The Riddle of Steel

Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves!

I had my first EMP (Empire of Medieval Pursuits) experience two weekends ago. It is kind of like SCA but with more in your face full contact fighting. There is still the pageantry, they also include rattan in all their fights. At first I was hesitant, but it was a great experience and an excuse to head south for warmer weather. It was great to see it truly was Conan re-enactment and just cool all around. You can find more information at Riddle Of Steel

First stop was to pick up some fellow passengers from a bus stop here in Durham, NC. Fellow Steel Fighter Orlando Mendez and his wonderful girlfriend took a bus down to Durham and ride with me on the way down to Orlando to keep me sane. I picked them up, and took them to breakfast. We had a few hours to kill before heading off and Orlando got to watch Conan the Barbarian for the first time. I think he should lose some nerd points for never having seen the greatness that which is this movie. It is a little over ten hours to drive to get there. Then it was off on a two hour detour to pick up Matt Biondi as another back up driver and fellow adventurer on our quest to learn the 'Riddle of Steel'.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a great location for the weekend's festivities. Plenty of tents to stow gear, feast, and get out of the sun. The location was very neat and complete with a gladiator fighting pit that ended Saturday's evening festivities. There were options to camp on site, but we opted for staying in a hotel room. I believe next year, I will be staying on site as it provided more opportunities to be festive all around!

First Event - The Caravan

The caravan event is where one team literally drags a wooden wagon weighed down with roughly 250 pounds of stone that represents the treasure that we had to get to the temple. The other team hunts you down and tries to kill the caravan and prevent you from getting the gold to the temple. The first part was pretty easy, as members took turns dragging the wagon through the woods and around, over and through brush.

Then it got crazy. Whoever mapped out the 'trail' needs to be whipped at the post by the king. The second half of the 'trail' was nothing but bogs, heavily wooded areas, and thorny bushes. Our poor team struggled to get that wagon through all of this. Luckily they had some bigger folk on our team which literally picked the wagon up and over fallen logs at waist height. In the end, it was just me hefting that stupid wagon over the logs. I ended up pulling or straining a muscle and was completely wiped.

Needless to say, it was miserable. But we succeeded. However, due to how tough this event was, they cancelled the event and awarded us the the points for the win.


Second Event - Wolf's Run

Instead of running, I re-hydrated with the blood of my enemies

This was the event that took me out of the running for the title of Conan. I didn't participate. Instead, I laid out in the shade, gulped down water, ate pickles, and lathered myself up with biofreeze. It was fun to watch. Basically, one man 'Conan' starts running carrying chains. Then a pack of wolves chase him. Conan has to run to get Crom's sword, then dispatch the three wolves. If the wolves land three blows on Conan, he dies. If Conan lands one blow on each wolf, before taking three blows, he wins.

You get points if you are a wolf or a Conan.

Third Event - Town Raid

Outside of pit fighting, this was my favorite event. Separated into teams, villagers had to defend themselves against a raiding party. The catch, you can only take one strike before dying, and you don't start out with weapons in your hand. The raiders start out with three hit points.

So, we battled it out. We lost a lot as villagers. I believe there was only one case where the villagers prevailed against the raiders. Being able to swap roles and continue to fight made the event a lot of fun. I really wished we got to do more of this.

Fourth Event - Pit Fighting

This was by far my favorite event. Full contact but with the honor system of three blows. I think I performed very well and actually felt comfortable fighting. I won and lost but just being in the pit and fighting someone for the first time is a real thrill. This event makes it a must attend event for me. No, it isn't full steel fighting in a pit to the death, but going full contact with rattan weapons, with striking, kicking, and throws allowed? Sign me up!

This event made it a for sure 'must attend' event every year. Well worth the drive to Orlando!

Post Event Party

The event finished off with our normal type of festivities. Lots of great food, drink, and shenanigans. On Thursday, there was an actual boar hunt with spears and dogs. They were able to harvest 4 boars which provided tons of great food which they cooked and prepared on site. It truly was amazing all the way around. There is nothing that goes better together like fighting and festivities!

See ya' next year!

So that is all for this event. I will be back next year and I have already talked some friends into coming down and joining me for some of this crazy fun. Some are fighters, others from my obstacle course racing and endurance team. I cannot wait! Of course, no event is ever complete without getting our steel fighting selfies with my Steel Sista' Christine!