The Land without a King!

As I mentioned last time, Dragon Coast dissolved into anarchy when  Harlen I abdicated the throne in Anno Draconis 6. Without the steadying presence of a monarch, the realm was ripe for attack. Renegades and ruffians raided the kingdom's settlements and preyed upon the weak. I, Rufus, tried to patrol the lands and quell the disorder, but the chaos was too much.

Then disaster struck. An overwhelming army of monsters poured over the border. They decimated the original capital of Dragon Coast. The Usurper's stronghold was overrun, forcing a retreat eastward. The monster army continued into my personal demesne of Lion's Keep. I tried to resist their depredations but their numbers were too large. The beasts overwhelmed my fief. I led a determined band of survivors as we fled eastward away from the ruins of Lion's Keep. The enemy continued to hound us, however. We needed to find a safe haven.

Our eyes would turn across the waters. Ember Shoals, a chain of islands off the mainland, beckoned. It was a haunt of smugglers and pirates; Dragon Coast had battled their raids in the past. Now, the island offered sanctuary, I would lead my followers across the channel to the western coast,

Map courtesy of Kettlebaun, Lord Admiral and founder of the Freehold of Ember Shoals

However, the monster army would not stop harrying us. Without access to boats, the enemy sent wyverns across the channel to attack us. We built a watch tower that we named Wyvernwatch. From here, we scanned the horizon for attacks from the beasts. When the warning horn sounded, we would rush to the defenses. After a series of pitched battles, we defeated the wyverns. The attacks of the monster army subsided.

Thus, it was here on the rugged, formerly uninhabited coast that the survivors from Lion's Keep would build our new settlement. We named it after our tower - Wyvernwatch.

OOC Notes:

• As differences in opinion about the direction of Dragon Coast arose, I began to consider breaking away and forming a new Belegarth realm. I planned on calling it Wyvernwatch and I came up with the above backstory to explain it. Soon thereafter, Robb Rodgers would convince me to join him in forming a new Amtgard park, Ember Shoals. I merged Wyvernwatch into Ember Shoals.
• I had played Amtgard using the version 7 rules, which I did not like. However, v8 came out just when we formed our new park. I found it much preferable to the earlier rules. I am now an avid Amtgard player.
• I also discovered some other advantages of Amtgard:
• The restrictions on contact made it safer and more comfortable for these old bones of mine.
• It offers much greater opportunities for role playing. Dragon Coast had fallen into a repetitive pattern of battle games but (as you shall see) we were able to create more interesting story lines using Amtgard.
• The map came from Robb. I believe his father actually illustrated it. He even included a home for me on the map - Heron Hall. I shall tell the story of Heron Hall's founding and its relationship to Wyvernwatch at another time.

Rise of the Dragon Lord

I have many more stories about Dragon Coast but I would like to share them another day. Now, I wish to skip ahead to the final days of the realm.

The troubles began in the fifth year of the realm, during the reign of Redbeard I. A dragon’s egg, imbued with dark magic, was discovered in the midst of the swamps of Dragon Coast. Two powerful warlords, Barnabis and Agnar, gathered their retainers and sought out this artifact. The two warbands ran into each other and a clash of arms broke out. Both sides rushed to retrieve the egg. It passed from one side to the other, as those who tried to carry it off were cut down. Ultimately, Barnabis’s forces retrieved the egg and retired to his stronghold.

I confront the Dragon Lord.
Alas, I was defeated

The dragon’s egg, however, exerted a malign influence over Barnabis. He became corrupted and evil strangled his heart. He became the diabolical Dragon Lord and gathered an army of cutthroats around him. His minions spread across the peaceful realm, sowing havoc and chaos, murder and destruction. His corruption spread to Hollowfell (the new name of the northern outpost founded by Harlen), They claimed descent from the dragons, whom they avowed were the true owners of the land. The Dragon Lord tried to spread his control southward into the heart of Dragon Coast but the rest of the realm resisted.

By now, Harlen I had taken the throne, but shortly thereafter he migrated north. This left Dragon Coast without strong leadership.

King Harlen I
Coddling an orc baby

Hollowfell, corrupted by the Dragon Lord's influence, broke off from Dragon Coast. Into the void stepped the Usurper who took control of the remnants of the realm. Alas, he established a dictatorship, which I could not abide. Political dissension split Dragon Coast.

And that was when disaster struck.

I shall resume my narrative at a later date.

OOC Notes:

• The Dragon Lord theme was a plot line I developed to give a little RP to Dragon Coast's events. I love how Barnaby and Hollowfell took the idea and ran with it.
• Due to disagreements over the direction of the realm, Hollowfell split off not long after the Dragon Lord plot line began. I think the Dragon Lord's corruption makes an excellent RP explanation for the realm's split.
• P.S. I'm still not clear on the reasons why Hollowfell broke off. If anyone wants to inform me, please contact me privately on Facebook. I prefer to keep airing of dirty laundry off this blog.
• I also objected to the new direction of Dragon Coast. In particular, leadership stopped following our old bylaws and dragged its feet on formalizing new ones. This struck me as rather dictatorial. I use "the Usurper" as my role-playing explanation for this political/organizational disagreement.

The Founding of Dragon Coast

I previously wrote of my search for the perfect kingdom. Let me tell the tale of my search.

One day, our realm of Kincora was visited by a mighty warrior from the northlands. His name was Squire Ike (he was later knighted by his home kingdom). He performed marvels at our tournaments, leaving us in awe of his prowess. I asked him whence he came and he told me of his home the lands of Belegarth. His stories enthralled me; I wondered if this could be the kingdom of my dreams.

I decided to pay visit to the nearest outpost of Belegarth, a small fief known as the Lowlands. It was bravely led by a warlord named Teej. When I arrived, I was heartily greeted by a mountain of a creature named Togur. I say creature because, to my astonishment, Togur was not human. He was a bugbear! I had not experienced what I thought were mythical races in my travels in Scadia and Adria, but I found out that they were common in Belegarth!

Anyway, the populace of the Lowlands welcomed me warmly. I was impressed with my visit and returned home with the intent to start a new Belegarthian chapter. I struck out from Kincora and found some unsettled land. I put forth a call for assistance and four valiant warriors joined me. They were Emrys, Selina, and Matsu. We also had assistance from a fifth warrior, Eowyn, from a local Scadian outpost, On the Feast of St. Patrick, we formed a sovereign kingdom, to be known as Dragon Coast.

The original heraldry of Dragon Coast
It was meant to be worn on a green tabard

But who would reign? We held a tournament, with the winner being proclaimed the Pendragon, the monarch of our realm. Despite suffering a wound to the leg, Selina bested us all. We enthusiastically proclaimed her Queen of Dragon Coast.

Queen Selina I

I was appointed chancellor of our new realm. My role was to attend to the day-to-day administration of the realm. Although we maintained cordial relations with the Lowlands, we pledged allegiance to Dagorhir, another empire filled with "mythical" creatures. My ideal kingdom had been founded!

We would experience ups-and-downs,as any new realm. Emrys and Matsu would move away from the kingdom, but other warriors would join us. A new spurt of growth began when we were joined by a warrior named Harlen. He founded an outpost of Dragon Coast on our northern border and began recruiting more warriors to our banner. The kingdom began to grow and flourish.

OOC Notes:

• Dragon Coast was officially founded on March 17, 2009 (Anno Draconis I)
• My original intention was to form a sub-chapter of the Lowlands. However, I feel that it is detrimental for a group to be ruled from afar so I opted for independence. (With regards to voluntary organizations, I am a firm believer in decentralization and local autonomy).
• We decided to be chartered under Dagorhir rather than Belegarth solely so that we could advertise on their national boards (which prohibited mention of other organizations). I believe it worked; I think Harlen found us through the Dagorhir boards.
• When I drafted the bylaws for Dragon Coast I purposefully designed them to avoid the pitfalls I saw with the SCA and Adrian Empire. Some features of our bylaws included:
• A weak monarchy - I witnessed what I considered abuses of authority by organizations' "monarchs." I think it is especially true because titles like "King" seem to attract the power-hungry. My solution was to make the monarch a mere figurehead. Authority was vested in elected officers and a council made up of the citizens of the realm.
• No formal rank structure - Because different people have different idea on what the standards should be, I liked Dagorhir's approach of allowing units decide on ranks and the standards for rewarding titles. Thus, Dragon Coast did not have formal ranks or titles (aside from the monarch - the Pendragon).
• Because we were small, our bylaws did not really make provisions for multiple parks. My unwritten vision was that when we grew, we would form a governing council made up of representatives of each park (like a Congress) that, alongside elected officers, would rule the kingdom. Kingdom government, however, would be sparing, focusing on safety regulations and coordinating events. Each park would be largely self-governing in all other matters. I am still convinced that this is the best structure even though most organizations tend to be more centralized. I believe that my oversight in not formalizing this structure helped lead to the difficulties that Dragon Coast experienced in later years.

Against the Assassins

I would like to interrupt my history in order to narrate a recent event. I received a messenger from Crest Haven, one of our neighbors to the north (on the mainland within the Kingdom of Neverwinter). They had been beset by assassins, who were trying to infiltrate the barony. For what purpose we have not ascertained. Crest Haven was in need of assistance in vanquishing this blight. I pledged the assistance of Ember Shoals. Alas, the freebooters of the freehold refused (still angered by the prohibition, no doubt). Without the aid of Kettlebaun's influence, I was unable to sway them. Thus, I readied the Divine Providence and set sail for Crest Haven with a contingent of Wardens.

The Wardens arrived in time to join in a defense of the barony. A swarm of assassins were trying to cross three bridges that led into the heart of the capital. They did not count on our stout defense. We held the leftmost bridge, then pushed the assassins back toward their encampment. Victory!

Unfortunately, some of the assassins managed to sneak past our initial defenses and assault the castle itself. Once again, the Wardens were in the heart of battle. Although the assassins seized the castle courtyard, we rushed into battle and cut them down. The scouting skills that we have learned in pursuit of monsters served us well; we were able to track some of the dastardly assassins as they tried to hide in the shadows. Justice was quickly served.

This led to an all-out battle against the assassins. Alas, I was wounded so my men dragged me from the battle. We retreated to the Divine Providence. I now await word of the result of the battle.

Note:
I beg thee pardon but I have made allusion to events that I have not yet chronicled. Allow me to provide brief explanations.

• The Divine Providence is the war galley of the Wardens. We use it to patrol to coast of Ember Shoals
• Since my assumption of the leadership of Ember Shoals (my current home), I have banned alcohol (I shall relate the story behind it later). It has not set well with the less savory citizens of our freehold.
• The former leader, Lord Admiral Kettlebaun Thistleswyfte, has mysteriously disappeared about a month ago. All searches have proved fruitless.

OOC Notes

• This is just a brief description of today's Crest Haven Mid-Reign. My battle descriptions are of the scenarios
• Scenario 1 - Capture the Flag, with bridges and a catapult that shot people across the chasm. I was on the left. My team consistently managed to push forward on the left and seize the enemy flag.
• Scenario 2 - Assassins vs Guards fighting for a control point (the castle). Each team got to play both roles. As a Guard, I helped seize and hold the control point. I was not as successful as an assassins (the Guards won every time.
• Scenario 3 - Full Class Battle. Some people were hitting a bit too hard for my tastes so I dropped out of the game. I had to leave at this point.
• It was an enjoyable day of fighting. I felt that I did pretty well and that I helped contribute to success in the first 2 scenarios.
• Here is a short video with me in action. I'm in the white tunic, blue shield, wearing the black helm (actually an MMA mask)

My Pursuit of Knighthood

Once I arrived in this new world (as told in this part of my chronicle), I began to search for a place for myself, a purpose for my existence. I thought it would come through fulfilling my dream of becoming a knight. I set my sights on that goal.

I wandered around a lot in my search. I joined with a company of soldiers that called themselves the Iron Hearts, who served the kingdom as it put down a rebellion. I offered my blade in service to lords in Aethelmearc and Trimaris (both in the Scadian Empire) before I arrived in Kincora (part of the Adrian Empire). There, I entered the service of a Viking jarl.

Unlike some other kingdoms, the Adrian Empire had a well-defined path to knighthood. I threw myself in pursuit of that title. I served my lord in time of war, I represented the Empire, learned about knighthood, and I sought a chance to demonstrate my talents. I finally had my chance at a tournament at my adopted homeland. I managed to defeat three very capable swordsmen, including the Archduke of Kincora himself. Impressed by my efforts, he rewarded me by granting me the title of knighthood. I had achieved my dream!

But there was a problem. What next? Most knights preferred to seek further advancement and recognition, but I found myself discontented. As King Solomon stated: "This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 4:16). It seemed that the point of these titles was simply self-gratification. It was not the noble pursuit of virtue that King Arthur tried to instill in his knights. Far too often I witnessed knights behaving in a less-than-knightly manner. I grew tired the politics that tore at the fabric of the Empire. I began to think of moving on. But where? I wanted to find the perfect kingdom, one where cooperation replaced petty bickering. I began to seek out tales of other lands, carefully considering if it could be my ideal home.

OOC Notes:

• I'm including non medieval LARP experiences in my narrative. The Iron Hearts represent my Civil War re-enacting days. I was with a group that portrayed the 115th NY Volunteers, who fought at Olustee.
• This story briefly tells of my pursuit of a knighthood within the Adrian Empire. My description of my reaction is genuine. While I applaud the Adrian Empire for having set objectives to become a knight, I ultimately grew dissatisfied with Adrian and left less than a year after being knighted.
• Politics was only one of several issues I had with Adria. I also was dissatisfied with its emphasis on tournament. I found that I preferred Dagorhir's and Belegarth's focus on team battles so I was drawn to those games. I also preferred using foam weapons over live steel. Actually, it wasn't the weapons that were a problem, it was the armor. With my bad shoulder, I found it difficult to wear heavy armor for long stretches of time.
• As I grew discontented with Adtia, I began to research other LARP groups, the results of which will be my next story.

Battle of Badon Hill

I previously described how my unit, the Caerleon Legion, met with Arthur's knights at Badon Hill. We took up position on the hill itself while the knights protected the flanks. I was positioned in reserve on the crest of the hill, which afforded me an excellent view of the battle.

The horde of barbarians rapidly approached. They blackened the land like a swarm of locusts. Their war cries echoed throughout the land. Our men grew nervous at the horrific sights and sounds of the advancing enemy. But our commander called out to his. "Worry not, men, for God and Arthur are on our side." That calmed us a tad, and we held our positions in the face of the barbaric horde.

The Saxons did not pause for fancy maneuvering or stratagems. They rushed madly forward, straight at us. Their masses crashed into our line. With spear and shield, we pushed them back. Their dead littered the ground, but their ranks seemed untouched. They attacked again and again, with the same result. We pushed them back, their dead carpeted the field, but our ranks grew smaller. Bit by bit, I found the fight growing closer and closer to me.

Then, unbelievably, Arthur and his knights broke! They spurred their mounts and fled from the battlefield, forgetting about the infantry. We were all alone to fend for ourselves. Panic threatened to overwhelm us. Our commanders urged us to stay calm. If we ran, the enemy would only cut us down. Our only chance was to stick together. One infantry unit did break and run but they were quickly swamped by a surge of barbarians. Spurred by their unfortunate example, we determined to sell our lives dearly.

By now, I found myself in the front line. Once again, the Saxons came rushing up the hill. One particularly large barbarian, naked to the waist and wielding a massive, two-handed battle ax ran straight at me. I raised my shield and readied my sword. His first blow struck my shield with a force like a battering ram. I was stunned by the attack and failed to counter. He wound up and struck again. This time, my shield shattered. The powerful blow knocked me to my knees, dislocated my shoulder, and broke my hand. I leaped back to my feet and raised my sword to parry. He laughed at me, raised the ax above his head, and chopped down. The strike easily knocked my blade from my hand and the ax head rushed at my head.

Then, I believe that Divine Providence took a hand. I felt a pull on the back of my collar and I staggered backward. The Saxon's blow missed my head and instead grazed across the front of my mail hauberk. Nevertheless, the swing was so powerful and the ax so sharp that it tore through the mail and sliced into my skin. A fountain of blood sprayed out; I fell to the ground, pressing my hands upon my wound. The giant barbarian yelled in triumph and rushed forward to finish me off. From behind me, a pair of spears lanced forward, skewering the Saxon. He bellowed in rage, and tried to pull himself forward along the shaft of one of the spears. An arrow then struck him in the eye and he fell dead.

I was lying on the ground, woozy from the loss of blood. I felt a pair of hands grasp me and pull me away from the battle to the top of the hill. There, a surgeon tended to my wound.

As I lie there in a daze, wondering when the barbarians would break through and end us all, I heard the clarion call of a horn. Shouts erupted from our ranks. "Arthur! Arthur! He's back!" Then I saw what seemed like a glorious vision. King Arthur and his knights charged into battle.

Arthur charging into the Saxons
One error in the drawing. On that day, Arthur carried the cross on his shield

As the sun gleamed off their armor, they looked like angels come to our rescue. They plowed into the barbarian horde, parting their ranks like Moses at the Red Sea. They struck left and right, leaving a swathe of Saxon dead in their wake. Their attack was irresistible. Overwhelmed, the Saxons broke and fled from the field. Arthur pursued and struck them down in droves. The Saxons would trouble us no more.

By the way, Arthur did not cravenly retreat, leaving us on our own. It was all a stratagem. With his feigned flight, the Saxons recklessly charged uphill, leaving their flanks exposed. Arthur then regrouped and struck the decisive blow.

What about me? Obviously, I survived. Although it bled a lot, the wound was literally skin-deep. The surgeon was able to patch me up and after a period of convalescence, I was nearly as good as new although I still have the scar from the battle.

OOC Notes:

• This story does not represent any particular LARP event (although great weapons have bedeviled me on plenty of occasions). Instead, I made it up to explain a surgery scar on my stomach. I also dislocated my shoulder when I was younger (playing flag football in ROTC) and a red weapon broke my hand at Summer Slaughter. So this story is an amalgam of personal experiences.
• I found the picture at the Deadliest Blogger but it comes from an earlier source - the Prince Valiant comic by Hal Foster.
• The reference that "Arthur carried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for three days and three nights upon his shield" comes from the Annales Cambriae and is referenced on Wikipedia.