better about things in the SCA. I don't feel so crispy. I now feel like getting back into things more and being more energetic and positive. This is especially important to our newer people. We have quite a few new good people, and they don't need me being a dick and being negative. So right now, I'm feeling much better. I needed this Lilies really badly, and I didn't realize I did. Funny how things work sometimes.

I'm back in the fight.

Take one Lilies and call me in the morning.

Ahh....

After my last post, I felt a little.....underwhelmed with things in my SCA life. But after getting back from Lilies, my outlook has improved a tad. I had a good time. I got my fighting in, I saw some friends I haven't seen in awhile, I carried on a tradition, and I think I've started a new tradition.

Backing up, I haven't been excited about Lilies in a few years. I can't really put my finger on it. Every year it rolls around, and I get less and less excited about it, even though I go, and have a decent time. Hell, I was Hus'd at Lilies last year. Plus my good friend Maerwynn is Princess during this Lilies. You'd think I'd be more stoked (80's term folks) about it. But I wasn't. With things that have gone on recently, I was thinking about going one weekend, or not at all even. In the end, I day-tripped it up on Saturday.

I arrived on site around 10:15, which was a little later than I wanted to be there. Dumped my stuff, parked, and headed to the battlefield to armor up. I ran into Sir Ivan, that was my first good ju-ju of the day. Ivan is a great guy, and someone I really look up to and respect as a person and as a Knight. Why it was so special was that I didn't expect to see him there. He has basically retired because of he has a bad knee and elbow that won't allow him to fight anymore. So I didn't expect to see him there, but he was there for one last fight and party. We talked a bit, and said we would see each other later.

I proceeded to put on my armor and get into the fight, as the battles had already begun. It was a very sunny day. Highs in the mid to upper 80's, possibly low 90's. It was warm in the sun, but in the shade was decent, and there was a cool breeze coming off the lake. So it wasn't unbearable. I've definately been in worse, and hated every minute of it. So, another good ju-ju item.

I got into the fight, and I found myself waaaay out of shape and practice. As stated earlier, it's been about six months since I've been in armor and fighting in earnest. I was feeling it. Luckily, I don't think I embarassed myself too badly. I died more than I killed, but I did kill a few. And most importantly, I had fun. Probably the most fun I've had in armor in awhile. I tried to think of the experience instead of how bad I felt I was doing, and in the end, I had a great time.

One cool moment, which split into two, happened before the last battle. As we were resting between battles, a horn sounded on the field. It grabbed everyone's attention. Four long belts of the helm came from Sir Richard. Then a one-eyed man appeared in the woods behind us, claiming to be a god, and saying that he is here to claim the soul of Sir Ivan. The god was Sir Gilligan, a good friend of Ivan's and who recently moved away, but came back for Lilies, and apparently this schtick.

Gilligan gave a wonderful speech about how great Ivan was, and that his time was over and he was there to take Ivan to Valhalla. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Gilligan asked if there was anyone who would speak of his merit. Several people stood up and spoke of Ivan's great deeds and of his stature of a man. Then it was time for Gilligan to claim Ivan and take him to the afterlife. They dueled with six foor spears and Gilligan pierced the breast of Ivan, killing him on the field, with everyone watching. Then a scutum was brought to the field and several of Ivan's friends placed his body on the scutum, hoisted it on their shoulders, and carried his body into the woods, and into history. As his body left, the field broke out in Non Nobis. It was a very touching send-off for Ivan.

After Non Nobis, the Huscarls stood together at the entrance of the woods and sang Requiem for a Huscarl together. On the last verse, we all turned our backs and faced the woods and sang into the woods, towards the afterlife, and towards the soul of Sir Ivan. It was so awesome to be there and to be a part of it.

After that, there was an announcement that all the Chivalry and Huscarls were to meet with His Majesty on the top of the hill. So we all marched up the hill to attend our King. There he informed us that at Coronation, the guilds of the Kingdom had come to him with issues that needed resolving. He instructed them that they needed to work the issues out amongst themselves. But as it has been several months, and now that blood has been shed at this war between the guilds, he was tired of their in-fighting and thought it was time for their conflict to be over. So, he charged the Chiv and the Hus with the duty of quelling the guilds and to bring peace back to Calontir.

So basically it was Chiv and Hus versus the world. :) It was funny during His Majesties speech. When it was getting clear that we were going to face the entire field, people were ripping off their tabbards and sashes representing which guild they fought for and throwning them down at His Majesties feet. Some were saying "I already know how to make fire", or "I drink beer, I don't brew it", or "I was made to fight, not to sew." I believe it was Sir Halidar who said, "I do so love it when we get to be the bootheel of oppression." So in a cheer to "Long Live Calontir" we faced off with the world. We were obviously outnumbered, which made it fun. It was a broken field battle, we fought it three times, and we won two of the three times. And in the end, it was glorious and fun.

...more later...

M&M 12 Recap

Ugh, what a month.

Well, as far as the outside observer is concerned, M&M went off without a hitch, yet again for another year. I think we are beginning to get the hang of this.

Even behind the curtain, things went pretty well. We did have a couple of hiccups that were unexpected, but we took care of it. About two weeks before M&M, our Autocrat, Mistress Maerwynn became Her Highness Maerwynn. So, to prevent any problems with the Society and it's army of lawyers, she had to pass the torch onto Mistress Katriana as the event steward. But thanks to Maerwynn, and all the hard work, she did getting things arranged and ready prior to her becoming Princess. So Katriana had no problems once she stepped in as event steward.

The other hiccup was feast. Wilhelm was planning on making a Italian feast for 30, but with his mundane job keeping him on his toes and unsure where he'll be at any given moment, feast was up in the air. It was about a couple of weeks before when Wilhelm knew it would be unlikely he would be here for M&M so we had to cancel feast this year. We were able to cancel it in advance enough that I think most people could make other arrangements. I didn't hear any complaints.

The rest of the event went off perfectly. I can mostly speak of fighting since I was on the field for majority of the day. But I heard the A&S competitions were fun and entertaining, and the archery was unique and challenging.

As for the fighting, we have two new Baby Seals in the Shire. Both Kjarten and Heinrich were able to pass their authorizations at M&M. Kjarten went first and was the "Baby" Seal for about 15 minutes until Heinrich authorized. So officially, Heinrich is now the official "Baby" Seal of Crescent Moon. Congratulations to both of them! Vivat!

We also added a new Noble to the Shire. Isolda of Skye is now LADY Isolda of Skye when she received her AoA at court on Saturday. Congratulations to Lady Isolda.

We had a record number of people at M&M this year. I think the final total was 187 people, but I haven't seen the official paperwork yet. I think our last record attendance was in the 150's, last year if I remember correctly. We had a large amount of people coming in on Friday and camping than we have before. We had to open up space behind the battlefield and archery line for campers this year. First time we've ever had to do that. Each year, our numbers have been growing and growing. Soon, we might have to either find a new site, or rearrange the site to accommodate all the people. Maybe as soon as next year. That will have to be something we need to think about.

I can't help but feel a little bit proud and honored that M&M has been doing so well. When I started in the SCA, we were at M&M 5, and it was a small, casual event. And although it is still a small, casual event, it is getting bigger. Much bigger than what it was when I started. I think it has to do with the people here in the Shire that make sure to keep this thing we have special, and fun for everyone who comes. For the last four years, I have had someone come up to me and tell me that they have never come to a M&M before, but they have had a great time and will be back every year. That is what I love to hear.

M&M is special, and unique. It is growing, and people are taking notice. We just did year twelve, and we must be doing something right if we've done it for twelve straight years. Not many other groups can say they have had the same event for that long, and still is getting bigger and better.

Not sure what we're going to do next year. It is the dreaded thirteen. We have to do something with that. It would be fun to work in superstitions or bad luck into the theme. I think it could be better than this year.

Recap: 12th Night

I traveled to 12th Night this past weekend. I believe I've been to every one since I've been in the SCA, some 7+ years now. It is one of my favorite events. Lots of good fighting, food, people, and just a jolly good time.

In my old 360 blog, I wrote about Fighting to Win vs. Fighting to Not Loose. Sometimes it's a hard habit to break, especially when you've been doing it for so long. I found myself more concerned about my stats and how many fights I won than just having fun. I know I usually start slow but get better as I warm up, so it was not really a surprise that I was frustrated after my first five fights, and getting only one victory.

I decided to take a break and re-focus. While I was, I watched my squire-brother Shawn go out there and fight, and fight, and fight. I wish I had his stamina and speed. He was doing pretty well. Then I found Toen, and we sat and talked, and laughed for quite a while. It was good. I haven't seen him in a few months.

After sitting with Toen and watching the fighting, I decided to get back up there, and just have fun. Don't count my fights, don't worry about how I do, don't worry about who my opponent is, and just go out and fight, and try to win, not to not loose. And I honestly can not tell you how many fights I fought this time, but it was more than my first five, and I know I won more than one, but how many, I don't know, nor do I care.

This time, I just went out to fight, and I was more relaxed, and more confident in my fighting. Honestly, since I was awarded my axes at Lilies, I have felt I haven't deserved them yet. But I started to feel like I could wear them at 12th Night. Overall, I had the most fun during this time.

Afterwards I went to court, changed clothes, got a bite to eat with Toen and Shawn, and headed home. This was the longest I've driven to an event by myself before. I wasn't really worried about it, except for possibly being tired and falling asleep. If it wasn't for my lovely Isolda talking to me on the phone, I probably would of.

I got beat-up a bit more than usual at 12th Night. It's usually a very good tournament with some good fighters, but I had some fluke accidents. In my first fight of the day, I was fighting the byes in the Novice Tourney. The guy hit me in my sword arm in the small gap between my elbow cop and vambrace. Made my entire arm go numb for a bit. And on my last fight of the day, a two-stick authorization, he hit me on the underside of my wrist on my left arm, where I don't have any armor. I thought it was broke. But luckily, it isn't. Hurt like hell for a while though.

Overall, I have a good time. I didn't stay for feast, as I wanted to get home. I missed going up with Isolda, but maybe next year. I got to catch-up with Toen and Shawn, and talk with a few friends I haven't seen in awhile. All in all, it was a good event. Looking forward to next year.

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