From the Front Lines: Warren War

This past weekend, a fierce battle raged between the Baronies of Aquaterra and Lion's Gate. The glorious forces of Aquaterra met the invaders from the north in the Shire of Shittimwoode, engaging them both in deadly battle and in contests of arts, games, and bardic skill.

My own part in this contest was as a rapier fighter (fought for Aquaterra in the traditional "sheep stealing" scenario, victory to Lion's Gate despite our best efforts and superior numbers), and as one of the seven competitors for the bardic championship in a double-elimination tournament (I was eliminated single-handedly by the eventual victor, Darcy (sp?), also from Aquaterra).

Our other rapier scenarios included the "papal ascension" scenario, in which we divided into three teams of five (French, Italian, and Spanish), each with a pope. The goal was to have the last remaining pope. We also did a "street battle" on a road all of five feet wide, which was notable mostly for the guy who, faced with five to one odds towards the end of the scenario, managed to take down four of his attackers before being finished off.

At the bardic I performed:
1st round, win, "Save me a seat in Valhalla" (filk, mine)
2nd round, loss, "The Impossible Dream" (from Man of La Mancha)
3rd round (theme: Puppies), win, an improvizational filk of "Hap'n Frog of Cambreath" (which became "Puppy Dog sittin' by the trail/his tongue's hangin' out and he's waggin' his tail/... How Many Fleas Are On Your Hide!")
4th round (theme: friends), loss, "Man of La Mancha" (from "Man of La Mancha).

I was rather proud of the filked filk, since I had about twenty minutes to come up with it (from the time the round theme was announced to the time my turn came up). Chris came up with some of the words, including the "how many fleas are on your hide" bit, and I was very happy with the result, even if it didn't hold a candle to the improvised entries for the final round (double theme: doughnuts and stars). Three of the four previous "bunny bards" were present for the tournament: Nicholas (BB1), Caiaphas (BB2), and Quentin (BB4, outgoing champion).