by Cera ingen Taidc, OC, OLC
If you missed Great Western War, too bad. I can’t give you the
highlights as I only day tripped on Saturday. But it was a good day to
go to war.
As with any war, there was too much to do and too little time in which
to do it all. I didn’t have a chance to see a lot of the fighting. I
caught a glimpse of the heavies field during the bridge battle. As
usual, there wasn’t much to see from the sidelines, but you could hear
the impact of swords on armor and the shouts from war units. I could
envision the crush of the two lines coming together in the center,
enthusiastically pounding through the enemy lines to control the bridge.
As for the rest, well, I was distracted by the shopping. I only needed a
quiver and some new shoes, but who can resist looking through the shops
two or three times, or even five or six? And when you are shopping you
are going to bump into friends. Kelan was chatting with a crossbow
vendor. He was supposed to be looking for prizes for a Rapier
tournament, but you can’t get through merchants row without stopping to
catch up with friends. Domnaill was, well I’m not sure what Domnaill was
doing, he was chatting with a friend outside of the stall of a ceramic
merchant. I’m assuming he was watching the dog while his wife was
shopping for a mug, but Beathog had already moved down five stalls. For
that matter, Beathog was chatting too. I see a correlation here.
I bumped into some other friends in the artisan’s corner. Denewulf and
Belaset have been encouraging the bardic arts at wars since I first met
them. For years they’ve been running the Open Arms Bardic Hall and it is
really starting to take off. Their hall featured a shaded stage and
seating for a small audience. Every time slot for Saturday had been
filled by bards who were eager to perform. The hall was open walled,
everyone was welcome to drop by and listen. I caught three performances
that day. My favorite was the sing-along bardic orchestrated by Clair cu
Buidhe. I had forgotten how much fun it was to jam with friends.
The main reason I had gone to war that day was to attend the handfasting
of a good friend of mine. For those who know me, you know that I’ve
essentially crawled under a rock for the past couple of years. Blame
Rufus for making me come back out. Rufus and Reyna shared their vows in
a ceremony that was both beautiful and touching. The couple practically
glowed with the love they felt for one another.
I was lucky to be there for another special gathering. That afternoon
Caidans gathered to bid farewell to our friend, Kolfinna kottr. The
memorial was a tearful, sad, funny, and inspiring tribute to a wonderful
person. I think the most important thing that I took away from that
afternoon was that “Kolfinna isn’t dead, she’s just not here.” Those
words came from her mom and they give me the most comfort. But there was
another memorable quote, “Kolfinna will always be with us and she wants
us to party.”
The events of that single day seem to symbolize the best parts of being
a member of the SCA: fighting, shopping, friends and memories. I regret
having been away as long as I have and regret the experiences I have
missed. But I’m comforted that the SCA is always there, and even if I’m
not, I carry it and my friends in my heart.
(note: eventually pictures will be posted in the gallery. I’m having some technical difficulties, namely I have more enthusiasm for the job than technical expertise, please have patience.)
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