Notes on Victoria

From: robertson_at_delphi.intel.com
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:48:46 -0700


Impressions on a Con

We (my wife Ellen and I) got to Victoria on Thursday, after a week of car trouble, pet wrangling, flying up seperately to Portland, a nice drive up the coast, staying in Seattle (and missing David Dunham), driving to Canada (and getting searched at the border), getting to Victoria (and missing Neil Robinson).

Friday we went to the Miniatures Museum next to the Empress Hotel (very silly), and shopping for jewelry for the Larps. Around noon, we went up to the campus, only to find a number of Con attendees, but no organizers. So, we hung out and traded Natural History stories, Glorantha stories etc. for several hours in front of the Student Union, adding and dropping attendees as time went on. Finally, we decided to take over the Con room, and more people dropped in.

The Welcoming of the Goddess was wonderful fun (though my throat was raw for the rest of the con, haraunging the crowd can be tough!), but at least I didn't (intentionally) join in the Group hugs of our New-age Airy-fairy youth ministry-following group. After was Sing along with Nick, a scarier sound you never want to hear. My wife and I left to go to bed (around 11:30), only to find that our suite was the designated Party suite! More tall tales, good times, etc. The amazing sight wasn't Nick turning off, but, while out like a light, scratchiung his nose AND NOT DROPPING HIS BEER! The next day was my Miniatures Wargame at 9am, attended by 6 people, a good time was had by all, the Lunar General was killed by rebel Cavalry, to end the game at 11:30. Since the Life of Moonson was due to start at Noon, I had to hurry up storing ~300 figures, then run back to my room, get into costume, and hurry back to the pre-game briefing. As Hetman Ignatieff of the Char-un, I soon found myself imbroiled in three plots that had nothing to do with my character or goals, got to meet the Emperor (and almost got made Red Admiral), and ended up King of the Char-un at the end. Wonderful fun, though my boots were less than comfortable!

Sunday's LARP, the Fall of the House of Malan was more good clean fun. As Chief Frohdi of the Grey Dogs, I was able to keep my clan from splitting up, and our distinctive battle-howl also helped keep us together. While the Orlevings and Tree-brothers foreswore their oaths to the King, the Greydogs were loyal, especially after the cowardly murder of Chief Frohdi by that nithing Erland (his brother in law). He shot me in the back with a sever spirit, that b*****d! Invoking the Honor of the Clan, I awakened the spirit of vengeance in Indrodar: Champion of the Malani, Sword of Humakt, and all-around badass. (My vision of him is as a compilation of many Clint Eastwood roles: Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and the High Plains Drifter, to name but three). King Malan, anxious to secure Indrodar's services, asked me what it would take to keep me, my answer was naturally "the head of Erland". Unfortunately, Frohdi's widow (daughter of Malan and sister of Erland) asked for his outlawry. The slippery snake managed to escape to the Colymar - and they made him a member of their ring! Will their perfidy never cease? The truely inspiring sight was the Grey Dogs pulling together even tighter. Indrodar's ex-father (Lornar the Brewer, played by Greg Stafford) came to me to tell me that when I was ready to make my move against Erland, the entire Grey-dog caln would back me, even though I had severed all ties to them upon joining Humakt! Ahh, Family!

I finally tracked Erland down in the court of the Colymar, and challanged him to formal combat. He tried to weasel out of it, until Humakt himself reminded him of his geas - never refuse a challenge. We only had one round of combat before the Colymar bodyguards seperated us (during which time Erland tried again to murder me!). Indrodar left the court of the Colymar a bloody shambles, with guards dead all around.

During that Sacred time, Malan led a heroquest into the Underworld to perform the Lightbringer's quest, while other Kings were down there looking for kingship (or something, I'm not sure what their actual quest was). While they were away (I was taking the part of Elmal, protecting the stead from mythic enemies), one of the Tree-brothers approached the remaining players to perform a Summoning of Evil, to cleanse the land of Broos (a side-effect of Erland's Kin-slaying). They killed a broo (who just happened to resemble Erland, coincidence? I think not!). At the end of Sacred time, all the questers returned, with a new King of Dragon Pass, and Erland, who, it was said, was ritually cleaned of his murder. Yeah, Right.

Martin Laurie (Erland) and I agreed that Indrodar would probably spend the rest of his life tracking down Erland ala "The Duellist" - fighting a series of inconclusive duels until at some point in the far future, they kill each other.

Ellen also played as a young woman of the Grey Dogs. Her goals were to become a member of the Kings Hearth-guard, and to kill Varmand the bandit. She was able to fight Varmand to a standstill (we had a Humakti ambush to catch him). She did join the hearthguard, but never really cut all ties with her family, and the people who were out to kill her father would have been in for a rude shock with the cards she was slipping him!

She nearly married Sandy Peterson's Issaries trader, and when the wedding was broken off (with them literally at the altar), the Grey Dogs would not return the bride-price (six cows, plus some magic item, this was after I became Indrodar, so I don't know all the details). Sandy went to the King of the Colymar for aid, but nothing much came of it (except a contract out on her father, that we didn't know about).

After the larp, we sat around waiting for the KFC chicken to arrive, listening to Sandy, Dave Cheng and others talk about the Gloranthan underdog races. Chicken came (finally), and then the Auction. I managed to be the first to out-bid Andre (flush with secret backing from the German RQ fans, I'm sure), and ended up with the White Wolf 16 that has the cult of Yelm in all it's glory, along with a number of other items (which are in my wife's car, driving down from the Con even as I type). Greg and Neil's Orlanth-Lunar debate was fun, at the end, the assembled clan elders (the audience) was asked if they would rather follow Greg's Lunar Way, or Neil's Orlanthi Traditionalism. My answer was a stage whisper to my wife: "C'mon dear, it's back to Caladraland for us!" and hissed at both suggestions.

A Wonderful time, cheers to the organisers, referees, and players who made it one of my favorite Cons!

Roderick
PS: Erland, keep running. Indrodar


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