By Britta Svensdotir,
Rapier Reporter, PI
In spite of the drizzly rain, 22 Fencers from 6 Kingdoms turned out for the By the Book Tourney, which showcases period rapier styles. Eight styles were represented: Fabris, I33, Talhoffer, Marrozo, Caranza, Meyer, d’All’Agocchie, and Cavendish.
It was run in three pools, best two out of three, with cut and thrust and reduced armor allowed. There were prizes for Best Period Style, won by Katerina die Herrliche of the Midrealm. Using Fabris, most wins, won by Donovan Shinnock of the East. Last, the Best Period Kit, ended up being a three-way tie between Alastair Tucker (East), Drew (Æthelmearc), and Marie La Cousturere (Midrealm). To break the tie, they had a fence-off, which was won by Alastair. Bella di Sicilia said, “I love this tourney because I get to see so many different styles, and watch how people have honed their craft. I really love studying period systems.”
The Atlantian Five Person Tourney had 14 teams divided into two pools. It was run as a single elim, best two out of three, with the top two teams from each pool advancing. Teams were encouraged to come up with amusing names, such as “My Kingdom is better than Your Kingdom” and “Ectoplasmic Chinchillas”. The prize of a pendant for each team member, made by Margaret Ladd, was won by “Chevron over Meridistorean”.
Master Brian de Moray, one of the Marshalls, said that this is one of the longest-running tourneys at Pennsic. It had been run for more than 25 years and was started because the foundation of Atlantian Rapier was melee and Atlantia wanted to promote melee excellence.
Reduced Armor: You may have noticed rapier fighters fencing in short sleeves or shorts. This is part of a reduced armor experiment, initiated to try to reduce heat-related injuries. Master Donova Shinnock, in charge of it, reports that there are currently 11 Kingdoms participating and feedback has been positive. People can choose two out of three areas to reduce: torso, back of the head, or limbs. Cut-and-thrust fighters may participate as long as they still have rigid back-of-the-head protection and elbow pads.
The Rapier Crossroads Battle took place Monday afternoon. It was a one-hour resurrection battle using the same layout that had previously been used for the Armored Bridge Battle.
There were five flags represented by tall poles that were blue on one end and red on the other, set into hay bales on the five bridges. Approximately every 15 minutes Marshalls would check to see what color was up. The Midrealm won the first three time checks. The fourth was a tie because a rapier fighter was carrying a flag but had not yet planted it.
Spears were allowed only on the bridge closest to the castle. Participants and Marshalls agreed that it had been a successful experiment.
Today’s Rapier Events:
10 am Cadet Tourney
10 am Armor as Worn C&T Tourney
10 am Ansteorran Tourney
2 pm Rapier Woods Battle
Tomorrow’s Rapier Events
10 am Novice Tourney
10:30 am Tadcaster Extravaganza
1 pm Baronial Rapier Tourney
8 am to 12 pm Rose Tourney