Knights and squires from around the Barony of Tir Ysgithr fought for the amusement of the UA community and for Their Excellencies, Baron Sir Tighearnain the Hound and Baroness Sabiha the Serene, or Charles and Renee Amaral. Hosted by the UA branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, The College of St. Felix, the Renaissance Faire attracted around 120 people last night, half of whom were UA students and Tucsonans with their friends and family.
The fair was divided into four sections on the UA Mall. At one end, Lady Ainaiyra al-Rashn, or SCA co-adviser Kelli Daher, led her troupe of belly dancers to entice passersby. If that was not enough to excite their blood, two stages were set up for hand-to-hand combat, one for rapier duelists, another for “”hard suits”” or armored combatants. A tented pavilion with Renaissance-era crafts bookended the fair.
Undeclared freshmen Kahtia Hall and Sarah Mitchell were in the area and had stopped by to check out the festivities.
“”It’s like a different and kooky style, and I like that. I like people dressing up. Oh, I really want to learn how to use a sword. That has been like a lifelong dream ever since I saw ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ I just wanted to learn how to use a sword,”” Hall said. “”It’d be really cool to know how to use a rapier. Not that many people have that talent.””
After an SCA member explained how members earn titles, Hall and Mitchell decided to duel each other in the crown tournament so that the winner can be crowned as queen while the runner-up can be crowned as princess. After they began a sandal duel, Hall and Mitchell decided to use their Dungeons and Dragons names for their future titles, Lady Mermurladia of Paladia and Lady Cassandra Lita Bonita, respectively
Rapier fighters and hard suits gathered in their respective arenas and split into two teams of five for an all-out melee, a fight between multiple people on opposing sides. As they faced off, the rapier fighters made feints to test each other’s defensive line. The hard suit melee, however, was brutal. Knights and mercenaries howled before charging at each other with their bamboo swords, spears and axes bearing down on steel armor and shields. Each round lasted no more than two minutes.
By the end of the night, armored combatants stripped down to lighter clothing and turned toward bagpipes and drums to perform for the finale: a water balloon fight. SCA members and visitors, including Hall and Mitchell, faced off for the last melee. After a thorough soaking, SCA members packed up their wares, cleaned up the Mall and headed home to prepare for their modern lives.
