We just got back from our "vacation", which started with October Crown/West Kingdom the weekend of October 2-4, and concluded yesterday at Great Western War/Caid on October 11th. What a great life!Crown was fun. I'm getting out to the Eric parties more now, and Miach is working up his renown. He entered his short Mead, and it won the Kingdom award. His Strawberry Cordial drew Royalty into our encampment, and we decided to go ahead and make corned beef and cabbage stew for the Eric buffet tables, and people LIKED it because it was chilly that night.
I sat with Juliana and Gunther in Sigurgata's sunshade, and got observe Uther and Jade very closely as well as the pretty remarkable Sigurgata gear. They all do red/black, and the sunwheel S, but they each do it individually in their own patterns. Uther and Miles have painted helms. Uther has a shield that has a Knight, Lady and Death on it -- the Knight looks like he's wearing the same armour as Uther.
Gunther fought a 15 minute epic battle with a pikeman, which unfortunately wore out his shield arm and he was unable to prevail against the next Knight (although he did beat the pikeman). Uther also fought a long fight with Gunther, and Juliana and Kara stood arm in arm closely together watching them, which was really very touching to see. Uther prevailed. He had told Miach that he has been training for this Crown for six months, and at this point in his chivalric career if Uther is actually trying to win something he is going to win it.
Miach made it to the third round, and he did well. He chose Mari Alexander for his first fight, and he has a hard time fighting women. He holds back, and he overthinks things. She prevailed.
Shortly after Crown, and probably actually at Crown but unbeknownst to us, Mari was offered knighthood.
We were running late, as usual, at packing up camp and had to be assisted by the autocrat and staff. This is typical. Miach has begun thinking about ways he can reduce the amount of things he feels he must take camping, which is very close to facing the reality that he brings too much stuff and takes too long to tear down camp. I feel for him, because he really feels compelled to do it all: fight, cook, compete in cooking/brewing, be a member of Court, AND set up/tear down camp. He doesn't want me to do it, because he feels I will not organize it well. It's really a control issue, but it's something he's going to have to work out on his own.
Monty nosed open the tent flaps and joined us on the Eric listening to Fergus tell a story on Saturday night. He never nips at people when he gets loose, only when he's on the leash or in his pen.
Volker rode down with us, and we made arrangements to caravan with E'taine to GWW.
Home we went for Sunday late evening and Monday, which we spent shopping for GWW. We left the trailer parked on the side street hitched to the truck, and cleaned our garb basically. E'taine and I told Miach that we were leaving at 5 am hoping that he'd be on the road by 7 am, which worked perfectly. We began our caravan to Caid on Tuesday morning and arrived in the dry harsh lands at 2 pm. E'taine and Berta camped in the West Kingdom encampment, and Miach and I found the An Tellach Mor encampment on the far edge of the world at the end of Great Western Road. We were directly across from the lake, and a beautiful view, but a terribly lengthy walk to the main merchant/teaching area and Point, and battlefield. It was even further from the Royal encampment. Miach walked that route several times daily, assisting the Queen and going to battle. I walked it three times, and each time I was totally exhausted with aching feet afterwards. On Tuesday, we just chilled in camp. On Wednesday, Miach went to battle and we got crossbow lessons afterwards from Lord Edgar the Archer who was staying in his RV in the lot near to us. This totally convinced us to go to Merchant's Row and buy a crossbow, and we identified HQ and Point and introduced ourselves to Blase, the Kingdom of Caid Chirurgeon. On Thursday I went back to Point and worked with Blase on and off the battlefield for 4 hours, and promised to come back on Saturday due to expectations of increased drunkeness due to the grief over the death of Duchess Kolfinna from H1N1 and the memorial service for her. We had a fire on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and on Wednesday night Achmed from the West came by on his constabulary rounds and had some dinner and chatted with us. On Thursday, Miach set up the Royal Pavilion and in the evening he escorted Queen eilis, and the dogs and I made a fire and sat enjoying it until bedtime. We met our neighbors across the road, Albrick and Leanna, who were lovely people and nicely garbed late period. We shared our brewed meads with one another. Leanna made a great one with Red Zinger as an ingredient. The seafarers were camped just beyond them, the Black Rose, and they had drumming and dancing nightly with much cheering and joy. I love drumming, and find it very conducive to sleep.
On Friday, I showered in mid-camp and then went to the Artisan's Enclave. I got instruction on inkle weaving, and took a class in the history of dye making. I wanted to learn to make my own gillies, but didn't have the cash on hand to pay for it. I took a course in telling a "No ____, there I was" story and met Seanachie, who was Queen of Caid 15 years ago and another lovely charming person. There was a small theatre set up with hay bales and sunshade, called the Open Arms Bardic Hall, just off Artisan's Enclave. I purchased a Kumikiro cording set, natural period powdered colored paints for illumination, oak gall ink balls for calligraphy, some leather cording, and two pairs of trewes and a tunic because I left my "Volker" tunic and pants in the dirty laundry mistakenly on Monday. I then wandered over to the battleground, where my lovely idyllic Medieval mellow was about to be harshed severely.
This is where Rex comes in. He is a prospective household member that we had not met, and he showed up in mundanes on the battlefield looking for Miach. He was hot, tired and frustrated and had left a humongous smoker in the vicinity of our camp. Miach directed me to accompany him back to camp and he went back to battle. In camp, Morgan and Siobhann had arrived and were setting up, but Rex was in fine fettle at this point and demanding that we locate the land agent and explain that his smoker HAD to be placed right where it was (in someone else's reserved space). He wasn't hearing our explanations of how well that would go over. We finally moved our kitchen tent across the campsite from the sunshade, and he managed to fit the smoker into that area and then get his tent up. By that time, Morgan was pissed and I was aggravated. Somewhere in there, another household member that I hadn't met, Sean, arrived with his wife Rosa and daughters and father (who was wheelchair bound). They set up two tents, and there was also a small travel trailer in the RV parking just beside us. Then Tegan showed up, with her "friend" Mary Beth and daughter Phoenix. Then Findon/Floyd showed up with Seamus. Miach arrived back in camp at some point, and began cooking his curried beef with Roti. Just when things began to settle down, and after three nights of way too much solitude in our camp when we would have been thrilled with visitors, West Kingdom chose Friday night to arrive in force. Prince Alfar of the Mists, Princess Annora of Cynagua, Lady E'taine and Lady Berta, N'ara from Silver Desert, court members and squires Bucket and Miles and guard Sauron from Oertha all paraded in. Introductions were made, drinks were passed, food was given out to those that were hungry, much hugging exchanged. We had expected this, but when we realized how far away our camp was from the West and we spent three nights in comparative solitude, I figured that it wouldn't happen so of course I told Morgan and Siobhann not to expect a visit after all. Morgan and Siobhann were actually being inducted as Chieftains in the Barbarian Freehold Alliance, and Siobhann came back to this madhouse in total amazement. Morgan stayed and drank with the Barbarians, and by the time he got back everyone had moved on and I'm not sure he fully comprehended the number of people that had swarmed the camp. I wish it had happened on Wednesday or Thursday when we were bored to death, but even in the midst of the smoker and arrivals/set ups, it was great to be loved by the West! In the evening after the camp calmed down and while I was fire-sitting and waiting for it to burn out, Tegan sat and told me about how she had brought nearly all the new people into the household in the time since Ferghus and Valeda left: Sean and his family, Rex and now Mary Beth. She also told me that she used to date Rex and didn't seem to like him all that much, she was angry at Sean due to a situation with her ex, Carl, and didn't seem to like him much either.
On Saturday, Michaell and Miriam arrived and we all went shopping. I found Calontir Trim and bought the Bayeaux tapestry trim that Volker has on his tunic, only in a different color. I also got a Birch Beer in a pretty blue bottle, and Pheonix was following us and I bought her an apple cider. We all ended up at the battlefield, where Michaell took video of the battles. They had a ballista going this time, which was really a blast. Miach was fighting like a fiend.
We all went back to camp in the heat of the day, and kind of lazed around. Before dinner, we had the induction ceremony for Miriam and Micheall, and it was very nice. We then ate and I chopped veggies for lamb stew which Miach started as soon as the ceremony was finished. Lord James of Caid and Lady Esmeralda showed up and sang and played guitar. Miriam and Micheall were day-tripping and they made their reluctant good-byes. We were expecting the Western Rolling Keg Party to arrive at any minute, but the evening wore on and eventually Tegan and I went off to Constable and Chirurgeon respectively -- I asked Tegan to call for a golf cart because after a full day of shopping and battlefield watching, my feet and ankles were thrashed. I had a quiet shift until midnight, then got a ride back to camp and only Tegan's friend Mary Beth was still up, with a new gentleman friend. Mary Beth had obviously been drinking, but was polite and quiet and introduced me to her friend, Donal. Donal asked if I knew who he was, which I did not and the question amused me, but he was quiet serious about it. I informed him I was from the West and had no clue who he had been squired to or who he was, and that seemed to mollify him. (Turns out, he's a Caidin Knight. They are a bit tightly wrapped in Caid.)
Monty again nosed open the tent flap and lurked over to the fire, and at that point I said my good nights and walked the doggies, then retired for the evening. Miach came in briefly at 1:30 to wake me up and brag about his new medal for second place overall/first place wine category with his Cabernet that he entered into the Taste of GWW brewing contest, and told me he was going to escort the Queen home from wherever she was and then ask the rolling party not to come our way as most of us were in bed. And that's the last I heard of anything until I woke up on Sunday to the sound of the walkie talkie going off, and I couldn't figure out why it was in our tent. Miach was sleeping soundly, and he had not awakened me when he came in.
I got up, and the dogs were totally not interested in coming with me, so I left them in the tent and went out to comb my hair, brush my teeth and have some hot tea. Mary Beth came out of her tent and seemed a bit ditzy, but my limited impression of her was that she was normally a bit ditzy. I was somewhat surprised that she got up so early, given the fact she was up drinking so late. She braided my hair, borrowed some shampoo and went off to the showers.
Then things began getting strange.
Tegan came out demanding to know when Miach had gotten to bed, which I found puzzling and thought at the time was none of her concern. She informed me she knew for a fact he didn't get to bed until close to 4 am. I was somewhat surprised by this, and again I was thinking it was kind of rude of her to be concerned with Miach's comings and goings. About then, Miach got up, which he hardly ever does unless he hears a Herald and knows what's going on -- and the Heralds hadn't come close to giving morning shout yet. It was probably about 7 am. And Miach then takes me aside and informs me that All Hell Broke Loose in our camp while I was asleep, that Mary Beth got absolutely smashed, she cried all over him, she was taken to Point and became belligerent and was screaming at Tegan and that she obviously didn't remember any of it. Miach felt compelled to sit up until 4 am to ensure that she did not come out of the tent and hurt herself or fall in the lake, a chore that he later confessed to me he was livid with Tegan about since it was her friend and her responsibility, but she refused to deal with it. Sometime before Mary Beth returned from her shower and Morgan and Siobhann arose, Sir Donal came by to be sure that she was ok. He seemed worried and embarassed. I told him Mary Beth seemed to be doing better than any of the rest of us, and that she was currently having a shower. The rest of the day is a blur of angry Tegan and passive-aggresive Mary Beth carping at one another, some light conversation with Rex and Eva (came with Rex), a visit with Achmed and Floyd/Findon discussing Fringies and the Silk Road campaign that Achmed has and Floyd's experience with hierarchical organizations, and more discussions with Seamus about MMORPG's. Seamus's main conversational bent is MMORPG's and disaster scenarios, and the traffic laws of France.
Morgan and Siobhann packed up and left after Morgan picked up an inkle loom they'd bought, then Sean and Rosa, then Rex and Eva (who left their wood with us) and FINALLY Tegan, Mary Beth and Phoenix. Phoenix fought Miach with wooden swords and was really very sweet and obviously thought Miach was great, which I'd been picking up on from Saturday. We said our good-byes to our neighbors and to Lord Edgar, and discovered that one of the logs that Rex left was actually burning, so we put it out. We couldn't fit the wood into the trailer, so I hauled it over to the Black Rose and they were very pleased to take it and offered an exchange of vodka, which I declined.
The ground was like rock, and Miach struggled to remove the stakes from the Roundhouse and the Sunshade. We borrowed a maul, Fido, from Black Rose and finally got them out. By the time we were fully loaded, gray water dumped, camp cleaned and pulling out it was 8:30pm.
We spent the journey home discussing the aggravations of Saturday/Sunday and Miach's chivalric path, ways to proceed with household and Kingdom paths, etc. We arrived back at 2:30am and the truck/trailer is still parked in front of the house currently.
It has been an epic week.
