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Friday, September 12, 2014

Fresh Faces- Brendan "Hayden" Lam



Photo by Britini Chandler
How did you learn about Realms?
I was browsing my friends Facebook Page saw her in garb and completely lost my s*** because I did not know that we had a LARPing club at my university I asked her about it and she directed me to Rivers(Britini Chandler) and she told me about the realms. In literally, about say, a minute or two I was hooked; I immediately started to plan out what spells I wanted to get, who I was going to be, and what I wanted to do. It was basically love at first site.

How many event have you been to?
I have been to six events so far all big and extremely fun events; North South War, Queen of Hearts, Folkstone Questing and Feasting, and at each one I had a blast heck I even had fun being scalped!~

Let the record show that does not mean i want to experience it again.

Have you ever LARP’ed before?  If so tell us about it?
I have never actually LARP'ed before. I would fool around would fake swords and fence a bit, I'd also write stories that revolved around me being the main protagonist but be named something else, but this is the first time I've actually LARP'ed and I'm not gonna lie it is incredible.

Photo by Dustin Mack
What is your character like?  Where are they from? What is their race? What is important to them? 
For those who know me i go by a variety of nicknames but for those who don't my character's name is Hayden Cromwell. He is a very, extremely, odd character; borderline insane even. Hayden is a Homonculus and he barks you. It doesn't mean he dislikes you its just him being him. He kind of had a dark past details not to important, but he did not know any better because Hayden didn't really have a brain at the time when he did what he did.

After going crazy he got chased into a cave that was sealed for about a thousand years or so, a rift opened up in the cave and Hayden came through. Ironically once he reached the Realms he found himself in another cave and stayed their till he emerged for the first time in Chimeron. For a while he squatted or stayed in Chimeron lands but now he's off on another adventure and is holed up somewhere in Rathkeale... probably in a mud hut... barking at fish. Did i mention he is crazy? A thousand years in a cave will do that to you. He also doesn't have a functioning brain so forgive him if he forgets your face and name. Only so much can be processed by a dis-functional brain.

Hayden has a lot of things that are important to him. Hayden values friendship; he loves making new friends and would lay down his life for them even if he just made friends with the person for the first time. He also enjoys serving others and being helpful if needed but at the same time he enjoys mischief and going against the flow of things. He puts big goals in front of him and strives towards it. An example would be becoming an Archon of Discordia or be coming the perfect creature through consuming and transplanting the best pieces from magical creatures, like persay the spine of a skeletal dragon? Currently Hayden has consumed/transplanted the spine of the skeletal dragon thus gaining its wings and tail, the arm of a demon, the eye of a shade, spleen of an elemental, and the arm of a golem. He does this by scalping the creatures and just saving the parts he wants. 

Another thing that is very important to Hayden is his ties with Clan Riverhawk he loves them very much because they took him in first before any one else would and treated him like family, even though he can be a handful. They always do their best to accept him for what he does.There is so much more to Hayden, that I could keep going on and on but I think the thing he values most are the people he meets because each person is almost like a teacher to him because at every event he learns something new and no matter how small the lesson, it is a big impact on Hayden and on me.  

Photo by Robyn Nielsen
What do you remember most about your first event?
I remember working for the king and also being flatted like 10 times. I also learned that you let things like background information out in small spurts and slowly not all at once because you could get in trouble that way. I know I did but I survived!  

What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?
The people I have met. This community is so welcoming that I literally feel at home. I have met people that have invited me into their homes after meeting me once. People who barely know me and openly support some of my crazy goals. It's honestly the most welcoming community I have ever met. 

What parts of the game do you find most challenging?

I find the combat is the most challenging because well I am a noobie and I'm fighting against seasoned veterans who have been at it much longer than I am but I love a good challenge and I'm doing my best to be out their on the field doing what I can for what ever cause I'm fighting for even if it means getting on my stomach and dragging dead bodies from the front lines. 

Do you have any game related goals (as either a player or character)?
I've got a ton of goals so many I can't even count some of the major ones are:

Revive a nation
Become a Knight
Become a High Priest or Archon of said belief DISCORDIA!!! CHAOS!!!
Become a Tea Master
Become an apprentice to a Magus and hopefully after years of proving that I am worthy maybe become a Magus
Strive to better myself as a player and hope to one day become a Knight of the Eternal Flame and hope to be picked to become a Knight of the Realms
Possibly found my own order 
Possibly found my own religion 
Etc.

Yes this is a tall order some of which may or may not ever happen but I'm gonna go at it and I'm going to go at it hard!
 
What advice would you give other new players?

Aspire to something because once you have a goal and you get enticed by the LARP you will have tons and tons of fun. Also make new friends because who else is going to look out for you? and LARPING alone is no fun.

 What have you enjoyed most about the game so far?
My character and the characters of everyone I meet because so many of them are unique and different. I've met a demon who burst into flames after entering the gates of heaven, a person who is but a shard of 5 different goddesses, and a man who has eaten a baby.  

Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?
For those of you who don't know what a homonculus is I am an artificial human being created through alchemy, however I do not have a master because I am my own master through some very, VERY, messy blood magic / binge eating. Want to find out more? ping me on Facebook. Thought I put that out their because a good friend of mine thought they could become my master if they licked my spell book or wrote their name in it. 

Shout out to all the peoples I've met so far your all beautiful people!

And Finally L.L.T.E, DISCORDIA!!! Bark, bark, bark, woof, woof, and AWOOOOOOOOO!~ Hey I'm looking at you from your window :D and Remember Hayden is always watching :3  Tehe...

Signed 

Hayden Cromwell