NSTIW: Gulf Wars
<< WORK IN PROGRESS >>
1999
Tessa of the Gardens: There was the year I initially began firing a ballista; I was never positive whether any-one inside the fort was hit by any of my attacking ballista bolts, but I knew without a doubt that I hit the western "wall" several times! That wall was dead, dead, dead! (When asked for more details, Tessa was able to provide: King Alaric Quintas Drake I, crowned in January, asked for each group to build a ballista for his spring GW; thus, Bordermarchers Simonn, Zain, and Ricciardo built a shooting machine manned by three, that would launch 5 bolts on target into a 5' -to- 7' circle, 300 ft away. We named the ballista "FireDrake," and hauled it to GW for several years. The machine I shot from at war, however, was a single bolt release belonging to someone else. You could hear the whooom, thud, of each bolt when it hit the wall and then see the bolt bounce back down to the ground on the outside of the wall... I don't think I ever hit anyone on the other side of the wall...
2004: Gulf Wars XIII
Ermagerd: 'Once upon a time I slew the Trimarin army with a lament... Verily, bereft of excrement went I... at my first Gulf Wars I was Stargate's bard, and I dressed up in my snappiest duds to go do my bit for the war effort. I read in the schedule that the "Arts Melee" was the thing I was able to do, so I carried my several binders over to Bede Hall to do battle against all the other artisans. That year the Powers that Were decided that the static arts and the performing arts would be lumped in together for a populace vote, over a period of 5 hours. I was new, so when Willow Ann Lanphier Taylor suggested that we should take turns so that all the populace could judge us against the static displays, I didn't know any better and agreed. There was also a fellow from what would later become Glenn Abhann there, so it was 3 of us taking turns for 5 hours... with no water. I sang every song I knew and a few I didn't.
After several hours, a big gang of steaming soldiers clanked into the hall, blinded from coming in out of the bright sun, searching for an artisan from their kingdom to vote for, not knowing the entries were anonymous. Her Grace finished her story and turned to me, saying "Sing them some rousing song of battle and glory!" and I said "Um, I'm an Elizabethan madrigalist, and I don't know any such songs, I'll do my best..." So I called out to the soldiers, saying to them to come take their ease from the frenzy and blood of battle, and hear my song of what comes after the field, the sleep of death, the eternal rest... and when I had their attention I sang Weep You No More Sad Fountains by John Dowland. They sighed in unison and filed by me, each dropping a bead into my voting cup.
I didn't win the arts melee, but I did take out at least a dozen soldiers. I found out a year later that this had become a story that people had heard, and so I began to tell my side of the tale.
Ten years in, I told my tale at Gulf Wars, and a stranger stepped in saying he was the general who ordered the soldiers to go in and vote for a Trimarin artist by order of their king, and how the soldiers came out a little confused by what had happened to them. Once I'd heard his side of the story, my story got a little longer.
So now when I tell my tale, it's a story of a story of a story about a song I sang, about this one time I slew a Trimarin army with a sad song."
2013
Bjorn hestr Hauksson:: NSTIW, prepping for the toga known world party... Germanicus walks into the mess tent with a piece of duck tape in his hands. Sees me, gets a huge grin, walks over, places the tape adhesive first over my right nipple and surrounding hair, and before I can get past the denial phase of grief, proceeds to aggressively depilatorize a chunk of chest hair. I know I squeaked and I’m sure I levitated a bit...
2014
Ines Alfon NSTIW... Friday night, this last Gulf Wars. The night of the Known World Party (you know the one!) I was sitting outside the fort on a couple of haybales with my brother and a friend, said friend was looking for people to attach "plague clothespins" to. A group comes up, hats and entourage... He looks and said, "Ahh, a baroness". I turn and say, "No, not A baroness, that's MY baroness."
She hears me, turns and looks, and says and "that's my herald!" We meander, and conversation somehow turns to processions. and I got that little Skippy tingle in my bones.
I asked my baronage, "Would you like to be processed into the Known World Party?" They looked at me, looked at each other, back at the entourage, and start to hem a bit when my friend says "No one has processed in tonight" Well, that lit up the eyes of my baron, who started pushing for it (well, in addition to my pleas - I did jump up and down a bit, and beg. A woman in a cotehardie jumps well). After a discussion, it was agreed. I had already been stamped, so awaited my excellencies pleasure at the front of the stamp-line.
After they stamped in and the entourage was in place I called in my best voice, stopping conversation at least eight crowded rows deep.
"Oye! Oye! Unto the the Known World Greetings, Herein comes their Ursine Excellencies, the Baron Philippe and the Baroness Suzanne, of the great Barony of Bjornsborg from the Stellar Kingdom of Ansteorra!"
I bowed them in, and they and entourage parade-waved through the crowd that parted silently for a few moments, and then erupted in much... conversation :) I am told I made at least one crown jealous. Ahhh, I love Gulf War, and I love my Barony
Bjorn hestr Hauksson: NSTIW. Bridge battle, was using a Dansk åx, playing whackamole, suddenly felt my feet leave the ground as I ate a column charge from 3 o’clock. Lashed out with the ax and caught the second guy in the charge. The press locked my ax on him, and pulled the front four Trimarans over the hay bales after me. So there I sat, under 700+ pounds of Trimaran linebreakers, cackling like a madman. Got my own hold called and everything - marshal footsteps ran up - "OMG, is he ok??? Oh, He’s laughing..."
2015
Sarah Bellian: Zane Lee and I, along with a Calontir rapier unicorn, and Northshield, I think, - as well as the King of the East - were charged with threatening a flag on the far right in the rapier ravine that we ended up taking and holding because Trimaris let us have it. In that same battle Simonn Amber was not expected to fight, it was thought by some that another was wearing his armor until the line rolled on the far left completely because he killed basically everyone on it. So began the meme, "Sir Simonn enters the ravine, Trimaris retreats." A very lopsided Ansteorran victory; the exact score I don't recall. Much fun.
Tessa of the Gardens: (More info for above: Simonn was not expected on the field after having been treated for cancer and been near death's door at the end of 2014... fed by a tube into his abdomen until Jan, 2015. Survived, determined to fight again...)
2016: Gulf Wars XXV - "GulfNado"
Caitilin inghean Ronain ui Cheallaigh: " I was at that GW. The Barony of Stargate's Baronial Pavilion fell down with people inside (no one was seriously, though it gave everyone a fright. I was inside my tent holding a wall that tried to collapse while 60 mph winds blew around us. Wow! What a day!"
Alexander MacThomas: I'm pretty sure (Cataldo) held court in the Bryn Gwylad Baron's tent, over the newly founded Loch Gwylad...
Cataldo Querini: That is correct. I seem to recall my title (certainly completely approved and official, with my writ likely sitting on some Royal's desk somewhere) being: His Itinerant Excellency of Bryn Gwlad and Lord of Loch Gwlad, Steward of the Tent, Hot Beverages, and Fyrst Aide Kit.
Moira Lindsay: The BFT ("Big F'ing Tent") is fun to pilot, but the landing is a bit tricky...
Katalina Ana de Salamanca: You have to admit it, we stuck the landing!
[Moira clarifies, "The BFT is the huge tent that goes up behind the Ansteorran gate at gulf wars. It started raining right after dinner, and then the winds went nuts. Some of us who sought refuge in the BFT ended up literally piloting the thing because it tried to take off. I don't know how many people were all there, but I was on a pole holding it down with Her Majesty Conal and Baroness Genevieve. Some guys from up north were singing war songs.... I think there's video."
________ (need SCA name): There I was at Gulf wars having a pick up in camp, and a Tornado blew away all the tents. But did we stop (fighting) and risk further insulting Thor? Hell no!
Karl Thorgeirsson No shit, I was night Exchequer and down at troll when the microburst hit. I was looking out the window and saw a blue porta-john spinning and sliding as it was blown across the parking lot. I had a genuine Dr. Who moment because I saw the Turdis
Lucia Piazetta
The storm blew in and the rain came down
This little potty stood its ground.
The wind did howl and the wind did wail
This little potty would not fail.
It's brethren fell one by one
This little potty would not run.
Duty bound, there was still need
Because half the camp had not yet peed.
Despite the gale and loss of friend
This little potty stood until the end.
The people did come from near and far
To see the little blue potty that won the war!
2017: Gulf Wars XXVI
Katalina Ana de Salamanca: So there I was, following my baron into the gates of the castle with nothing but a spear. I died and looked around for the closest large shield I could "borrow" and there was a nice lad from Calontir right next to me. I asked him if I could crawl in underneath just as the "lay on!" was called so I couldn't really hear his response, I just jumped under.
In an effort to be friendly I asked him where he was from and if he was enjoying his war, but got little in the way of response. Apparently he was new to the whole " being used as a human barricade / spring board" thing. Then he muttered something.
"Sorry, what was that?"
" I said I'm claustrophobic and I'm going to throw up!"
"Ah...right...HOLD! HOLD! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HOLD!!!"
