Photo by Sean Sreamac
Duchess Sir Elina of Beckenham
OL, OR, OP, KSCA
Oh, what a picturesque morning it was! The sun greeted us warmly while the wind had just a little too much coffee. It was the perfect day for the annual walk-in-the-woods we call the Woods Battle, an elevated capture-the-flag event. This year followed some of the most successful formats of previous years with stationary flags and time checks to determine ownership. The time check is more or less around the 30, 60, and final time at 90 minutes. The sneaky slip of time to make the count is to prevent one side from saving up their troops and attacking at the last second and gaining the flag when the other side has been in possession for the majority of time.
This year, with fewer fighters in the woods than took to the bridges, the battle had more space for daring dashes and nimble maneuvers. At the outset, the Midrealm Dragon guarded every banner as if they were the crown jewels. But the Eastern Tyger, with fire in its eyes, challenged the Dragon’s dominance, managing to seize one before the second time check. By the final cannon’s roar, the Tygers impressively claimed another banner. However, the day belonged to the Midrealm, scoring 6 to the Eastern’s 3.
Beyond the scores, though, the day’s highlight was the spirit of camaraderie. People who have been annual enemies stopped a moment to be eternal friends and assist each other, allowing weapons to be retrieved and talking through blows that might have caused hard feelings in the past. The Marshals would like to thank all those who fought honorably and well. The Fighters would like to thank the Marshals for keeping the war moving and safe. Everyone wants to thank the water- and food-bearers for keeping us hydrated and filled.