Land of Salvania

 The second LARP event for Alliance Atlanta was held recently.  Here are some images (mostly of my kit). Friday check-in.  The cold was already starting to settle over us. This was my garb for most of the event.  The fur stole was way too hot, so this is its only apperance. Watching for bandits (and worse) from the tavern porch. Saturday was a little warmer, but still needed layers. Saturday night before the big midnight battle.  Light rain had started, and the ambiance was grim.  Powerful elementals were rifting in, and the little skirmishes were getting heavier as more appeared.  It took about 50 (yes, 50!) of us in a pitched battle to finally save the day.  A friend took much more professional photos, and I'll be sharing them soon.  Here are a few more of the general event. /// Copyright

My LARP shield did great at the recent Alliance Atlanta January Event.  Here are a couple of photos. This is the final version.  I added weathered "metal" bands, rivets, and more battle damage. She took a beating during the two-day event, but she held up well in the cold and rain. You can see some of the blue foam starting to re-appear where most of the hits landed.  /// Copyright

This DIY will focus more on the final art steps, and less on the savage construction steps. Each step has been faithfully copied from the ancient Elvenari scrolls at the White River scriptorium by Bard Galen in the fifth year of King Nordram.   Step 1: Slam thy boogie boards onto the rack under the shade of watching trees. Tis ok to be rough. Verily, they like it that way. (We have a “Buy Nothing” group in my area that you can use to offer free items you have and ask for free items you need. I got these from that group. Cost = zero!) Step 2: Flay the skin right off to reveal the harsh truth underneath. Slice deeply into the white, tender flesh and force thy straps all the way in. Test thy adhesive (see green circles) to assure thy alabaster beauty will feel no pain. (The brown leather strap is for my hand, and the black nylon strap is for my forearm. This view shows the outside of the shield. The black tape is reinforcing the area where the straps meet the cuts. The straps ar...

  (From the series "Gerantus and Pall") Pall glided overhead in silence, just another shard of midnight breeze. Gerantus, accustomed to his friend's terrifying hunting skills, stood at the edge of the Dreamwood with his lamp, thorns tugging at his woolen trousers. They had been on alert all night, Pall circling among the stars and Gerantus cursing the thorns, as the battle raged in the distance. "We are old and pitiful," Pall had said the day before. "Let the children play at death. They'll never learn to hate it unless they feel it." "Speak for yourself," Gerantus had grunted even as he felt the familiar twinge in his lower back. "We have some role to play yet. I know it." So here they were at midnight, seeking some way to help without feeling as useless as a first-time father watching his mate give birth. "Maybe we can spot retreating enemy and finish them," Gerantus had offered as the sun had set and the sound o...

  Ulrich the Northman, unencumbered by the heavy armor worn by the cowards around him, waded into the fray, swinging his "borrowed" mace with devastating efficiency. By the gods, it was a new year, and he felt great! He smashed his way through the battling men until he reached within arrowshot of the enemy king. As poorly aimed arrows rained down - none within a sword length - he realized that it might be wise to put something between the king's archers and his tender skin. He turned and brained an enemy knight who had just raised his sword for a killing blow. As the soldier twitched, Ulrich removed his dented breastplate and strapped it on. But, by the time he had sorted out the unfamiliar straps, the battle had moved, and the king had departed with his retinue. Ulrich resolved to stop playing it so safe this year. He tossed off the breastplate with a savage grin. /// Copyright