[DFT] Defender Thoughts

[Baron of Elfsea via Dragonsfire-tor]

Greeting!

If you didn’t already know the greatness which was Defender, then all of
the positive messages, thank you posts and reports should be a pretty good
indication! We could not have wished for a better event as our first
Defender. Here are some moments that stood out for us:

The Friday night traveler’s fare, hosted by Dragonsfire Tor, was a
pleasure. It was great to take a moment to relax after the drive to the
site and camp setup. Folks were tired, but still had plenty of smiles and
laughs.

Speaking with the fighters before the lists began on Saturday morning and
watching the respect shown to Her Excellency by the rapier community. Duke
Lochlan and Duchess Antigone ran very good lists.

Lady Eleanor and her crew provided a refreshing sideboard for us, Their
Majesties and Their Highnesses. It was so good, we had to fight the bees
for dessert!

The OOPs competition was tough! There was fine chair by Capten Rhys, a MOD
mantle by HL Aurelia, a kampfrau dress by Mistress Adelaide and roman garb
by Lady Aureliana. The quality was on par with any artisan competition we
have judged.

The Academie graduation ceremony was neat. These good gentles took time
every month to attend classes and learn more about the SCA. Three of them
received AoAs at the event – Flavia, Astridr and Aureliana.

The youth boffer and rapier fighting was a hoot. It was great to see the
people around the list cheer the kids, react to good shots and creative
deaths. These children are our future and moments like these reinforce what
is great about the SCA.

Announcing our Defenders: Sir Louis, Master Miguel and Lord Angus at
evening court. I challenged Lord Angus to a friendly match at Guardian of
the Tor to atone for our absence from the range.

The feast was simply amazing. The food was fabulous and the spirit around
the hall was joyous. People had a great day in the beautiful weather and
spent the meal enjoying each other’s company.

The bardic fire that evening reminded us of times past. The bardic activity
of Master Alden’s vigil carried over into the evening.

Sunday morning breakfast is something we may have to continue. Some of us
met in the hall for scrambled eggs and sausage. Others joined us and
brought whatever they had to share. We grew from five people to over a
dozen. We told stories about what we saw the previous day and talked about
the fun we were going to have the rest of the morning.

We had an absolutely great weekend and we thank each of you that had a part
in making the magic happen for so many others. You have our appreciation.

William
Baron