The North South War is an annual tournament that is almost
as old as the Realms itself. It's name and concept come from a time when the
majority of the communities in the Realms were culturally divided into three
areas. Back then, nations typically existed in the real world equivalent of
where the players lived, and there were many cultural differences between the
types of players who lived in the North (NH, VT), and the South (MA), as well
as the Southern Wastes (CT). Their differences varied on every topic, be it
fighting technique, rules interpretation, role playing, etc. etc. Practices and
training didn't happen accorss the realms like it does today, it only happened
in select places, and you could tell by watching a person fight exactly where
they were trained. The South was more into Role Playing and Plot and the North
was more concerned with combat. The differences polarized their event
attendance, with few events being able to attract large groups from both sides
of the coin.
1992 marked the very last Duke of Glenndale Tournaments and
War Maneuvers, after which events fell into two major categories, plot events,
and individual tournaments. There were no grand war maneuvers. 1994 saw the
first Queen of Hearts, but in its first iteration there was plot and NPCs,
which integrated with the tournaments. In its inaugural event, it had yet to
reach the heights we've come to expect from it today, and it did not inspire
the kind of fierce rivalry that was to come, a rivalry that had been building
with no outlet in sight.
In June of 1995, a full three years since the last Duke of
Glenndale, Paul Fournier (Decion of Folkestone) and Tom Johnson (Blade of
Folkestone) threw their first event, the North South War, with the help of the
rest of Folkestone. Unlike Queen of Hearts, there was no registering a team, no
organization of true supporters, no individual tournaments; there was just one
question:
Are you North or are you South?
Those who lived in VT and NH were thrown on the North, those
who lived in MA were thrown on the South, and those who lived in CT were kept
aside until the numbers were totaled. The Southern Wastes were put on whichever
team was the underdog.
That first year, the South outnumbered the North because the
majority of the North was Folkestone and they ran the event, and Chimeron was
very populous, so the Wastes were thrown in with the North. Tensions were high,
contestants had three years of thinking they were better than the other, with
no opportunity to prove it, until now. One general for each team was chosen,
and for two days North battled South.
The tradition was defined; the first day was filled with line battles
and bridge battles, and fort battles, and other ways to pit the whole team
against the other. The night time brought a site-wide version of capture the
flag, and the second day required teams to be split into squads to participate
in a series of battles against the opponent's squads. Everything was done both
limited and unlimited. Everything was worth points. Things were intense and
bragging rights were on the line.
When it came time to announce the winners, we were told it
was a tie score. No winners.
What!? After all
that, no one wins!? Some people believe
that given how intense people were taking the event, and the personal stakes
people had placed on the outcome, that the Eventholders had no choice but to
declare a tie and allow everyone to save face, as well as allow them to leave
the site unharmed.
Since then, the North South War has evolved into the premier
just-show-up-and-fight event. Over the years, who is North and who is South and
whether people have a vested interest in such identity has ebbed and flowed, as
has the line that divides the two regions. Over the course of its existence,
cottage industries grew up around the event, including Shalindra's Store (cool
stuff all day Saturday), Panther's Inn (the complete tavern experience Saturday
night), Blade and Katasha's Kitchen (A real breakfast menu Sunday morning), and
the Knights of the Eternal Flame Annual meeting.
Many things have come and gone, but some things remain the
same: The players can still just show up and fight in some of the biggest
battles of the year, Creathorne will be
always be North, Chimeron will always be South, and the Southern Wastes will
always fight with the underdog.