Black Axe: Everybody’s Roman in the Summer
Dalwhinnie Fields
Marion, AL
Hosted by the Barony of Iron Mountain
May 5-7, 2023
The event took place on the warmest day this year (for me, at an event) at Dalwhinnie Fields in Marion, AL on the fifth through seventh of May, Anno Societatis LVIII, hosted by the Barony of Iron Mountain in lands under their protection. My trip to the locale was uneventful and I made good time southward from the Plateau.
I set camp and settled in for the evening. The temperatures were cool but the humidity was up making it uncomfortable to be under tent canvas or anywhere without good air flow. There was some initial threat of rain, but the evening turned pleasant and dry.
After parking my chariot in the designated place, I came upon His Majesty unloading the kingdom pavilion and threw in my assistance. As he was not in his regal element, I saw no offense in allowing him to assist with the effort. If any regalia had adorned his person through, I would have had to put a stop to the nonsense and reported him to the chancellery. Additional help joined in as we went through the paces making the work lessen as the extra hands aided the cause. Pleasant conversation and good humor was shared and before too long we had the top raised, banners hung and furnishings placed for the day to come. Thereafter, I returned to my tent, dressed my part for the event and wandered a bit.
I eventually found the hall where I sat and ate some traveler's fare, reading Ramon Lull's Book of the Order of Chivalry. I read for about an hour before I rose and found my way to a small gathering at the campfire of Earl Lochlainn and Countess Paraskova. I joined the group, listening to stories and catching up with friends in attendance before I began to feel weary and retired to my tent to sleep.
The following morning I awoke, before the local rooster and greeted the day. One of the unique things about Dalwhinnie is the cacophony of nature that greets each day. Nature's creatures are boisterous and loudly announce the rise of the Sun with gusto. I found no need for alarm or any mechanism to remind be that dawn was imminent. The residents of the wilderness surrounding Dalwhinnie announce the day like a marching band in a parade.
I broke fast then donned kit way earlier than I needed to. I found myself alone on the field waiting for others to arrive. But, that was OK I think. Maybe my preparedness spurred some others to get going. Before too long, the field was surrounded by citizens from all over the realm. The day was pleasant, but the sun was a little harsh. Thankfully, shade was in abundance as long as you were willing to follow its trip over the grounds. I think there were ~30 armored fighters in attendance as well as many rapier fighters and several people on the live weapons range. Of the armored, the skill levels varied from new to very good. It was a very good mix of people.
I had a few warmups before the tournaments. This is a new part of my preparation regimen for tournaments. I feel like I do better if I warm up some first. Around 5 passes seems to be enough. It doesn’t need to be at full speed either. Just need to get moving through motions and blocks. I did more than 5 passes, not sure how many. But, enough to feel good about being ready for the list but not stressed or tired.
I fought two tournaments.
The first was the Black Axe tournament. It was a standard double elimination. I did quite well. My two losses were to Sir Haldr and Duke Timothy. I think I won 4 and lost 2 out of 27 or so fighters. Not sure of the exact count in the list. Duke Timothy won the tournament.
The second tournament was the 9 Lives Tournament, a William Marshal tournament, benefiting a cat shelter. I paid for several tokens and fought many fights. While I am deathly allergic to cats, I find the idea of paying others to keep and maintain them to be a nice compromise for the cute critters. The run time was an hour, possibly longer. I recall taking one break. I think I fought most of those on the field that were there in armor minus a few. Earl Lochlainn won this tournament. I don't remember any significance on my part other than I was able to use a flutter-kick defense on Sir Aidan. Had us both laughing.
I had a lot of fun all day. I fought more people than I can remember the names of. Duke Timothy stated every time he looked I was either knocking someone down or was getting knocked down myself. Not sure how accurate that is, but it did happen some.
I was trying recall some of my fights and what happened in them, but I don't track the action in my mind in a way that I can recall the play-by-play. I can recall snapshots of a helmet or a chest with the arm raised or a leg. I see these openings in my mind now and remember throwing a shot at the opportunity. It's weird, but is how it works for me. I hear the lay on. I feel the joy of a slight adrenal rush. The action happens. I stop when there is a 'hold' or 'good' is called. I stop when I feel a quality or questionable hit on my person that requires acknowledgment.
I packed out my kit back to my tent and commenced recovery. I did manage to keep fluids going all day but I was still behind the curve a bit after the lists were completed. Sitting there, I ate some food and continued to hydrate. It did not get extremely warm, but with the humidity being on the higher end, the combination sapped the energy of the fighters in attendance so that none of us had the urge for pick-up fights at the end of the day.
I sat court. Many worthy Meridians were recognized. The ceremony was relatively short. Once done, the populace jumped in to tear down the pavilion and furnishings as it would not be needed for anything else that afternoon.
Feast began shortly thereafter. It was a Roman style meal. Some of it was good to me and some not so much. My western tolerances did not find some seasonings to my liking. But, there was plenty of what I did like. I had good company talking with Baroness Katheryn and others at our table. During feast, His Majesty gifted the coin of his reign to me and several others for services rendered during the event. He is a generous King.
With all of the fighting I have been doing of late, I have had a bit of 'guilt' for my lack of service to my hobby and my kingdom. Don't get me wrong, it's just a minor perception issue in my head, nothing more. I serve my shire as Knight Marshal. I serve my kingdom as a deputy of the seneschalate, a web serf and as a Praetorian of the Legio Ursi. It’s the small services that I feel I have been missing from my service diet (for lack of a better explanation). So, I was happy that I was able to find some small things to help with and contribute at Black Axe. Small services take little time from your routine. It only takes an ability recognize the opportunity and act on it. In the act, we help the circus that is our SCA hobby succeed. The SCA was built on 'pay if forward' way before the concept was put into a movie and became trendy. That idea is one of the best things this hobby has going for it and probably why I like it so much.
Sated by the plentiful food and drink, I removed myself from the feast table and joined others in the kitchen to help with cleanup. I was reminded of older times with squires standing to at sinks and on guard with brooms and mops. We would invade the feastcrat's domain, taking over their realm with joyful exuberance, sharing stories of the day and telling tales at each other's expense as we put order to the chaos of a feast's aftermath. I see the faces and hear the voices of people that I share my SCA with, now and in the past, and smiled. It was enjoyable to partake in that experience with fellow SCAdians in the kitchen at Dalwhinnie. Good times were had and we left the kitchen in good order.
I grabbed a chair and found a place by the fire of Xenos and Etain, listening to conversations as stars shown in the sky and a meteor burned its way across the atmosphere under a full moon. To the sound of a drum and voices of comradery, I felt my tiredness overcome me after a while and I bid the fellowship good night.
The roar of the Dalwhinnie denizens awoke me the following morning. Bright and early with a cool morning dawning, I tore down my camp and hit the road north to my home on the Plateau of Cumbria and the Shire of Easaraigh.
Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
