Hey, Nightingale, welcome to the sport! It looks like you're out in a bit of a deadzone as far as Belegarth goes. There aren't currently any Louisiana realms, so that kinda narrows your options However, that doesn't mean that you can't still fight. Grab a few interested friends, make or buy some equipment, and just fight. Get a few more interested people, get some more equipment, and fight bigger battles. Before you know it, you've got a realm.
Of course, it isn't as easy as that, but it's along those lines. If you think that's an option you're willing to explore, then check out the
Geddon, the
New Realm Starter Kit, and lurk around the boards a bit. You'll find a lot of very useful tools and a lot of helpful advice to help you get going. As for equipment, if you want to build your own, check out the
How to Build section of the Geddon. It has a bunch of very simple and easy to follow directions for constructing your first set of equipment. If you're looking to buy some professionally made equipment, check out
Forged Foam. They make some top notch equipment that can get you off your feet without any hassle.
Please post again with any other questions you have.
Cheers,
Thurat