Chapter 19: An Unexpected Return

With it's fantasy doors open to the public once more, the people were excited to know that Masque Ball 5 was a go for the weekend of May 1st, 2015. Masque was easily the Faire's favorite and most popular event.  

As fate would have it, Theowyn's Avatar was due to travel from the MidWest back to New York for the entire month of May and while the Faire wasn't exactly "on the way," she made it a point to travel there for one final adventure and a bittersweet goodbye.



























Spring could be spotted full bloom during the 10 hour travel. Normally not a fan of pink, the glow of the flowering Dogwood bushes bring back memories of my grandmother who past when Theowyn was just an adolescent pup. Her memory makes my heart smile and puts me in a pleasant mood. 

On this day, while pulling off of Interstate 79 onto Highway 800, one was greeted with a clouded skyscape. Even the threat of rain could not dampen the excitement of being back on the curved and hilly 20 mile stretch of road that remained from here to Faire. I flashed back to last summer when traversing this course was a normalcy and began to take-in the familiar countryside.

Turning down the gravel path that leads into the valley of fantasy, one is greeted by an old familiar sign. This sign is believed to have witnessed the entirety of the Britannia Faire Tale; having been present since Faire event conception.

Upon entering the lands, Bobcat still keeps guard as a gollum near the entrance. However, as it would seem, the mechanized cat: Bob,  had acquired a new friend: Rider. The noble stead of the Grass Cutting Calvary lay adjacent, ridden hard and put away wet, directional tire sheared right off the frame.

Unable to obtain the backstory as to what happened, my head cannon began to weave an epic tale in which the last battle for Britannia ground was fought against the grass army. (Revisit Chapter 7 for more battle stories of this kind.)

Upon arrival Friday, May 1st, the parking lot was already full of dragons (the fantasy games's nickname for vehicles.) Another wave of excitement panged my stomach as a rush of adrenaline crept into my system.

When my soles made contact with the ground, my soul began to smile wholeheartedly. Already I was feeling giddy and light; forgetting the cares of modern day life, happy to be surrounded by the majestic environment held between the valley walls.

As I made my way towards Troll and paid my 20 dollar entry fee for a weekend of camping, events, and feasting, I was hit with an amazing realization. For the first time ever while on Britannia Faire lands, I was not going to have any administrative or volunteering responsibilities.

 

 Let the adventures begin! 

Having packed light for a months stay in New York , my vehicle's space, mostly monopolized with my SCA Heavy Kit, as I had plans on attending Aethelmarc's War Practice while this far east, left little room for a tent and a cot. Therefore, this event I would take my rest in the trunk of my car.

Having upgraded from my black two door, 5 speed: Moonshadow, to a four door, 6 speed: White Feathers; with the backseats folded downward, there was more space to stretch out then my previous mobile den.  Sleeping in my vehicle is not a foreign concept; I have done so many times throughout my wanders and travels. During some points of my life, it would be safe to say that I lived in my car, again sacrificing comfort and permanent housing to make my dollar stretch farther. This space was a comfy upgrade when compared to the smaller haul of the two door.

A bit of rearranging was required to make the front seats a usable staging area for both clothes and amenities while my SCA Heavy weapons took their new place of residence for the weekend up in the back dash. Itching to be welded, I cooed to them, "two more weeks, then you can have your fun bashing, blocking, and stabbing people in the face."

Short side story: While at SCA War Practice, also conveniently held at Cooper's Lake, I decided that I was going to pick up a spear for the bridge battles while my personal weapons lay on the sidelines... It turned out to be a bad idea. A few fights later as the left side of the bridge began to collapse, as I went to block an advancing opponent's strike to my head with my pole. As fate would have it, my left thumb gripping the pole played first line of defense, as his blow struck my thumb nail, shattering the tip of the bone in a broomstick type fashion. The nail was hit with so much impact damage that it actually began to peel up from the backside forward. Even now, 4 months later, the thumb nail is still all bent out of shape, but at least the broomstick fracture healed and my thumb functions as normal again. When I came off the field, I swear my weapons gave me a smug look for the disregard I had shown them... well at least my shield did.

Now that I was all set up and had changed into Kit, it was time to explore the land and greet the people.

When heading towards the Tavern, one has two paths to choose: One can forge the stream or take the bridge. Choosing the latter it was a pleasant surprise to see the Troll bridge, replaced last season (this process described in Chapter 17: Reoccurring Damage),  had received a proper dressing of thick rope with cemented end posts covered in river rock. (+2 to aesthetics and environment)   

While crossing the bridge heading towards the Tavern, on the right lays the remnants of the last flood, as I flash back to a water level higher than the log jam, and Anvil clambered upon the debris (there is less of it now) like a monkey passing a combined climb/balance check. (Revisit Chapter 9 for details about the massive flood that struck. Mind you the one covered was the biggest of three witnessed during permanent residency. The flashback of Anvil was from one of the smaller floods.)

Pressing on, the Fight Pit looked wild and unkempt while Spring grew around its edges. A pile of Tiki torches lie next to the berm waiting to bathe the area in the golden glow of fire light when dust fell and fighters itched to play by the light of the moon.

Teutoburg's gate still stands strong opposite the Fight Pit as a landmark to those who choose to forge the stream crossing rather than cross the bridge.

Their wooden border lies barren looking without the foliage of summer weeds to grow up around the skeleton of a wall. Just give it some time and their walls will be back in full force come midsummer. 

The structures that compose the entrance to the Two Toe Bar and fire pit remain standing and in solid condition. I am told a great party was hosted here during the event Okfest held two October's ago. The land now lay unmaintained and growing over in Spring's setting. The soil here is moist compared to the rest of the Faire given its location downhill and its proximity to the stream bank. This makes for wonderful Spring Ephemeral sightings within Teutoburg's borders.

The once well manicured wall that bordered Bandit Camp  last season at this time (as covered in Chapter 14 Bandit Camp Revive) lay taken over by Spring's growing grass.

with naught to push back the growing forces of the grass army, the tail end of Bandit Camp was well on its way to capture.

However, while it is easier to camp in short cut well maintained grass, one has to admire the beauty
that comes from letting the forces of nature run rampant along the grounds.

In addition, as said before of last season's Masque event, the dates correspond with Beltane: its supposed to be a little wild.

Trekking towards the Tavern, making our way through Bandit Camp, one passes remnants of the community fire ring. This pit has been abandoned for the location that is more readily accessed across from the Tavern's water feature. Its close proximity to the privies and the Tavern's late night food menu makes this a prime choice compared to a location that required more of a walk between points of interest.

Through the yet to bloom Locust tree barrier, the crowd of tents stood guarded by what seems to be Britannia Faire's second mechanized gollum. The new addition must be keeping watch for any unwanted guests who approach from the North, at least that is what my head cannon worked out.

Crossing the threshold of trees, there she stood: The Broken Spoke Tavern in all of her glory; land scar recovering nicely off in the background.















The Faire field already set up for the evening's festivities: two fire pyres standing tall in the fields center with the yellow and blue Kingsman's shade tent set up stream side.

 

Checking out the Tavern's front lawn, multiple stories were told as to why the once luscious green and full transplanted lawn (revisit Chapter 15: Tavern Yard Reform for a reminder) looked like it had been sprayed by a toxic chemical, and why there was a huge ring of missing grass (unpictured) near the tavern. 

Leaving out the details and the blame, this was the result of poor garbage management. A pile of garbage was left on the lawn from last season. Exposure to the elements caused the pile to go putrid and a plumb of toxic waste made its way downhill, grass missing in the two paths of travel. And so, as it would seem, all of last seasons effort for a new lawn was only enjoyed for one event. Knowing nothing could be done, my camera lens moved on, refusing to acknowledge the barren patches up towards the water's runoff.

It seemed the Viking spent a bit of time outlining the dirt wall in flat river rock altering the ascetics to something that resembled the spine of a Stegosaurus. Last season, these rocks were arranged waterside forming a walking patio of sorts.

In addition to the Stegosaurus Spine, a new stone patio lay before the steps that lead to the upper terrace.

 Walking towards the drainage pipe that siphoned water from the stream, a new platform was created to keep ones boots from the mud. This was by far the greatest thing to happen to the Faire on the survival level. Having the ability to obtain running water without relaying on the generator was freeing. How simple it became to wash hands, face, or dishes, or obtain buckets of water for flushing, or boiling without having to transport them from the stream located many steps away.



Finally! the public was introduced to the method of hauling water to the flushies so when the generators were off, the public still had access to the restroom. This not only saved the hosts money on fuel costs, allowing the generator to be turned off for longer periods throughout the day but, it also gave the public a smidgen of an idea for the hardships that come from living remotely off the grid; something my soul longs to return to.

A happy Timmourne models the new fill station...  before Papa T-Mo appears in his place.

 

 A shout back out to the missing photos from Chapter 10: Center Stage Set Design. Seeing as we were just talking of the privy, I figured this would be a good place to insert the after shots from the bathroom remodel. Ladies on the left, Gentleman on the right. 

 Meandering up towards the Tavern Loft, a different perspective of the Faire's front lawn can be seen, gratefully bathed in the golden rays of a warm and sunny day rather than the constant drum of spring's rain.

 Captured from above, the foyer of the sitting area waits dressed for communal gathering and gaming. Were anyone thinking of spending time in that manner; here was a period space in which to do so.

The once set up rope strength course was taken down and replaced with an (unpictured in this shot) hammock set next to a high table surrounded by bar stools, while the rope from the course lay strung above the Tavern's center in this fashion. Again memories flooded back of a different season as my arms thirst to try the course again after so much time off.  Sadly, playing Strength Check would no longer be apart of the storyline this adventure.  

Looking out over the lawn, my lens travels up towards what once was Ranger Keep, its walls since removed from the trees and burned. Only the retaining wall and one post remain upright off in the background.

Clambering up to the roof for a higher perspective, the patch of grass, removed last season before closure to extend the garden and sod the front lawn, was starting to grow back in nicely on its own without help. Off to the left, where a vegetable garden once took residence (Chapter 6: Designing a Garden) lay a barren patch of dirt; all walls and posts removed from the hillside. With no permanent residence on the Faire ground to put in the effort to upkeep, there was no need to keep this simple to harvest wood material around. It was quickly scavenged.

In addition, Bounty's Keep castle walls, once placed behind the tool shed for creative storage, had vacated. 

 Panning towards the right one can see the oil company left terraces along the valley wall; something the owner pinned over. His hopes were to decorate the hillside with tents and lights, each unit having its own little home in the hills... I always wished him luck with his dream of getting people to climb the hill. His expectations high of guests who don't even have the will to carry their belongings by foot over flat ground, let alone up a hillside... but never stop dreaming, you might get one hardcore camper/character someday.   

Climbing down off the roof onto the landing, I notice something was missing... well three things were missing actually. The rungs from the railing had finally fallen from the place in which they were "secured." While this railing was never truly structurally sound, the natural unfinished wood provided a quaint but deceptive since of security when climbing the stair.
Given that the Landowner had moved back on the land for a few months, his personal belongings composed the interior of the cabin, so no photos were captured of the change.

Turning around, back down the stair, the path began to wander streamside to reacquaint myself with the Beached Whale. 

From afar, it seems the Whale had shed a bit of mass...

However, as one approached the scene it would seem that the log had rotted and collapsed under its own weight... 

Still beached on the beach, the Whale lay split in two.

Meanwhile back at the Tavern...

Having unpacked and set up camps, the populace began to gather around the centrally located Tavern.

With the stresses of everyday life washed away by the warmth of the sun, the scent of spring, and all the sounds of nature; the faces of ole friends were alight with ear to ear smiles as happy reunions and excitement filled the area. 

As the Friday faded into evening, the nightly festivities were to include a welcome back gathering at the stone circle scheduled for dusk and the lighting of the two fire pyres set up in the field over the healing land scar.  

Choosing to skip the ceremony at the circle,  I decided to spend my dusk climbing the hillside for a better view of the land.

While the earth from the oil company had been properly rolled to a manageable gradient all down the hillside, and the field relatively flat again, the grass recovery still show evidence of  previous destruction. 

Near the top of the hill, Theowyn found her evening perch. The erosion prevention mats, staked down to encourage better grass recovery, had blown from their intended place of rest into a comfy straw chair in which to watch the night fall and the full moon rise.  

Somewhere in the dusk, a mysterious person lit the bail fires, and the pyres began to burn ever bright against the dark of night.

For those who celebrated, it seemed to be a perfect evening to welcome Beltane.  

Adventuring with Adventures

During the seasons past, Theowyn entertained herself by capturing the signs of nature. A multitude of Fungi, cool Insects, fancy feathered birds, neat nests, the bored paths of bioturbation left in the side of fallen lumber; nothing that grew or lived on the land too small to be looked over. 

This event, she would go on to share some of nature's passion with a few characters adventurous enough to follow Wynn on a trail wander.

Traveling out from the Faire on foot, eyes were able to check out the road repair up close. The continual slump that formed a divet in the roadway, finally looked filled in to the point of stability. 

Even the cliffs edge looked to contain a few bucket loads of dirt; its weight and added earth decreasing the chances of further erosion. But, lets be real. This is far from ideal conditions. Many more loads of fill and a retaining wall later... Maybe.  

Regardless of the pinch point, the rest of the road looked perfectly smooth.

We adventurers choose to follow the creek bed, much in the same way Dragur and Theowyn had explored last season. 



























Having clambered over rough terrain, our party choose to stop at a favorite bend. 

The creek's curve house two massive chunks of Limestone underneath an Eastern Hemlock and provides an elevated lookout over this section of stream. As covered during Chapter 17 Reality Checkmate, this pocket contains a small sandy beach and is a frequent watering hole for the wildlife. 

As the stream flows, various forces of erosion eat away at the banks, cutting the soil back, exposing the roots of trees grown to close. With the help of a few more floods, these two trees have the potential to replace the Beached Whale. 

Our adventure continued downstream until a certain landmark was reached that prompted us to cross the creek. 

Having previously explored every track of land in this wonderful valley, Theowyn knew where there were some hidden treasures along the way. Wishing to share some history with the crew, our path led to what I can only assume to be an abandoned oil house and pump. 

While not necessarily a "treasure," the giant hunks of metal that remain made for some interesting looking.

What had this shack looked like during its prime? Who labored to install and connect the pipes that lie rusted and disconnected? Who benefited from this being here? After all the work put into this machine, who left it here to rust? 

While we may not know the answer, adventurous minds will wonder/wander. 

Meanwhile Back at the Tavern...

Weapons check had started as fighters prepared for the days battle events.

The Tavern was open and serving brunch, while the people bustled about doing whatever character do on a beautiful sunny day in the middle of a valley, far away for society and technology. 

For those who choose not to fight, aside from watch the event, there are other things to spend ones time on. This station here was mostly used for crafting or napping purposes as far as was seen throughout the day.  

With fighting commencing within the hour, it was time to shift into battle kit.

On my way back through the lands to where my weapons tent was set up, I wandered past a group of fighters, deep in discussion. All three of these gentlemen have a thirst and passion for fighting and training that sends them around the country in search for battle. They are each a wonderful challenge to spar.     

Having arrived to where the battle kit, recently upgraded to Paladin class with new torso armor,  lie ready to be worn with weapons itching to be swung; Theowyn encumbered herself with the entirety of the Kit and trekked it back to the battle field just in time for "Lay On" to be called.








All captures of battle, including the one above were taken by Aurora. The remainder of her Masque Beltania 5 album can be viewed on her facebook webpage: Aurora's Dagorhir Photography. 

"So the get dressed up in costumes and beat each other with foam for fun?" Well, not everyone fights, but for those that do, swinging foam is so much more than what it sound like. 

My take on sparring, melee fighting, and aggressive combat reenactment in general, is less about the associated Glory that comes from a solo or group victory; there is so much more going on than that. I strive for an improved balance between pure primal reaction and a better understanding of physics and its manipulation. For me, it begins with the ever-evolving skill of perceived sensual and spatial awareness, crosses the physical endurance barriers, plays with the art of motion, and ends with the energy dance between duelists.
Every blow I receive reminds me to remain humble as while I am reminded of and exposed to those with much more experience than I. This keeps me smiling and pushes me to strive for more in the future.

After the battles are over one can simply walk off the battle field into the stream and cool off located just feet away. While the water was still a bit chill to swim in, it makes for a great place to splash your overheating body with cool water. 

The stream has doubled as a place to shower more than once because lets face it, its a dirty lifestyle living primitively, and the generator is not always convenient to run. Even Meegin, Lady Nightshade's beloved canine companion, was sporting a layer of BF dirt by the middle of the event. Perhaps we should have convinced her to play fetch in the water with more conviction. 

Meanwhile back at the Tavern...

The day's fighting events were over and the afternoon non-combatant events were about to commence. First up was the Running of the Stag. Those who wished to compete in this race were subjected to accuracy, charisma, dexterity, intelligence, endurance, and strength check as they made their way though different obstacles positioned around the perimeter of the valley.  How fast can you throw a ball into a small target from "x" amount of feet away? How fast can you convince an archer not to fire an arrow in your direction and convince them to shoot at another target? How far and fast can you shotput that boulder from this line to that line? How fast can your brain solve a riddle? Can you keep your endurance while doing all these things and sprinting around a valley?

Lastly the race ends by smashing your way through a blockcade of shields composing a shield wall to touch the May Pole and claim the title of Stag. This year Yogi of Wargar would take the title of Stag. Yogi's method of getting past the shield wall seemed to work much better than the year Theowyn ran two seasons ago. 

Flashback, three Masques ago: Being the first individual to complete to challenges and sprint to the waiting and stacked shield line, the shield wall hit her, rather than the other way around as Yogi had choose, and sent her horizontal from her feet; the look of, "damn it" captured on her face. Recovering quickly, she turned and army crawled her way through the legs of the wall as the men became distracted by the followers up.  As the tale would weave, that season Theowyn would go on to win both the title of Stag as well as the title of MayFaire Queen (a day event yet to be described.)

Speeding back up to this year Yogi is captured by Aurora recovering from the race as he claims the title of Stag. 

The last four images listed above were again captured by Lady Aurora. Must give credit where credit is due, as if her water mark didn't give it away. 

Phelps, choosing to walk the event due to recent knee surgery recovery, choose to beat the strength check with love as he broke apart the wall showering his brothers in arms with hugs and smiles. 

Jalyn, her parents family by fight, came rushing in with a prize for his show of heart. Placing the arrow aside, he responded with, "You are the best prize ever", as he lifted her up in the air and gave out another hug.
 

The next event to showcase would be the Miss MayFaire Pageant. The crowd gathers around the shade pavilion, now doubling as backstage for the Pageant contestants as they answer questions, showcase talents, and model garb. 

A quick capture of Schiney and Rap. Two individuals who additionally have history and backstory woven into the Faire tale. I have yet to find out their full story and am still waiting on them to write me their background tales, then maybe I will come back to this project with a "The Forgotten Tales" chapter.


A capture of Aurora doing what she does best: Capturing the people and the culture they bring individually. I have always loved her photos because they cover something my eye has little desire to focus on: People. Being a child of the wild, the land and surrounding nature averts my attention elsewhere. This is the only chapter in which people are the focal point. Which I think is fitting, because as this tale writes to a close, I wanted to showcase the motivation of those who chose to labor on Britannia Faire's land donated their time, energy, and funds towards. We did it for you.

The above photo captures the participants of this years Mayfaire Pageant. From what was said, all women did a fantastic job and were marvelously entertaining in their display of talents.

After the event winner was chosen, it was time to frolic around the Maypole.  Each person grabs a ribbon. Every other person goes clockwise and the other counters, ducking under and reaching over each other's ribbon, in motions that constitutes a dance. Again Aurora chose to sit this year our and capture the motion and smiles that ensued. 

After the dance wrapped up (there is a pun in there) guest were left to their own devices for the remainder of the evening until the nightly feast would bring everyone back together.

 With feast around the corner, characters cleaned up from the days event and put on their dress garb.

Pikko starts the evening fire from old coals as Schiney models the Dragon and the Unicorn drinking vessel she commissioned from Celtically Primal Hands over two years ago. She was the first customer. (Other commissioned challenges can be found here along with more images from her project: http://celticallyprimalhands.weebly.com/commissioned-challenges.html)

Fayne is featured sporting his well coordinated black and gold kit with matching squire journal to record the stories that come about during his travels down the path of a Dagorhir Knight in training. 

 Just before the feast, the Faire was subjected to the intrusion of modern day as the neighboring villagers came to visit. The neighbors, recently millionaires thanks to the pipeline deal, graced us with their loud and flashy steeds.

Much to the Faire's relief, their stay was brief. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The Faire's Saturday night Feast would follow, filling the tummies of all who gathered around the Tavern; meal complete with vegetarian options. Not a foul word was said about the fowl and other dishes served during this gathering.

The evening's festivities closed with the favorited Masque Ball dance in which all of BF's guests came in sporting their own unique mask. This year, formal period dance and song would be instructed by Lockheart and Aurora who took up the task in Master Appledore's (the Faire's previous guest instructor) absence.

Once the formal dancing ended, guest were invited to converse and dance around the communal fire long into the morning hours while some even chased the moon back toward the dawn. 

The Bittersweet

Having yet to master the power of Timestop, there was no avoiding the following day's dawn. All around the Faire showed signs of breakdown as guests packed up camp and prepared to leave.

Meanwhile back at the Tavern... 

For those with no pressing schedules, Sunday dawned a lazy and slow beautiful sunny morning. The Tavern was brusseling with lollygaggers looking for any extra minute one could stay immersed in the world of Fantasy. However, being break-down-day, the mundane had already began to creep onto the Faire's setting.  Again Rap would go on to serenade the Faire with additional cello music accompanied by the classy Steve Miller Band.  

Given that I myself longed to stay at the Faire as long as possible, I decided to take my leave after completing yet another commission for Schiney.

This time she requested a wedding gift. 

This was to be a large jug decorated with the unit symbol, names, and date of union for two fellow unit mates: Jade and Kaos of Asgard.





Upon seeing the recipient couple at Ragnarok (Dagorhir's week long camping event) I am very pleased to report that they loved it.

Upon finishing my task it was sadly time to take my leave. To those who remained, I said my goodbyes and gave out my hugs; wishing circumstances were different. 

Life's path had wandered elsewhere and I was finally ready to accept that.

As much as I love the people and the characters that shaped this game, my heart truly goes out to the land.

I will never forget the adventures we shared.