Hear ye, Lords and Ladies,
Knights and Squires,
and Persons of Arms!
We make it known to you that a deed of arms will be performed by all comers of good will
at Waupoos in the County of Prince Edward (we hope)
from the 13th to the 16th of August in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and fifteen,
and the Red Knight and the lords and ladies of his livery
will hold the field against all comers of good will for two days,
and there they will also dance and sing and lead a joyous life. Attendees will be expected to have their kit--clothing, armour and tentage--in the span 1375-1425.
Please fill out the form below. Pay now if you can, and at the event if you cannot.
YOU MUST REGISTER ON ARRIVAL AT THE SITE AS WELL, but this will greatly speed the process. Food is paid on site and NOT in advance.
Schedule below, and rules for the lists, and other goodies. Check back from time to time.
Schedule
Red Knight 2015 Schedule
General: We are in the fields below a County Historical site dedicated to the history of Loyalist Settlement in Prince Edward County. The Rose House is about 250 meters from us up a sharp little hill and in the sun it can be ‘a walk.’ However, I would encourage as many people as possible to visit the site AND to do a little interpretation here, especially if you can make connections between your own kit and 18th c. England, France or Germany. We are bringing a half-dozen 18th c. reenactors to help with interpretation. Bottom line – if you are bored, go up to the Rose House. J
On Arrival: You must register. Please do not set up until 1) you register and 2) you have received a tent site from QM Pearl Chen or CGC or the officer of the day. Modern Camp? Still register first. We still don’t want your car in the camp any longer than it takes to drop off. Thanks! BTW… you’ve already registered on line? You STILL need to register at the desk and sign in.
Wednesday August 12th
Set up crew only. You know who you are.
Thursday August 13th
10 AM Site Open
6PM Site becomes 1385 (Does not mean you can’t drive in and drop off after this. Simply that before 6PM Thursday, no one need make any attempt to do anything but set up. After that point, it’s a reenactment. From this point, drive in, drop your stuff at your assigned site, and drive away. People are trying to reenact J )
Friday August 14th
0800 Compagnia Breakfast
1000 Officer’s Call * All are welcome, but only event officers (see below) should speak.
After 10AM Open Lists
Open Archery
1PM Greg Mele Basic swordsmanship, (Rose House)
3PM Greg Mele, Basic spear (Rose House)
3PM Armoured combat, Pole axe and half sword, Jason Smith
(NB this is totally deliberate. We’ll show men-at-arms and knights training to separate regimens and I’ll do a little interpretation if we have a public) (Might want to repeat this Sunday if we have the energy)
4PM
5PM PAY PARADE (there’s not another one.)
7:30 PM Dinner
Saturday August 15th
NB No cars in camp w/o permission of QM Pearl Chen or CGC
0900 Officer’s Call* Again, all are welcome, but only event officers (see below) should speak.
1000 Armed in Camp/Muster. All military personnel and non-combatants to muster at their tents for tent inspection then proceed to the parade to be mustered and inspected by the representatives of Florence, or whatever state is hiring us. OK, really, a giant photo op. Be ready. Tent inspection means your period tent closed or open and authentic. No one is going inside to inspect your stuff, but no modern should be visible at all. Anywhere. Period.
1030 DEED. Proceed from muster to the lists (hard by the camp). We’ll process, or march, depending on what word you like. Red and Green teams will open the lists. Formal deed commences.
Deed of arms will alternate rounds with archery events. However, at least one archery event will be left for 1500 so that men-at-arms who also shoot can participate. J
Lunch will be served to Deed participants by their squires and pages. Deed will continue without interruption, including some archery.
2PM Interpretation Program. ‘Middle Ages to Loyalist Settlement’ selected individuals will depart the deed to support the Rose House Historical programming. AT ROSE HOUSE.
3PM final archery event, possibly at Rose House, depending on where our straw bales are J
LAUNDRY if we can do it. More later. If we can, it will run 2PM to 5PM.
4PM Schola Magdelena at the Rose House
7PM Dinner/Feast. You’ll be sitting in the grass or on a period seat of your providing. No modern seats, no modernities of any kind. Pouring rain? We get wet. Or you brought a period shelter.
8PM dancing and singing. Possibly with support from Schola Magdelena
9PM and after… various forms of lewd and drunken behavior.
Sunday August 16th
NB No cars in camp until 3PM unless you have permission from the QM Pearl Chen or CGC
9AM Mass (find CGC at 8:50 at the cars and I’ll lead a convoy)
11AM Formation. The whole of the Compagnia and any ‘volunteers.’ Full harness. ALL archers. We’ll march to the Rose House and then perform a piece of serious experimental archaeology. Possibly with public. Archers need AT LEAST 5 target arrows per archer (15 would be better). In this experiment, the archers are the stars. All men-at-arms will be arranged with best armoured in the front rank and lesser armoured in the second rank. Every field/lance need a long spear, at LEAST 8 feet. We will practice a possible interpretation of the White Company ‘Advance to contact with archery’ as proposed by the 14th c. chronicler Villani. We need someone to film it.
1PM open lists at the Rose House
1PM Open archery at the Rose House
3PM pack out may begin. If you have a long drive, please ask CGC or Quartermaster Pearl Chen for permission to take a car into camp.
4PM lists closed
7PM dinner for those still in attendance
Monday, 17 August
You have to leave now. J
Pack out day. Cars in camp any time after 8AM
Definitions –
CGC = Christian Cameron (AKA The Captain)
QM = Quarter Master – the officer responsible for where you sleep and what you eat and other exciting things.
OOD/Officer of the Day = an officer of the Compagnia who handles routine camp matters during the day. Please don’t go to the Captain unless the OOD was unable to help you.
Officers (these are the events officers and are in charge of managing and creating the event and the lists. No ‘battlefield’ command is implied. Food and sleep outrank ‘battle’
CGC = Christian Cameron, Captain
Aurora Simmons, Notary
Nicholas Cioran, Marshal
Leonard Heidebrecht, Marshal
Greg Mele, Primus Pilus and Red Team Captain
Christopher Duffy, Gonfalonier and Green Team Captain
Pearl Lynn Chen, Quarter Master
Abby Heidebrecht, Head Woman
And the corporals are all officers as well:
Bernard Emmerich
Chase Patterson
Steve Sandford
Robert Gallasch
Matt Heppe
Rules’ of the Lists for the Formal Deed of
Arms at Red Knight III
NB. There will be open lists Friday and Sunday for engaging in WMA related sport-combat. Friday will also include lessons. On Friday and Sunday, combatants and Marshals may decide on any rules mutually agreeable and safe, and use any weapons, and combatants may wear non-period safety equipment (fencing masks/That Guy helmets, etc) or padded jupons, etc. The following rules apply only to the FORMAL DEED on Saturday.
Armour
Only armoured combatants may participate in the formal lists, to be held Saturday.
Armoured means:
· A generally homogenous half or full harness in the style of the late 14th century.
· The combatant has a haubergeon of riveted or welded maille
· A pair of steel gauntlets that cover the entire hand (except the inside, obviously) and wrist.
· A period helmet with a period visor, both of at least 16 gauge steel. Helmets with pierced visors or perforated steel mesh may be worn, however the combatant will be held to be open faced, and hits scored accordingly (see below).
· A cup or other modern groin protection
· Plate arms or similar, in period style, that must cover the entire elbow and forearm. Optional, but distinctly recommended.
· A breast plate or coat of plates or similar, in period style. Also optional, but recommended.
· Leg armour is not required. However, no participant may grapple unless wearing leg harness. Further, a fully armoured combatant may not grapple if her opponent lacks leg harness. No combatant may use the hache or poleaxe unless he or she be in full, cap a pied harness. The decisions of the marshals as to the safety and authenticity of harness are final.
· In short, you CAN fight in a mail haubergeon and padded arming coat, good helmet and good gaunts with safety pieces for groin and elbows. You will be ‘light’ and considered ‘heavily advantaged’ but you’ll STILL have fun.
· In doubt? Ask a marshal.
Combatants in incomplete harness (not cap-a-pied) will be held to HAVE AN AVANTAGE over fully armoured knights, not a disadvantage, as they have an advantage in mobility, breath and their opponent will not willingly try to strike them in unarmoured areas, as would have been expected historically.
Weapons
Although weapons will be available, combatants are expected to bring their own arms.
Swords:
Albion Lichtenauer, Arms and Armour longsword, Darkwood Armouries longsword or chivalric fighting sword or similar. No Feders or shaped blades with riccasso additions. Feel free to ask a Marshal.
Spears:
Purpleheart armoury rubber tips, or Darkwood armoury steel tips. Or see the Marshals.
Axes: Metal poleaxes are forbidden. Axe heads will be made of rubber, such as those sold by Windrose or Purpleheart Armouries.
Rules for Combat
All combats will be of counted blows, either 3, 6, or 12.
In this deed, counted blows has the following meaning:
· Each combatant will have a set number of blows to throw. Marshals will call the number of blows thrown.
· Feints may well be held to be blows. Be aware that a provocation or feint will probably appear to the Marshal as a blow.
· Whether a blow lands or is covered or is thrown out of distance and strikes only air, the set number of blows is the number of blows.
· When a combatant’s blows are used, she must simply cover.
Safety Considerations
· No blow may be struck against any part of an opponent that is totally without protection.
· Grapples, locks, and throws. It should be sufficient to get a lock or begin a throw. Combatants should chivalrously concede when they have been out grappled and not require to be flung to the ground. However, as long as both combatants are in full harness, throws are perfectly allowed. Marshals are asked to explain actions when they stop them, for the benefit of the art and the judges. So for example “I saw Ser Gregario lock Ser Christian’s arm and I stopped the action’ helps everyone understand. A flick of Ser Christian’s sword would indicate that he acknowledges the quality of the blow (and would, also be a chivalrous thing to do)
· Any combatant who, in the opinion of the Judges or Marshals, is striking too hard or with uncontrolled blows will be asked to leave the lists. A second warning will result in the end of that combatant’s participation.
· Any blow that injures a combatant, no matter how well-intentioned, will be constituted ‘foul’ and will end that engagement with victory adjudged to the injured combatant. Please, no soccer/football acting. J
Scoring
No ‘points’ will be scored at all.
Sidebar: One 16th c German convention, used in and out armour, is that there is a marshal for each side counting blows (in the unarmoured version it isn't blows, but passes that are counted), and how many of them land. At the end each marshal announce how many blows his side scored. Interestingly, in the burgher, unarmoured version the third marshal is the judge and can break a tie, in the knightly version the prevailing lord declares a victor, no matter what is announced. We may experiment with this.
After a clear engagement end (blows struck home, a combatant is thrown or out of the lists, etc) Marshals will call a halt and allow combatants to breathe. Otherwise, action is continuous.
At the end of the set number of blows, the judges will decide who they thought was ‘best’. So it is unimportant whether a blow ‘counts.’ Pommel strikes, slashes to armour, thrusts to breast plates… will all be judged in the context of the action.
Guidance for Marshals and Judges: A thrust to maille if better than a thrust to plate. A cut to maille is of little value. A cut to plate of no value at all, save if it stops an opponent’s action or affects his balance. A thrust or cut to an open visor (IE, a grill or mesh visor) is a fight ender; a similar blow to a full visor is incidental contact. A pommel strike can be incidental contact or a fight ender… you have to decide for yourself. We would prefer blows to be too light than too heavy; no fighter should ever request that his opponent hit him harder, especially when fighters are aiming blows at throat, face, and joints. No blow ever needs to ‘rock’ or ‘move’ an opponent.
Point of Confusion: In light of the "there are no points", and blows are based on those thrown not landed then why do the judges need to keep track of what is a good hit? ANSWER Because Judges and marshals and team captains who will eventually vote for who was ‘best’ need a vague but real standard on which to base opinion.
The quality of a fighter is as much in her chivalry as in his fighting. Gentle behavior is to be prized at all times. This is not lip service.
In the end, it is your judgement of the quality of the fight and the participants, and not their individual actions. It is totally possible that one beautiful move may cause you to choose a combatant who ‘scored’ fewer ‘points.’ We are asking you to judge on the quality of fighting and the art displayed and the courtesy and authenticity. This is not Olympic fencing.
Matching
Armoured Combatants will be on teams, red and green. Green, the forest team, are the Tenans or ‘home’ and red, are the ‘away’ or venans. Please note that this is, deliberately, intramural within the ‘Compagnia’ and in no way marks ‘division.’
Each Red team member will have a number, and each green team member will have a letter. Pairings will be done before the event, and aside from the opening meetings of the two captains, will be random.
In the first round, random pairings, with the Venans choosing weapons and strokes.
In the second round, random pairings, with the Tenans choosing weapons and strokes.
In the third round, the Duke/Sir Richard will declare what engagements he wishes to see, with what weapon, and how many strokes.
In the last round, Robin Hood/Steve Sandford will declare what engagements he wishes to see, with what weapon and how many strokes.
We may, depending on time and fatigue, have Sir Richard and Robin exchange, so that first one and then the other will nominate a fight.
Every combatant is guaranteed 4 fights.
If, when all rounds are fought, there are combatants desirous of other exchanges, and time allows, then pair of combatants may approach the Duke and request to perform a deed of arms.
Please note that in each case, combatants need to be ready and laced up when their combat is called. They should enter, salute, and fight, and then leave. There are many combatants and every one deserves a chance to show their prowess.
Fatigue and water and squires
To fight in the lists, each team must furnish at least four squires or pages. If team sizes increase, there MUST be 1 squire per two combatants. They must remain in attendance and will be under the guidance of a Master Squire throughout the combat.
They must come with the equipment to provide water for their knights in an authentic manner (cups and pitchers).
Every armoured combatant MUST have a stool or chair. This is not optional.
Any combatant may at any time declare that he has done enough.
Any combatant deemed dehydrated or fatigued will have been deemed to have done enough. No dishonor is intended.