Belegarth

In Irish mythology, the beginning of the summer season for the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians started at Bealtaine. Great bonfires would mark a time of purification and transition, heralding in the season in the hope of a good harvest later in the year, and were accompanied with ritual acts to protect the people from any harm by Otherworldly spirits, such as the Aos Sí. Like the festival of Samhain, opposite Beltane on October 31 Beltane was also a time when the Otherworld was seen as particularly close at hand.

This is Tir na nOg's (the Dagorhir Unit, not the Belegarth realm) first EVER event, and we really hope to make it a good one! We are busting our posteriors to ensure that everyone has a good time, and hopefully we can do it again next year!

When: April 30th - May 2nd (troll opens at 1pm on Friday)
Where: 1 Orinsekwa Road, Valatie, NY (just follow the signs)
What: Weekend camp-out, Potluck Feast (everyone bring something to share)
Troll Toll: $7

Directions: Google Maps or Mapquest 1 Orinsekwa Road, Valatie, NY and then just follow the signs to Troll Booth.

Merchants are strongly encouraged to come and display their wares! We don't charge any kind of merchant fee, or dues or anything... we just want everyone to come and have a good time, and people always love it when there's cool stuff to buy!

Minimum age for attendance is 14 without a parent or guardian (or someone that is legally responsible for you). You must be 16 to fight (with parental signed and notarized waiver). People 14 and 15 may fight with special permission. Contact Gamhain or Namtar on the Anvard forums to see about getting permission.

The property we will be camping on is absolutely beautiful. The battlefield is a mix of fields, groves and hills, so the fighting is going to be very interesting.

We also have our own lake! We have a dock and a diving raft, so feel free to go swimming. Just don't swim alone at night.

Activities on the agenda:

Friday:
Troll opens at 1pm
Weapons Pre-Check
Camp set-up
Bonfire
"Welcome to Tir na nOg" meet and greet party

Saturday
Weapons Check
Battles
Weapon Tournaments
Potluck Feast
Bardic Competition
Tir na Nog Court (Rank-up and honor ceremonies)
Beltaine Celebration*

Sunday
Pack up
Say goodbye

*Celebration will include:
Bonfire
Dance of the May Queen and the Green Man
Music and Drumming
Lighting of a Wicker Man! (Due to scheduling conflicts, Nicholas Cage will not be sacrificed, unfortunately)

I'll almost certainly be there.

This event needs a name...

Feast of Beltaine (FoB)?

'Cause, while it's gonna be fun, it's no Beltaine (Dur D represent).

The battles that we are planning to run are mostly lore-based, and we certainly hope that everyone will enjoy them.

Among our planned battles are:

The Cattle Raid of Cooley
Multi-team, capture-the-flag battle. Each team will have a certain number of cattle (flags) that are kept in their base. The objective is to steal (through stealth or force of arms) as many cattle from other teams as you can, and return them to your own base. Cattle must be carried with both hands. IE: You cannot fight while carrying a sheep. At the end of the battle, the team with the most number of cattle in their pen is the winners.

The "flags" will be shaped like sheep, just to make it more fun/realistic. And before anyone makes any sick jokes, this is Ireland, NOT Scotland.

Seely vs. Unseely Courts (Titania v. Méabh )
The Queens of Winter and Summer are at war. Both have gathered armies and have chosen a champion and now fight for dominance. Having seen this, the wild Fae, those not aligned to a court, have joined the battle and seek to slay the champions.

(Three teams [2:2:1] Kill the Queen (must be female), Two largest teams (the two courts) have a Queen. Queens each have a rez-point and can rez if she has followers remaining. Once all followers are dead, Queen may not Rez. Followers do not rez. Only Champon or Queen can permanently kill a Queen. Each Court has a Champion (Must be male), which can only be killed by the other champion or a Wild Fae. The Champion can sacrifice himself to revive their queen and may not be rezed (Champion is out of the game). Game end when one court is fully killed. The Wild Fae have a rez point and cannon win. (A Wild Fae cannot kill a queen.)

Battle for Arctic Tor
It is the height of summer and the summer court (Titania) has stormed the castle of Queen Mab in the middle of Winter's domain. The forces of summer must take the castle and defeat Mab before the middle of the solstice and winter starts gaining power.

(Castle Battle, Timed, Queens rez on 10 count.)

Battle of the May Queen
The War of the Fae has caused the mortal world to be struck into turmoil, if there is any hope of surviving the next winter they will need the blessing of the May Queen for a good growing season. The only problem is that there are two kingdoms fighting for the mantle. As the two armies clash each side strives to hold the Mantle and keep it within the Sacred circle to perform the rituals of Beltaine.

(Two Sides, timed, Rez w/ owner of Mantle rez shut off, Attack/Def changing sides.)
If the May Queen/King is killed. The person who kills the queen/king becomes the new queen/king and the attackers must defend them inside the circle. The Queen/King may NOT fight or Rez. They may hold equipment, but any equipment struck counts as a hit to the limb holding it.)

____________________________________________________________

These are only some of the battles that we are planning to hold. There will also be pick-up battles, a couple no-rez battles, etc.

Arrakis wrote:I'll almost certainly be there.

'Cause, while it's gonna be fun, it's no Beltaine (Dur D represent).

That's why its not just Beltaine. It's the Anvard Beltaine Celebration. Or Feast of Beltaine works too.

It's not just an event, it is a high-holiday on the pagan calendar.

EDIT: Changed the name to Feast of Beltaine to appease the grumpy hobgoblin... damned greenskins and their sense of intellectual property law.

Just trying to prevent confusion, my fairy friend.


Is a hobgoblyn automatically Wyld Fae?

Grumpy Greenskin wrote:Is a hobgoblyn automatically Wyld Fae?

Greenskins would probably be either Wyld Fae, or fighting for the Winter Queen.

Its basically like D&D alignments.
Winter Queen = Evil
May Queen = Neutral/Good
Wyld Fae = Chaotic/Neutral

If anyone wants any additional information about the event, please feel free to send me a PM.

Oh by the way... we have a cannon. And we're going to make use of it.

A real cannon.

I don't like the name.. causes confusion. Dur-D has been running Beltaines for a dozen years or so...

I have to agree with Cryn.

I think that's the same weekend Aquilonia is hosting the Festival of Ragnarok...

Heh heh heh.

I tried to tell him but these ****' New Englanders refuse to listen to my Southern *...

Arrakis wrote:Heh heh heh.

I tried to tell him but these ****' New Englanders refuse to listen to my Southern *...

its cause they cant understand you

It's even on the same weekend...groan. This is going to cause a lot of "I meant the other Beltaine.. bla bla bla"

Kinda like Gates of Summer/Gates of Fire confusion. Ask Dominion how much they liked that. Events need to have distinct individual names.

[sarcasm] Tor, let's hold the Festival of Ragnarok the same week as Dagorhir's Ragnarok That wouldn't be rude or disrespectful would it ? [/sarcasm]

Yeah, I know there's another event that celebrates the High Holiday of Bealtaine, hence why I specified that it was a Dagorhir event, posted it in the "Other Medieval Recreation Sports" forum, and purposefully changed the name from Beltaine Celebration to Anvard's Feast of Beltaine.

It falls on the same weekend because... thats when Beltaine is (May 1st.) It's a holy day in the Pagan calendar and -since my Dag unit is Celtic-Pagan themed, I felt that we should celebrate the coming of summer in an appropriate fashion.

Since it is the actual name of a Gaelic holiday, I didn't think using the name (of which -when I started planning the event- I was unaware another event of such name existed) would cause such trouble. I see it the same as two different events called "Father Christmas" and "Christmas Feast". Same principle, in my opinion.

I apologize if this causes confusion or is in any way considered disrespectful or rude. Such was not my intent.

Besides, Dur Demarion is so far from upstate New York, I really don't think there's going to be any conflict of people trying to decide which one to go to.

Dur Demarion. Dur Dagnir was a unit in Massachusetts who is now known as Oakthorn.

Arrakis wrote:Dur Demarion. Dur Dagnir was a unit in Massachusetts who is now known as Oakthorn.

Fixed. Sorry bout that.

Changed the name of the event because -after careful consideration- Athron of Eryndor has made a very strong, argument to me and since I am new to Bel, I really don't want to come into it seeming like a d-bag. My sincerest apologies to the folks of Dur-Demarion, and I hope to come some year to the actual Beltaine event and bring peace offerings of whiskey and song.

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.

-Gamhain Aisling Mac Lir.

Good call on the name change...and a really great name to have picked. Too bad I am out in Montana...well and that it's a Dag event, but it sounds like fun. Wish you all the best.

I actually like the new name a lot. Well played.

For being cool, I'll mix you up something at Feast of the May Queen that'll make your tongue slap your brain out.

I like the new name !! Thank you so much for understanding.

Athron is a wise man.

Hope you have a wonderful event !

Well, now that all the hullabaloo over the event title is sorted out, I would like to inform anyone who is planning on attending that:

We have our own lake, so bring swimming gear -unless you feel like swimming skyclad in relatively cold water.

It is going to be springtime in the Hudson Valley, so be sure to bring lots of bug repellent (damned mosquitos).

The feast saturday night is POTLUCK, so everyone bring food to share. We plan on making buffalo steaks and a bunch of corned beef and cabbage.

The celebration on Saturday night involves the Dance of the May Queen, and the lighting of a wicker man and we will need as many drummers as possible. I cannot stress that enough BRING DRUMS.