Event Review - Estrella War 2006 - by Zubeydah

This page contains an event review by Zubeydah. This represents solely her opinion and views/thoughts at the time of writing, and do NOT reflect upon her Barony, her Region, her mentors and friends, or anyone else.

[Disclaimer: As with all my event reports, I attempt to put things in as correct a sequential order of events as possible. But honestly, I have a memory like a sieve, and details often get jumbled. As well, this is also just one person’s point of view on people, places and events. It doesn’t represent my Kingdom, my region, or anyone other than me. Your mileage may vary.]

Estrella War.

Just the name brings a smile to my face. Estrella is the event that I get to see my mundane family and some extended members of my Society family. It’s the event that brought me back into the SCA. It’s where I was given my new name by His Excellency, Sir Haroun. It is amazing shopping, the chance to serve and waterbear in a war environment. It is the blazing sun and the icy stars above. It is so many things – and definitely something I eagerly look forward to each year.

This year, my ability to go to Estrella was in serious jeopardy. I’d purchased my airfare back in 2005 and sent in my pre-registration. I’d made plans for my rental car and hotel. I was already mentally planning sewing projects. Then, in mid-January, my boss announced her two-week notice. You see, I am a payroll admin. My boss was the person that covers for me on payroll when I’m out. The week following Estrella was a payroll transmit week. With her announcement of leaving the company, the decision was made on an executive level to move my department; my own job was going to be going away, too. So there was a lot up in the air.

Finally, it was worked out that I could still have the vacation (though shortened by a day), and we could, in fact, afford one last fling before I changed jobs.

The week prior to the event was the usual flurry of activity; sewing repairs on existing garb, chocolate making, crafting a few items of largess, packing, and confirming all my reservations. There was also a possibility I might be sharing a hotel room with a friend: Lucretzia from Skargaard, who I knew from my days in Tribe Roman Morga in California.

There was also a lot of email corresponding back and forth with Mordrake, at a speed to rival most chat programs. He was of enormous help with my trip planning, and I was helping him out by procuring some amber for a couple different purposes, some of which were vaguely nefarious involving “Mardi Gras Amber.” :-P Let it never be said I’m not perfectly happy helping the men of my household get themselves into all kinds of trouble.

Thursday was a chocolate covered day (nine pounds, to be exact). The creation of liquor flavored truffles, dipped berries, and a batch of mini bread loaves were interspersed between cleaning house, packing, mending garb, and doing chores. By midnight-thirty, I’d accomplished almost everything on my list, except finishing the NEW garb I’d started two weeks prior. Alas, nothing new to wear to the ball.

Friday morning I got up at 6am to finish several important chores, like dropping off the dry cleaning and starting kitchen clean-up. I wanted to get these things out of the way, so I could focus on having a special morning with my hubby. I cooked him breakfast in bed, and we got the chance to enjoy some quality time before he had to leave for work.

Finally, it was time to head to the airport, and off to WAR! The flight was relatively uneventful, though I had a lovely chat about the SCA with the lady sitting next to me. She devoured one of the bars of white chocolate with macadamia nuts, exclaiming about its flavor. I’d made several extras, hoping to find Sieur Jean-Paul de Sens over the weekend: They are his favorite.

Arriving in Phoenix, I was a bit befuddled to find that they’d completely rearranged the process for rental vehicles in the few months since I had been there in October for a wedding. From the time the plane touched down, to the time I drove off, was a very disappointing two and a half hours. I had hoped to be on site by 3-ish, and instead, didn’t get to site until almost 5pm. Because I pre-registered, getting through Gate was the easiest mission of the day. Parking, however, was among the most challenging of tasks. Cars were packed in like sardines along the road edge, and I quickly realized I’d made a grave mistake in not electing prepaid reserved parking. The spot I finally found was at the very edge of a No Parking area, and I was worried that I might be towed. I couldn’t find anywhere else, though. The spot seemed to be about mid-way through the row of tents that the site map said was Outlands camping, so I figured it was my best shot.

A kindly group confirmed that Yes, I was in Outlands territory, but they had no idea who McKillinKay was. I found a ‘main’ road, and wandered along it, checking now and again to see if I was still in Outlands territory. Another group pointed me back the way I’d come, and a third said they’d heard the name McKillinKay, and thought it might be further on down thataway...

Eventually, far from its usual spot, I spotted the massive blue and gold pavilion that is Mordrake’s home away from home. There, I found several of their clan-mates, but my brothers were out on Merchants Row. Begging my leave, I headed back to my rental car and hauled out my luggage, intending to change clothes back at the camp.

The bags were extremely heavy, and my damaged right shoulder was really feeling the strain. I definitely need to invest in some form of large, durable bag with wheels. I was almost to the camp when a youngish gentleman saw me and hurried over. He carried my bags the rest of the way, and at first, demurred any gesture of thanks. I insisted, however, and he finally accepted one of the bags of chocolate truffles with an ‘oooooh.’ The camp was empty, at that point. Ducking into Mordrake’s tent, I hastily changed from twenty-first century garb into the silks and brocades I’m most comfortable in.

Around about the time I was fastening my belts, the clan members (Dreyfuss, Kaz, and Gwydion) returned. Dreyfus was wearing a piece of amber I’d made for my brother to give as gifts – “Viking Bling” – a massive piece with multiple types of amber leading down to a massive pendant. He promised to let me get a photo of him wearing it later. We chatted for a bit, and I began distributing chocolate – they remembered it well from the year before last. Sadly, I had not remembered their favorite flavor: peanut butter. Several of them asked if I had any, and I felt bad responding in the negative. It was probably about twenty minutes later that my brothers, Nate and Mordrake, along with other clan members, returned to camp. Lots of greetings and hugs were exchanged – my face started hurting, I was grinning so widely. By that point, it was already growing chilly. Azia brought me a heavy wool cloak that my sister, Dominique, had sent along for me. It was quite a relief.

I presented Nathaniel with a plastic squeeze bottle filled with White Chocolate Amaretto sauce, and told him with a wink that it was for his exclusive use, to apply where and how he wished, and brattily teased him that if it didn’t make him popular with the ladies, I didn’t know what would. (My brother, if you haven’t seen the photos, is a remarkably handsome man with a great sense of personal style, and has positively no difficulties garnering the attentions of the female sex. It doesn’t hurt that his room-mate is an amazing seamstress, his brother does wonders with leatherwork, and his sister likes showering him with amber. In general, he looks pretty darned amazing in the clothing and accessories department.) At this announcement, several of the McKillinKay men started laughing, and explaining that they had, in fact, "pimped out" my brother the night previous – I didn’t get the entire story, but it apparently involved the Outlands Party, large amounts of alcohol, and Nate being paid to take his shirt off. (Woot! Vivat Nate!)

About that time, Her Excellency, Davita the most wonderful, and her husband, HE Sir Haroun, stopped by the camp. Both greeted me graciously and with hugs. I begged the opportunity to pay Davita tribute, as McKillinKay’s camp was within the demesne of The Huns, AND she had been the inspiration for my own foray into waterbearing on a Grander Scale. I opened the containers of chocolate, and she allowed that such a thing might be Quite Nice, but she’d only accept six items total. We picked out the six most preferred flavors, and she had them sent back to her camp. Sir Haroun accepted (and quickly devoured) a bar of dark chocolate with mint. Davita and Haroun are two of the pillars of their Kingdom; truly, finer people are hard to find. They are folks of integrity, duty, and great kindness. They remind me a lot of Thorgrim and Sigen. :-)

I mentioned to my brothers that I needed to discharge my duties as an Ansteorran, and pay tribute to my Crown, and also needed to find my friend, Lucretzia, who had been on site since the day prior. Mordrake volunteered to escort me, so Nate could get started on dinner. He and I strolled through the twilight, me carrying a scarf full of goodies and largess items. No one we talked to knew where the Ansteorrans were camping, and the map posted by Troll wasn’t very helpful, but it was finally discovered through some inquiries to the King of the Outlands’ squire that HRM Mahdi was at a gathering of all the Crowns of the Known World. We headed that way.

Upon arrival, Mordrake stayed back while I entered the pavilion (“Hey, he’s YOUR King, not mine!”) and then hesitantly caught HRM’s eye. I mentioned I had tribute items, and asked if he had any retainers present who could accept them. He did not. Instead, he indicated I should put them on a nearby chair, which I did, then fled the hall. (I was the only person present not wearing a coronet, which felt more than a little awkward.) I’m not sure if I was able to make it clear that the items were for him to distribute as he saw fit, or if he thought they were specifically as gifts for the other Crowns, or what. However they were used, I’m glad for it, and hope that whoever received them enjoyed them. (1 of each kind of chocolate I’d made, a jar of fine salts with a note card about service, a jar of fighter’s salt soak, and some Ansteorran Black Star trim.)

Mordrake and I then tried to find Lucretzia, but were unsuccessful – despite peeking into all the rooms we thought were assigned to A&S. Apparently she had taken that moment to find the ladies room – so we missed her -- but I found her a short time later. She was bubbling with excitement at all of the amazing classes she’d had the opportunity to attend. (Someday, I hope to be able to attend some of the A&S / classes offered at Estrella. Thus far, I’ve not ever had the chance to attend one.) As well, she’d made some wonderful purchases on Merchant’s Row, which she pulled out of her heavy basket of goodies. We oooohed and aaahhed over them, and I made her promise to take me shopping the following night.

I brought her back to camp and introduced her around. She was made welcome, which I really appreciated. I’m not a member of the clan, and was unsure about bringing others by to visit. McKillinKay is a great bunch, however, and welcomed us both.

It was my brother, Nathaniel’s, day to cook dinner, so he was busily working in the kitchen tent. He was grilling chicken breasts and making parsley potatoes and steamed broccoli, all of which smelled wonderful. He fixed us a plate, which Lucretzia and I shared. Throughout the next few hours, there was chatter, drumming, and a little dancing. Nate brought over some Mini-cheesecakes my sister Dominique had made, which we drizzled with a fabulous raspberry cooli (also made by Dominique) and some of the white chocolate amaretto truffle sauce, which was declared to be a Very Wonderful Combination. Each visitor to the camp was greeted with merriment, food, alcohol, cheesecake, or chocolate. I had a lot of fun handing out the chocolate and mini bread loaves.

By this point, the hour was growing late and the air was getting very chilly, even through the thick wool cloak my sister had provided. It was 10:30 Oklahoma time, 9:30 local time, and I knew that my brothers had held off from their planned partying, courteously and generously giving me their time. But they weren’t at war just to hang out with a sibling! I wanted to respect that, and make sure they had time for their own enjoyment, so I made the decision to head to the hotel early. Besides, the difference in barometric pressure was playing merry hell with my knees, and the dust in the air was making me feel like I had the flu. I promised to be back on site in the morning, in plenty of time to meet them at the battlefield for the first combat of the day.

Mordrake and Nathaniel walked us back to my rental, and I drove us to Lucretzia’s Monte Carlo, which was parked a couple miles away in the overflow parking lot. There were shuttle buses running every 15 minutes (theoretically), so transportation wasn’t horrible, but it was still a little creepy out there in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. While I was heading up to the parking area, my cell phone started ringing. As a habit, I don’t answer it while driving, and by the time we got up the winding road to her car, I’d forgotten it rang.

After a few mishaps, we found our way to the hotel. During the drive, my cell phone rang again. Once we’d checked in, I checked to see who had been trying to reach me – it was a friend from an online game we’ve both been playing for almost 10 years (The Final Challenge MUD – he plays Clumsyfool). He knew I’d be in the Phoenix area, but hadn’t given me a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’ that he and another friend would make it out to the site. I called him back, and let him know I’d just left the site, and was entirely exhausted. He was disappointed, but understood, and asked for recommendations as to which groups might be fun to seek and hang out with – I recommended McKillinKay. I was sad I’d missed him coming out, but there was no way, at that point, I was going to head back. I was simply too tired.

Lucretzia and I both contacted our respective spouses and chatted for a bit, letting them know we were safe and sound. After a shower, it was time to get some sleep! Poor Lucretzia was having a terrible time with her sinuses; the site was unusually dry and dusty, due to no rain for over 140 days. Everyone was breathing power-fine dirt. As a result, she couldn’t sleep very well at all. She tossed and turned all night, and I couldn’t sleep, either, missing the solid presence of my husband next to me.

Because she had some classes she wanted to attend that had early sign ups, we woke early. She headed over before I did; I am NOT a morning person, and was beginning to feel the change in weather, the dryness of the Arizona desert, and a rough night’s sleep in a strange bed. So I took my time getting myself together, while nibbling on one of the zucchini – carrot – pineapple mini bread loaves I’d made.

I got on site around 8:30-ish. Parking was more of a challenge – I wound up about a quarter mile away from McKillinkay, near the showers - but fortunately the shuttle bus got me down to the McKillinKay camp relatively easily.

There, I found the only clan member awake was Azia, who had morning kitchen duty. She looked adorable in a matching light brown/taupe striped vest and trouser ensemble. We chatted a bit, and I asked if I could help. I quickly set about assisting her with the breakfast burritos. Apparently, after our departure the previous night, the partying had, indeed, been rampant, and some of the men of the clan were feeling a tad bitten by a certain dog... my brother Nathaniel, especially. As each clansman emerged blinking and fuzzy from his tent, I made sure they got food, and Azia was the Queen of All Things Coffee. The guys seemed quite pleased to be so pampered.

Mordrake, who has a ferocious reputation when it comes to mornings, was astoundingly chipper, though I did get one gentle warning that I was being too perky, and he wasn’t quite awake enough to handle that just yet. Nathaniel was green around the gills, and clutched his coffee as if it were the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, the coffee didn’t last long in his very tumultuous belly, and it soon decorated one of the bushes a short distance from the camp. (Frankly, I was a little worried about the possibility of alcohol poisoning, from his symptoms, but didn’t want to be ‘overly motherly’ in front of his clan brothers.) Azia was finally able to convince him to get some more rest, and bedded him back down in their tent while I finished making breakfast for everyone.

After food and coffee had helped to revive folks’ sense of humanity, they slowly began armoring up. Combat was scheduled to start at 10:30. I gave Azia, who was interested in waterbearing, a brief run down on the contents of my Super Ninja Waterbearing Belt – she was amazed I could fit quite so much into the pouches - and she was very excited about the prospect of learning more. She was also fascinated by my non-contact waterbottles, which I’d brought. We agreed to meet up at the waterbearer station, so we could serve together.

The guys trickled out of the camp one by one, with Mordrake staying behind for a bit with Azia to clean up the kitchen and tend to some other duties. Gwydion very kindly escorted me to the battlefield, so I wouldn’t have to wander around alone. As we approached the field, a siege engine thingy was pushed past us. Knowing Karl from Northkeep likes seige enginey sorts of things, I snapped a photo of it.I signed in, got my bottles filled, and headed out, snapping photos here and there.

I soon realized that I wasn’t on the right side of the field: The Outlands station was on the other side. I worked my way around the edges of the battle, emptying my bottles by serving fallen fighters as I went. It took about 15 minutes to get to the Outlands station. There, I was most dismayed to find a number of Calontir flags resting in a pile in the dirt. They’d been placed there to be kept ‘out of the way,’ so I left them alone… but it bugged me each time I went back to the station to refill.

The station was being manned quite capably. They had sanitizer being distributed, and a large amount of non-contact bottles available. Food was plentiful, and was in constant rotation. There, I also encountered Honorable Lady Ismet, from Northkeep. I asked her if she’d seen many folks from our area – she said her husband Damon was out fighting, but other than that, she’d only seen a handful. I was disappointed, as I’d hoped to focus some of my efforts on supporting the Ansteorran contingent. I refilled, and headed out.

Fighters sometimes talk about getting lost in a battle; a place in their minds where they become one with the task, and lose track of time. I get that way with waterbearing, sometimes. It’s kind of a Zen thing. After perhaps the third time I headed back to the waterbearing station, I found Azia. She was beaming with excitement and carrying a plate of pickles and oranges. We headed out together, but quickly got separated again in the flood of combatants.

Armed with my “Super Ninja Waterbearer Belt” of supplies, I began adding to my loud calls of “Water! Gatorade!” When I began calling out, “Water! Gatorade! Duct Tape! Med Kit! Armor Repair Kit!” I got some surprised looks and grins. There was even some teasing: “Got a partridge in a pear tree?” So I started adding that in as well.

It feels good to be able to meet someone’s needs on the field: I had a number of folks ask for various supplies – from something as simple as a rivet being blown and needing a new one, or a zip tie to help with a broken strap. I went through the entirety of my roll of silver duct tape before the 4-hour battle was done. The roll of red tape was apparently too old to be much use, though I was able to add it to one fighter’s helm, to help identify which side he was fighting for.

I hadn’t seen many familiar faces: I did spot a Liondragon guard tabard during the second wave of battle; I did not recognize the person wearing it. I shouted out a “HAIL MOG!” and “LIONDRAGON!!” to try and catch their attention, but they did not hear me. Later, though, I spotted a very familiar looking black and white German ensemble, peeking out from underneath a purple and gold Calontir tabard. I headed that way, and found my guess was correct: it was Sir Aesoph Hearts, the Northern Regional Seneschal, along with Honorable Lord Damon, who is Northkeep’s Seneschal. Later, I found Sieur Jean-Paul de Sens, Syr Owen ap Aeddan, and His Royal Majesty, Sir Mahdi. It was good to see them. I got a mighty, rib-cracking hug from Owen, as he asked how my war was going. “GREAT!!”

Some of the combatants seemed impatient when I would announce that the bottles I had were ‘non-contact’. I got some teasing, when I would state firmly, “These bottles are non-contact. Please don’t allow them to touch your lips.” One cheeky fellow pantomimed licking them, while asking, “Can I touch them with my tongue?” Another fellow simply ignored me completely and stuck the squirt-straw in his mouth and began sucking. (Eww. That bottle was immediately retired, and I trudged back to the waterbearer station to get it sanitized.) For the most part, though, many fighters seemed pleased at the effort towards non-contact service, and several expressed their thanks. Some fighters refused water until they realized it was non-contact.

I did observe one of the royal crowns watching the battle. The lady had quite a retinue, and at one point, I heard her discussing in strong terms (though, of course, not arguing) with a marshal that she wanted to be visible at the resurrection point, to inspire her Kingdom's troops. It turns out this was the Queen of Caid. I thought that was kinda cool. As well, there were some groups that were flying gorgeous silk banners of their Kingdom out on the field. I dig this sort of thing, hugely.

Intermittently through the battle, I’d spot Azia, and we’d try and work together for a cycle. We’d also remind one another to eat and drink and take care of ourselves. She’s a very sweet lady, and it was a pleasure working with her. Sadly, I was never able to find the McKillinKay boys on the field, until the very end of the battle, though I did spot a very good friend of theirs: Inga. She is a deadly combat archer, though I did not recognize her on the field, not seeing her from the front - only the back.

Every chance I could, I sought out those folks who were from Ansteorra. But they were kind of hard to spot, sometimes. The king was wearing an ensemble with Ansteorran trim, and the Liondragons had black stars on the back of their tabards. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any clear Ansteorran identity, which bummed me out. Most folks wore their own colors, or the colors of an allied Kingdom. That’s one thing I really like about the Outlands: They ALL wear their Kingdom colors, with their local group’s insignia on their sleeves. It creates a very powerful impression upon the battlefield. I’m told that this is how Ansteorra appears on the field at Gulf Wars, which I haven’t ever had the chance to attend, which is good to hear.

Once the battle was well and truly over, Gwydion escorted me to the waterbearer station so I could get my hours recorded, and then back to the camp, courteously slowing his long stride to match my shorter one. Frankly, I was starting to stagger a bit. Despite having put Dr. Sholls support insoles in my boots, my feet were starting to really hurt. Back at camp, we found Nathaniel. He was looking much more human, having gotten some rest and a shower. This was around 2:45-ish. The clan began discussing lunch, so I headed into the kitchen to assist with the preparation of kosher hot dogs.

There was some drumming, and a little bit of dancing for a while, as folks trickled in from the battlefield and merchant’s row. I got a chance to hear Dreyfuss play some beautiful guitar, which was lovely to dance to. Azia was excited to hear that I knew some Middle Eastern dance, so I took about 45 minutes to break down some of the movements for her. She was practically bubbling over with excitement.

Lucretzia arrived, positively delighted with the selection of classes she’d been able to take. We chatted for a bit, and after nibbling on a hotdog, decided it would be an excellent idea to head back to the hotel to clean up and change garb. About this time, Mordrake was reminded that it was his turn to provide dinner. He had planned on finding a grocery store, and doing deli stuff. Since I was going into town, I offered to pick things up.

Lucretzia and I headed off site. She was ravenous, and when I mentioned I had passed an In-N-Out Burger on the way to the War that morning, her eyes lit up. So off we went. (If you have never experienced an In-N-Out double double, animal style burger, you have never truly lived.) Sadly, I was full of hot dog, so I didn’t get one. ::sniff:: After she was bolstered up a bit with some food (she had to call her husband and taunt him with the knowledge that she was eating In-N-Out), we headed to WalMart to pick up food. Sadly, they were sold out of the rotisserie chickens I’d hoped to find. Instead, I got a variety of hot wings, some fried chicken, and various side dishes.

I wanted to treat the guys to some dessert, so we headed over to the frozen food section. There, I found some Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream by Breyers, and some French Vanilla, and some Chocolate Raspberry Swirl. These all sounded entirely yummy. On a whim, I also grabbed some frozen shrimp, to make for lunch the following day. I also picked up some Red Bull for Nate, at his request.

As we were both in garb, we did get some funny looks as we strolled through the store and while standing in the check-out line. While we were waiting to check out, I spotted a display of Hersey’s Kisses. They had peanut butter flavor!! Hoping this would make up for my lack of peanut butter chocolates, I grabbed a bag.

We headed back to the hotel, and put the ice cream in the sink, along with a bunch of ice to keep it chilled. I rinsed off a bit, and changed clothes into a rather fetching ensemble that’s a combination of Tribe Roman Morga pieces and more recent garb I’ve made. Some make-up and a bit of fussing with my hair, getting the dirt out, made me feel human. Lucretzia also changed into clean garb. Finally, we were ready to head back to camp. I handed Lucretzia my camera, and she snapped a photo of the stunning sunset that illuminated the sky with brilliant colors.

Per instructions, we pulled onto the side road that backed up against the camp. The guys quickly unloaded the car, and fell upon dinner like ravenous wolves. Unfortunately, it would have been A Bad Thing to leave the car where it was, so conveniently close. I had to go move it. Lucretzia very kindly came along with me. There weren’t any parking spots along the road – I had to go all the way up the mountain into the overflow parking. There was an accident on one of the side roads, so the buses were delayed: we waited for about half an hour, as the sky became dark and chilly. By the time we got back down to camp, it was already fully dark!! This was sad, as the garb I’d changed into wasn’t the warmest.

Back at Camp, folks had mostly eaten, and there was discussion of finding a specific pirate camp, and doing some drumming and dancing. That sounded fun, but I hadn’t gotten a chance to go to Merchant’s Row at all. Lucretzia said she’d take me, but when Azia heard I was going to go, she very sweetly told Mordrake and Nate that they didn’t have to bring her to the pirate camp, that they should escort us around Merchant’s Row, instead.

So off into the darkness we went!! Business was still brisk, as we wandered up one row and down another. It seemed that Lucretzia knew half the vendors – she’d worked at several wars and larger ren faires as a boothie. Many greeted her like family, pulling out baby pictures and bringing her up to date on the news of their folks.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as we started walking, my feet started throbbing. That quickly turned to spasms of pain. I tried hard to ignore it as much as possible, but the sensation was pretty intense. I was starting to be able to feel the individual blisters as I walked. I should have just stopped and gone back to camp, but it was far too much fun hanging out with Nate and Mordrake and Lucretzia, so I ignored common sense, and kept going. I was able to pick up some nice items at a couple of shops, but quickly went through what little cash I had on hand: Some buttons and a black and gold belly dancing hip scarf that was my primary goal for the event shopping.

Nate had fun drooling over some helms ($700 – yeouch!) and Mordrake picked up some very long spear shafts. They seemed pleased with their purchases. Nate was also looking for a belt hanger for his mug. The type he had last time had not worked out well, and he’d lost his $40+ mug right off his belt without realizing it. Mordrake made a point of showing me a couple of booths that had things he thought I might be looking for (Prior to the war, we’d discussed the scarcity of good raw materials in Oklahoma), and I was happy to spot several different shades of the gryphon tapestry fabric that is so special. Unfortunately, the vendor wanted more for it than I could justify spending – besides, it would have taken far more money than I had on hand.

We were on the second to last row, and I was wistfully fingering some beautiful gauze scarves with elaborate fringes, debating between blue and green, when Mordrake asked me if I was going to get one. I responded that I would have to come back in the morning, after a trip to the ATM. Instead, he pulled the scarf off the rack, and asked the proprietress how much they were. I protested, saying I wanted to get them, and he told me to hush. It was a thank you for camping with them, and for picking up dinner. Nate then grabbed the green one, and bought it as a gift for me, as well! I draped them both around me, feeling like quite the fancified thing, and thanked my two brothers for their sweetness. Lucretzia teased me about being spoiled, and I agreed that I was.

I stuck it out to the very last row, but after that, admitted that it would probably be wisest if I headed back to camp. Besides – the guys had been enormously gentlemanly, escorting me around and I didn’t want to abuse that courtesy. They had other places to go, other people to see.

We headed back to camp, and I wrapped up in my sister’s cloak once more, and hopped into a comfy chair over by a warm, crackling fire It felt good to get off my feet, and warm up a bit. Nate brought over some more of the mini-cheesecakes drizzled with raspberry and white chocolate sauce. These were served to several visitors, and I was introduced to some of them by Nate as, “My wonderful sister that makes all the amber and chocolate.” This made me feel really good – that I’d in some way contributed to his enjoyment of the event – and that my brother is finding such welcome and happiness in the organization that I love, too.

Nate was also very contentiously avoiding any intoxicating substances, so that he’d be good to go on the field the next day. I know it was hard for him not to join in with the partying, but he turned his energies into some really beautiful drumming rhythms instead.

Eventually, it was time to head back to the hotel. Lucretzia was torn as to whether or not she wanted to head back and that point, and kept getting distracted with conversations. Mordrake offered to ride the bus back to the parking lot with us, so that we wouldn’t be out by the road by ourselves. He and I headed that way, having been told the bus was a moment or two away. When it arrived, Lucretzia was still at the camp, and we both shouted her name. After a moment or two, we heard her respond, and she hurried towards the stop, and joined us on the bus. The driver was very kind to wait.

The ride up was a little weird: being on a luxury coach, in the middle of the desert, with only the driver dressed in mundane clothing. Some of our fellow passengers were quite obviously intoxicated, and others were experiencing wardrobe malfunctions. We made it up to the top of the hill without incident, and I drove Mordrake back down to the camp, then followed Lucretzia back to the hotel.

There, she called her husband and I soaked in the tub for a while. When I got out, I could barely walk from the bathroom to the bed. Lucretzia had fallen asleep watching television. I heard it blaring about some very bad weather in Tulsa – ice storms and flight delays. Yikes! I put it out of my mind, and joined her in deep slumber just a few moments later.

The next morning, it was decided that she was going to continue on her journey to California, rather than go back to the event. We got checked out of the hotel, and she headed her way, and I headed mine. It was really wonderful to spend some time with her. I asked her to give my best to all the Tribe Roman Morga folks she’d be seeing back in LA, and she asked me to give her regards to the McKillinKay folks.

Back on site, it was as it had been the prior morning; only Azia was awake at first. I helped her with breakfast, and she made coffee for each clan member as they struggled out of their tent.

Nate was bright eyed and happy that morning, having abstained from all temptations the previous night. He was ready and raring to go for the battles of the day, and proudly showed off the bracers that show his membership in the clan. Mordrake wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but was determined to overcome his reputation of being ‘evil’ in the morning, and even voluntarily posed for a photo or two. We got the guys fed and coffeed up, and I took several photos of them armoring.

Her Excellency, Davita, showed up, and we all chatted for a bit about various topics, including the competition for the new Khan of the Huns. (It seemed to involve chugging large amounts of alcohol, fighting, and I think there was bardic in there, too.) She and Mordrake also chatted about her squires.

I was stressing a bit, because I’d agreed to head to Mesa to spend some time with friends that day, but also REALLY wanted to see my brother fight. The battle was set to begin at 10:30, after court and a champion’s battle. The champion’s battle was running late, and that pushed back the other fights. I waited alongside McKillinKay, as Nate demonstrated a few techniques with his polearm, affectionately nicknamed The Puffin. Dreyfus was still recovering from an injury, so he wasn't able to fight. He marshalled instead.

The battle was a castle battle, with the Outlands attempting to take the castle first, and I was able to watch a few sallies. Unfortunately, the marshals kept us far back, and I wasn’t able to see Nate in action, other than seeing the brightly colored head of his polearm come smashing down into the crowd of bodies a couple of times. There was a kinda spiffy siege tower, so I snapped a photo of it. I was later told that it is the creation of Inga's household. As soon as they’d charge into the fray, the dust would fly up, and the press of bodies would keep me from seeing anything other than the polearms flailing in the sky. I stayed as late as I could, then regretfully made my good byes and headed off site, with a 2 minute stop at the Merchant’s Row shop that had the gryphon fabric. I purchased 6 yards of the silver on black fabric, as well as a bauble or two at the same shop.

Unfortunately, as I tried to leave the site, there was another accident with one of the buses, and the road was blocked for some time. I finally got to Mesa several hours later than I should have, but got to spend some wonderful time with my friends. After spending a few hours with them, it was time to head home.

Friends and family contacted me a day later, to let me know that they, too, had made it home safely, and we all happily bid each other good health until the next Estrella War!