It was with great excitement that I made my way to the lands of Rhiassa for Queen of Hearts. This Realms tradition has been a summer favorite for many years, and the dedicated team behind it was looking to mix things up and reinvent the wheel. This year, two team organizers worked to build their team rosters from everyone across the community who wanted to compete. The organizers were His Majesty, Sir Magus Alexander Cecil, King of Chimeron, and Lord Sir Elwin of Stonewood.
The teams that ultimately took the field were Team Lily and Team
Elwin and featured a wide variety of talent on both sides. Team Lily had General
Alias, Seneschal Jean Baptiste, and Provost Kovaks, while Team Elwin originally
had General Grindin (who was drafted by the other team and replaced by General
Avendar), Seneschal James Swift, and Provost Stewhart.
The tournament had all the classic and iconic war maneuvers
that I look forward to The Antonine Wall, Rhiassan Live Chess, Grand Kill the
Queen, etc. My favorite this year had to be Hadrian’s Wall, however. Team Lily
pushed us hard, and their solid strategy and teamwork snagged them the win. I
remember running all over the field like crazy trying to support multiple
fronts the best I could. It was a great adrenaline rush.
One thing that was different this year was the non-com tourneys. The twist was
that Performance, Armor, Banner, Foamsmith, Garb, and the like, were not prepared
ahead of time. Instead, teams were provided with kits of assorted random materials
and challenged to make their piece that day before the presentations Saturday
evening. Crafters were challenged to be both resourceful and creative, limited
to the materials given to them and whatever tools they decided to bring. The armorer
tourney, as an example, featured unique entries such as an armored loincloth made
by Hygar with the assistance of a rock, and an armored garter. The Garb
tournament spawned the new sleepwear fad- the “Knightie.”
During a brief court that evening, Freija was named Sir Gwen’s
Squire to the Knights of Rhiassa, and Sir Elwin became a Knight of the Sable
Dragon. Heartfelt congratulations to both of you, and well deserved on all
counts!
After the tournaments, my evening became a blur as my
countryfolk decided to go hunting for dinner on the western flank, but I
returned to hear news of necromancers in the woods and adventurers trying to
stop some kind of dark ritual. They had found a creepy staff with eyeballs, and
I was told that upon touching it, one could hear the screams of trapped souls.
Ultimately, not my cup of tea.
On a brighter (and warmer) note, Sunday ushered in many of the epic 10 Person
squad battles, as well as an exciting Queen’s War. The team Aces killed it all
weekend, and I was continually impressed by their dedication and fortitude
despite the heat of the day. Saturday, they fought in mini versions of all the
war maneuvers, and Sunday they were required to be in all of the 10-person
fights. It was thrilling to watch!
The Queen’s War ended with a victory earned by Stewhart, and Mogar hoisted him
into the air in celebration. We were all happy for the tournament’s conclusion
and enjoyed some shade and water post-fight before the award ceremony. The
final win went to Team Elwin, but you can read about the results more in-depth at
View
From Valehaven: Queen of Hearts XXVII Results. Many thanks go out to Rhiassa,
and our other dedicated community members who made this event possible. It is
not an easy undertaking but each year you manage to create a fun and
challenging event that everyone looks forward to. I can’t wait to see what next
year will bring.