Pennsic 34
August 6-21 2005All photos on this page are Copyright
2005 by either Gwyn or Stever Krause, used with permission. If you want
to use any pics, you'll have to take it up with them (zling at
ringworld dot org and I'll send you their contact info).
Dietrich set up our tent for us before we got there, which was the height of luxury. We'd never gotten to test it in rain, nor had we hosed it down to check, so it was quite nice to wake up and realize that it was pouring and everything was nice and dry. It was less nice to realize that the tent AElf and Rowan were in had a non-waterproof roof. In the middle of that downpour, that tent aquired a black plastic roof.
This is our encampment the first week (Signy, Gwyn, Jens and I had not
yet arrived). Our red and white striped Viking tent sure looks a lot
better than the ornage 2-man done tent we've been using for the past
4ish years.
Dietrich set up our tent for us before we got there, which was the height of luxury. We'd never gotten to test it in rain, nor had we hosed it down to check, so it was quite nice to wake up and realize that it was pouring and everything was nice and dry. It was less nice to realize that the tent AElf and Rowan were in had a non-waterproof roof. In the middle of that downpour, that tent aquired a black plastic roof.
Virithos the morning before the Castle Battle. Half-armored, wearing woad, a glass of water in one hand, and the flaxk of rum in the other.
Thursday before the Castle Battle, Signy mixed up some woad with a bit of rum and painted my face. There was plenty left, so I advertized that fact around camp, and got enough people over to use up most of that batch. Woad is apparently really easy to make if you buy it already in poweder form.
Sir Ix gets his woad, the only member of Midlands Chivalry who showed that much support of the rest of the grunts in the army. (OK, only Vargas was obnoxious about saying 'no.')
The Mighty Midlands Army, ready to wreak havoc during the castle battle. About half of us are painted with woad.
Jens and Virithos with the Boar Horn (thanks to Thomas de Cordova) before the Castle Battle
Duncan the Monster started making horns from heater hose. Rob caught on and made one for me when I admired Alzbeta's. I decided it had to at least have an animal body, even though I couldn't manage a good carynx shape this year. When looking for a black marker, Thomas decided that he could make a better boar than I had managed, and took over. I think it's really cool. And I OK-ed the male bits before he put them on, contrary to popular belief. It's more right for Gaulish art.
Jens on his 2nd birthday. With girls. The pool is filled with pure Pennsic water.
Virithos and Signy watching the field battle
Battle memories: .
- Rocky fighting the Greybeards' Tournament. Some really good old fighters. Some not so good. Very cool to watch
- Standing watching the Bridge Battles
was boring, but it gave me a chance to see the larger picture for the
first time. Wow. And I got to pretend that I could push around people
much larger than me.
- Marching out of camp with the army and being waved off by the kids and other non-combatants (Jens crying)
- Dying, or being crushed not dead in the
press through the main gate of the castle.
- "Wow you have a lot of energy, that's
the third time I've seen you walk out dead!" From an Easter fighter
inside the castle. "Yeah, well, I didn't get to swing a stick the first
two days."
- Fighting in the woods, hearing commands
and responding as a unit. Then going way to the other side of the woods
and pushing to get the banner. I never saw it. But I put myself in the
gap that formed when a bug chunk of people turned into the tree line,
and the other big chunk went straight ahead. A couple spears came with
me, and we suckered a few Easterners into dying stupidly when I made a
big red target out of myself.
- Getting a sweaty armored hug from Mac,
who was my first fighting teacher.
- The frustration of so overwhelming the other side during the Mountain Pass battle that we could have pushed them back to their res line, but that's no fun, so we had to stand and die.
- Actually surviving the first and second
hold of the Field Battle, and having a nice long chat with the enemy.
And then arming back up and killing and being killed by guys whos'
names I now knew.
- Getting knocked off my feet by a face thrust in the castle.
- Massed ballista fire coming over our
heads as we defended the castle. That sent shivers down my spine,
and I'm really glad I wasn't on the recieving end.
King Alaric looking very kingly after the field battle
Rowan shows off the henna Signy has done.
Signy got some tubes of pre-mixed henna, and decorated people. Rowan's looked very good with her dark skin.