[Ansteorra] First Event

[Chris Zakes]

At 10:45 PM 9/21/2006, you wrote:
>At 06:08 PM 9/21/2006 -0400, you wrote:
> >My first event was a coronation for Duke Inman, and was in June of 1991.
> >
> >After that I jumped in with both feet.
> >
> >  ldy Innes
>
>
>I believe everyone's first event should be a coronation.  They make such an
>impression.  My first event was Duke Inman's last coronation on Jan. 22, 1993.
>It was marvelous; I was captured heart and all.
>
>Lady Bicé


<chuckle> That only works for certain values of 
"everyone." My first event was the Quest for the 
Lost River, in what eventually became Bjornsborg 
(I believe they were calling it "Bear's Fort" or 
possibly "The Wastes" in those days.) This was a 
*very* important event, because **THE KING** was there.

Young whippersnappers (like Alden <G>) who can 
see the king at pretty much any event they choose 
may not realize how significant this was. Y'see, 
this event was on Thanksgiving weekend in AS 10 
(1975.) This part of the Known World was still 
part of Atenveldt--which in those days included 
the areas that later became the kingdoms of 
Artemesia, the Outlands, Gleann Abhann, Meridies 
and Trimaris--"Ansteorra" wasn't even a gleam in 
anybody's eye yet. Crown Tourneys and Coronations 
were almost always held in the Phoenix/Tucson 
area, and this was the first time the king had 
*ever* visited this part of the Known World. 
Although I was at the coronetting ceremony for 
all three of Ansteorra's princes, I didn't see an 
actual coronation until that of Jonathan and 
Willow in early summer of AS 14 (1979.)

The site used for Lost River was in McAlister 
Park, on the northern outskirts of San Antonio. 
The area we were in was a small campground, down 
a trail from the parking area, so there were 
*very* few mundane distractions. Walking down 
that trail felt very much like walking down a 
time tunnel, leaving the 20th century behind. 
There was a "swashbuckling list", which, since I 
was in the Rice University fencing club at the 
time, was a major reason I attended. Driving home 
afterwards, I said to myself "y'know, that could 
be a lot of fun, if it was done right." I can 
recall just sitting there with a big grin on my 
face for several hours after I got home.

Looking back, I'm sure the majority of our 
clothes were painful newbie-attempts (I know 
*mine* was) and most of the armor was freon cans, 
hockey gloves and the like. The tents were *all* 
modern and I've been told that there was some 
nasty political infighting going on in the local 
group at that time. But I didn't notice any of 
that. As Lady Bicé said, "It was marvelous; I was captured heart and all."

         -Tivar Moondragon